It’s an image so common that it has become trite: a classroom filled with bored kids peering longingly out the window toward the exciting world outdoors. If so many children become disengaged when they are cooped up indoors for long hours at a time, perhaps it is time for educators to reimagine the classroom and take learning outside.
Outdoor classrooms are not necessarily a wildly novel idea. In Scandinavia, children experience “udeskole,” or outdoor school, especially during early childhood. Many Scandinavians believe that allowing children to explore natural and cultural settings provides them with more authentic learning experiences. The idea of teaching children outdoors spread to English-speaking countries as “forest schools” in the 1990s, and the idea continues to gain popularity across institutions in the U.S.
There is a good amount of variation in outdoor classrooms. Some schools only exist outdoors with no indoor classrooms, while some schools are more traditional campuses with gardens for classes to explore. Whether homeschooling, looking for alternative schooling options, or wanting to create your own outdoor school where children can learn and grow, here’s a guide to creating safe and healthy classrooms for all.
Why Should You Take Classes Outside?
Believe it or not, there are well-studied benefits to learning outside. Various studies have found that students who participate in nature-based learning tend to enjoy measurable advantages in their social-emotional development as well as their academic achievement. Admittedly, further research is warranted to better understand the exact conditions responsible for these benefits.
Among those with first-person experience with outdoor learning, there is near-universal support for the practice. Teachers, parents, and children agree that outdoor classrooms radically improve student engagement, and when children are engaged with lessons, they are more likely to exhibit positive social and emotional behavior. What’s more, spending more time outdoors improves an individual’s physical health by introducing exercise.
Well-equipped outdoor spaces can offer everything teachers need to explore diverse curricula, from science and art to history, math, and reading. The key for educators is knowing how to equip their outdoor spaces appropriately to maximize educational opportunities.
Are There Any Downsides to Outdoor Learning?
There are a few reasonable reasons that learning primarily takes place indoors. In traditional classrooms, teachers can maintain greater control over both the environment and their students. It doesn’t rain or snow inside a classroom, and classrooms rarely have places where students can hide, get lost, or get hurt. Thus, to adults, it may seem that indoor classrooms are the safer option for kids, especially younger kids.
However, there are ways for educators to mitigate some of these perceived disadvantages of outdoor learning. For one, parents should understand that almost no weather should preclude outside learning; as long as students are appropriately dressed, they can withstand most conditions, and play in all weather patterns can be mentally and physically stimulating.
Next, educators who are adequately prepared for outdoor teaching should have little difficulty keeping kids out of harm’s way. All staff should know basic first aid to treat the bumps and scrapes that inevitably occur during playtime. Additionally, outdoor classrooms should be tailored to your students’ level of development so they are unlikely to have access to any environmental elements that could be dangerous, like heights, uncontained spaces, or heavy or sharp objects.
There could be downsides to teaching children outside, but only when an educator or their outdoor classroom is not adequately prepared for the challenges of outdoor learning. Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to create an outdoor space perfect for high-quality education.
How Should You Prepare Your Outside Spaces?
Many factors can affect how you prepare your outdoor classroom. How old are your students? How many students are in your class? How much outdoor space do you have access to? How much time do you expect to spend outside? These kinds of questions can guide your plans for your outdoor learning area and help you create a realistic curriculum for your class.
Outdoor Classrooms Must Be Safe
Your first priority in creating an outdoor classroom must always be to ensure the safety of your students. Outdoor environments often include many hazards: sharp rocks, irritating insects, deep holes, slippery ice, exposed utility lines, animal excrement, and so much more. If you are homeschooling, you may already have put effort into childproofing your garage and yard. If you have a licensed school, you must meet your local requirements for outdoor safety. Whenever you take your class to a new zone, like a park, you should inspect the area for hazards and warn students as necessary.
Temperature should also be considered a safety concern. You should check the weather forecast each day so your students can be dressed appropriately for excessive heat, cold, or precipitation. You might need to inspect play surfaces to make sure they are at a safe temperature for play.
Younger Kids Usually Need More Structure
Daycare and preschool rooms tend to have designated areas where different toys and tools belong, like dress-up clothes in the pretend area and books in the cozy corner. This structure helps younger kids navigate their environment and experiment with different types of play safely and successfully.
You should employ the same strategies in your outdoor classroom, creating different zones for different types of learning and play. For example, you might have a pretend area with a mud kitchen, a gross-motor area with stumps, large rocks, or other large play equipment, a water area with buckets and sprinklers, and a garden area where plants grow. You can enclose different areas with landscape borders or low fences to enhance separation between outdoor activities.
More Kids Need More Space
Your outdoor classroom doesn’t need to be enormous, but it should allow all of your students space to move and explore. If you are homeschooling, your own front and backyards might suffice; if you have a larger preschool class, you will need a larger yard and more toys and tools to keep all students engaged. Some schools may outgrow their available outdoor areas, in which case, you might need to consider taking advantage of outdoor spaces you don’t own.
You Don’t Have to Own Your Outdoor Classroom
Owning your outdoor learning space has notable advantages; it allows you to design the space more intentionally for learning and play. However, if you don’t have any outdoor space to your name, you can still implement outdoor learning with your students. You can visit nearby parks, botanical gardens, or wilderness areas to explore nature in ways that contribute to your curriculum goals. In fact, even if you do have a permanent outdoor learning space, you should consider taking field trips to different outdoor areas to introduce new concepts.
It Is Possible to Create Outdoor Classrooms in Urban Environments
While most outdoor classrooms involve green spaces, homes and schools in dense urban environments can also move learning outside. Just as restaurants converted parking to outdoor seating during the COVID pandemic, urban schools might consider coopting some of their parking lots for outdoor education. Covering concrete in softer natural materials like sand, wood chips, or hay can make paved zones more attractive and comfortable for outdoor exploration.
Conclusion
You aren’t likely to see a bored yawn in an outdoor classroom. You can transform any outdoor area into an exciting and engaging place where students benefit physically, socially, and emotionally. Your students deserve the best, so you should start planning and preparing your outdoor classroom today.
