Learning outside the classroom is an objective in primary education in the UK and an ideal way to introduce science. School grounds, allotments, community farms and sports areas, parks, nature reserves and community woodlands can be accessed in both urban and rural areas. These provide accessible spaces that can be used inexpensively throughout the curriculum. Outdoor learning is a valuable opportunity to engage with parents, guardians, school governors and parent-teacher associations, whether through volunteering to help during visits or providing finance for travel to sites outside walking range. But how can teachers bring the outdoors into the school day and engage upper-primary-aged children with science? By making it active, practical and fun, as Sue Fielding and Meriel Jones did with the Bonkers Bugs project. The project was set up following the opening of Scarisbrick Community Millennium Wood in Lancashire in May 2011 and ran from October 2012 to June 2013 using a creative curriculum. The new two-acre woodland was perfect for young explorers. The project involved all three primary schools within Scarisbrick village, reputed to be the largest rural parish in Lancashire. Herein, Fielding and Jones describe their experience working with the children using a monthly theme such as "Bug of the Month," which covered insects and minibeasts already familiar to the children in everyday life. They go on to describe the activities, sources of advice and support, and outcomes of the project. At the close of the article, they observe that the children have been more engaged and enthusiastic across the curriculum using this thematic approach with Bonkers Bugs as the catalyst. Informal assessment showed that there was a noticeable change in their knowledge of individual invertebrates, habitats, environment and use of scientific vocabulary.