The Outdoor Classroom: The Limitless Opportunities of Learning Outdoors (EAD 610 E-Portfolio)






Picture from Google images: http://www.poshseven.com/webimages/blogs/modernblogs/outdoorclassroom.jpg

This post is for E-Portfolio for my class Environmental Design.

Some pictures and quotes from How Wee Learn
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038447326/
Original: http://www.howweelearn.com/quote-about-nature/

Time spent outdoors with children doesn’t have to be viewed as a time for them to burn off their energy and for the teachers to get “breaks”. The children can be offered the same things outside that they have inside their indoor classroom environments, this gives the children the ability and continuity to develop skills that they are learning all the time like problem solving, discovery, critical thinking, cooperative skills, and physical skills.

In a blog I came across from Ann of My Nearest and Dearest, she talks about Richard Louv and his book “Last Child in the Woods” where he discusses the divide between children and the outdoors calling it “nature-deficit” which leads to trends such as rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. His book talks about how direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy development in children and for physical and emotional health; it also teaches children respect for the environment. When outside, children become little explorers and will become more confident in their physical abilities, you have to let them figure it out on their own, it is NOT meant to be unsupervised but rather as a change to have more freedom.

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038581791/
Original: http://mynearestanddearest.com/unstructured-outdoor-play/  The Manitoba Teacher’s Society, wrote an article that talks about how outdoor classroom are becoming more popular as it is getting kids out into the fresh air more and can be used as a natural study ground offering hands-on learning experiences in a live environment. According to a study, the retention rate for learning by doing is 75% compared to 5% through lectures, schools who implement outdoor classrooms have lower rates of student violence, bullying and littering, and in fact have an increase in positive behaviours. Students are using all of their abilities to absorb information and are learning to appreciate nature around them. Outdoor learning can be enjoyable and inclusive as not all children have these spaces at home; it also provides them the chance to be in the open air.
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038455468/
Original: http://www.mbteach.org/library/Archives/SpecialSections/10_ENVIRO-ED/classrooms.html

This learning pyramid shows the above percentages of learning retention, lectures 5% while practice by doing is 75% and teaching others with immediate use is 90%.

Pearltrees: http://www.pearltrees.com/sarahsuwala/item128980973



Original: http://spartanburgimagery.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/gardendesign/learningpyramid.jpg

“The Outdoor Classroom Project is dedicated to increasing the quantity, quality and benefit of outdoor experiences for children in early care and education programs through providing educational and consulting services on the value and design of engaging outdoor learning environments to teachers, administrators and parents.” The physical benefits are an increase in capability; and setting patterns for a healthy lifestyle will result in fewer children suffering from obesity, diabetes, and ADD/ADHD. The cognitive benefits are stronger language, problem-solving and communication skills; becoming interested in science and math through nature; fostering self-initiation, control, and personal responsibility. The psychological benefits are happier, higher and positive self-esteem; effective relationship building; building a healthy and balanced internal psychology from time spent alone; classroom harmony, and social-emotional mastery. The understanding benefits are familiarity with and appreciation of nature; a wide and expansive view of how the world works, and building stewardship skills for the environment.

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038455914/
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNgq2WO3mgg
Pearltrees: http://www.pearltrees.com/sarahsuwala#item128684295
Original: http://outdoorclassroomproject.org/about/the-outdoor-classroom/

All children can benefit from an outdoor classroom in an article from the star by Andrea Gordon, talking about the outdoor classroom and children with autism. A non-verbal child with autism had watched other children build structures with sticks a lot outside and one day he wrote his name out with sticks. In one school it was reported that autistic children who didn’t want to get their hands dirty at the beginning of the year are now becoming more comfortable in doing so and have even moved from playing alone to beside others copying them, muscle tone, balance, and strength (which is low in children with autism) is also improving and are seen as calmer, more affectionate and less likely to have outbursts.

Pearltrees: http://www.pearltrees.com/sarahsuwala#item128684308
Original: http://www.thestar.com/life/parent/2013/07/05/kids_with_autism_benefit_from_outdoor_classroom.html

Some examples of the ways learning environments outside can be set-up:

A a simple seating area. I found this image on Google images.

Pearltrees: http://www.pearltrees.com/sarahsuwala/item128981761





Original: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlAcR6rdFzgRdIji0dq9xzsQCEPmZQf5mbEqnjLtR4qfF6od9FVMgq859_ZzujdyNwtg3uqxNGndJ3phJGa4VzcRtveIl6CN_NXTrG3q9yOi6hwNadhGro9zaE0U3zPJ4Nzj5qcVbM7zH/s320/tn_outdoor%252520classroom%252520jan%25252007.jpg
The set-up of this seating is a good idea as it is in a circle and is not representing how you would sit in a classroom indoors at desks facing a teacher, but rather all together with attention on everyone instead of just the teacher.

A simple way to add colour and texture to your outdoor classroom is to provide old tired for the children to play on or to create a garden inside of it. This picture was found on Pinterest via Della Smith.

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038455839/
Original: http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/2011/07/9-there-are-animals-in-our-garden/

You can also use mirrors as a way to add light and character, to open up small spaces, and to play with. There is also the choice of putting up canopies to incorporate colour and light but keep the weather out. I found the canopy idea on Pinterest via Fabiola Bonaiti curtesy of Infinite Playgrounds:

Pearltrees:  http://www.pearltrees.com/sarahsuwala#item128806025
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038568484/
Originals: http://www.letthechildrenplay.net/2013/10/mirror-mirror-on-wall.html, and http://www.infiniteplaygrounds.co.uk/canopies-and-outdoor-classrooms/

Some activities to do outside:

Ann from My Nearest and Dearest blog provides some amazing ideas for creating your own music spaces using recycled materials, it is a great hands-on experience for the children and it lets them be as nosy as they want.
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038568453/
Original: http://mynearestanddearest.com/amazing-outdoor-music-stations/

    An activity provided by Kristin from Exploring the Outdoor Classroom, found on Pinterest via Ellen Veselack, where the children were provided with loose part materials such as old gutters, buckets and shovels to build structures, which in turn helped them to learn about water flow, angles, and absorption. Another idea was providing paper airplanes outside which lead the children to create a ground control area for dramatic play, a chart where they could use literacy and math to write their names and the times and distances their planes could fly. A third activity could be sensory bins with natural materials and some “bugs” and “creatures” from the dollar store.
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038455872/
Original: http://exploringtheoutdoorclassroom.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2012-03-15T18:54:00-07:00&max-results=7

Even in winter, you can still find ways to go outside and have fun. Why not try painting in the snow? In an article by Jackie Currie, she talks about how fun and creative this activity could be for children to express themselves and learning to experiment with how hard to press down with the brushes. You can even use homemade paint brushes, an idea by Janice Davis provided on Pinterest by Learning 4 Kids. You find the bushiest part of the plant and cut a small bunch and trim it to be the same length then wrap elastic around it and on a stick. Some of the learning benefits are self-expression, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skill development, learning colours, and exploring and experimenting with different types of paint tools.
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038447353/, and http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038447346
Originals: http://www.cbc.ca/parents/play/view/snow_day_paint_it_with_bright_colours, and http://www.learning4kids.net/2012/08/28/textured-painting-with-natures-paint-brushes/

You can also incorporate literacy outside by provided little stones with letters on them for children to spell with. This idea is from The Just Write Blog and was provided by Claire L.
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038568458/
Original: http://thewritestart.typepad.com/the_write_start/2010/08/spelling-in-the-grass.html

There are even ways to incorporate science into the outdoors, with 5 fun forest activities by Shaunna Evans, provided by Katie Curtis. Activity one is called investigate autumn lead chromatography, where you get a variety of coloured leaves and tear them up into clear glasses and cover them in rubbing alcohol to see the colours come out of them. Activity two is to explore a nature sensory board, where the children can collect items and then attach them to a huge board and use. Activity three is using a set of train tracks to make a “tree track” to help the children learn about the different parts of trees. Activity four is finding symmetry in nature using mirrors with found items outside. Activity five is learn about the weather using pine cones, where you can engage in a discussion with the children about how when it is warm pine cones are open, but when it gets wet and cold the pine cones will close up.

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/295337688038534722/
Original: http://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/5-fun-forest-science-activities-for-kids.html

At the end of the day, as said by Bob Hughes of Outdoor Nature, “Are children losing touch with nature and does it matter if they are?”

“Outdoor play is vital, but only if it is with other children and not suffocated by adult interference.” In the 1960’s children would play outside and it would provide them with majority of their play supports, they not only played outdoors but with the outdoors, since then because of heavy traffic, building, and parental anxiety, children’s interaction with the outdoors has decreased dramatically. It matters immensely because children are biological and social beings, they need to know about their surroundings and understand them in order to adapt and to survive, how better than to play in it. Children shape their own brain development by making decisions from what they want to do, why they want to do it, and where they want to do it.
Pearltrees: http://www.pearltrees.com/sarahsuwala#item128683635
Original: http://outdoornation.org.uk/2013/05/22/are-children-losing-touch-with-nature-and-does-it-matter-if-they-are/

Thanks for reading! ~ Sarah Suwala
For more information check out my Pinterest and Pearltrees for my EAD 610 E-Portfolio
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sarahsuwala/outdoor-classrooms/
Pearltrees: http://www.pearltrees.com/sarahsuwala