Learning can happen anywhere. For children feeling cooped up in a classroom, outdoor learning can be a literal fresh breath of air and open their minds to new ways of thinking. It can spark innovation, boost critical thinking, and illuminate new ways of problem solving.
While outdoor learning isn’t new, it is gaining popularity. During the pandemic years, teachers were encouraged to take the curriculum outside to lessen the chance of spreading germs. Since then, many schools have seen the benefits of continuing with outdoor-led learning and are building curricula set in natural landscapes. Read on for some reasons why schools are moving lessons beyond the classroom and taking them to outdoor-based learning environments.
1. Promote Physical Fitness
It’s hard for adults, let alone children, to get away from digital screens. Smartphones allow the world to be at your fingertips. With a touch of a button, you can watch a video on YouTube, play a mindless game, FaceTime a friend, or scroll for hours on TikTok. The temptation of phones, along with video games and other digital distractions, makes it more difficult to encourage children to go outside and play.
One way to not only encourage but also impose children to get outside is by moving the classroom to the outdoors. Outdoor learning environments enhance fitness by encouraging active learning and allowing children to play freely in a more natural setting. While students are often confined to their desks in the classroom, they can be themselves and move as they please outdoors. Outdoor lessons can improve cardiovascular fitness, reducing sedentary behavior.
While children may still gravitate toward screens and devices, outdoor lessons may make the thought of playing outdoors more compelling. Instead of spending their recess looking at their phone or insisting on watching a video inside, you may be surprised that they beg to go on the school’s commercial playground equipment instead. Outdoor learning can open up their eyes to the possibilities of learning and playing in nature.
2. Improve Mental Wellness
In addition to enhancing physical fitness, outdoor learning can also improve children’s mental wellness. For anyone, spending time outdoors can decrease stress and lessen anxiety. Although children may not be dealing with the same work stress as adults, there is enough to trigger them to feel anxious and even depressed at times. Changes in family dynamics, a friend moving away, and schoolwork are all common stressful scenarios that many children face at a young age.
A change of scenery —moving from the indoor classroom to an outdoor space — won’t change how they’re feeling altogether, but it can boost their overall mood. Studies show that just 20 minutes in nature can help lessen stress in the body — that’s enough time to teach a quick physics lesson or inspire little ones about nature writing!
And when children return to the classroom, you may notice that they are less fidgety and more attuned to the lesson. This improved focus and attention is a result of them getting out of the normal routine and coming back to school feeling both refreshed and revitalized.
3. Foster Creativity
For lessons that allow children to be creative, spending time outdoors can help boost this part of their brains. Outdoor learning enhances creativity by providing a more hands-on environment. In these scenarios, children are encouraged to think outside of the book and use their imagination. Nature journaling or outdoor story writing is great for English teachers who want their students to take in their surroundings and write about what they see in nature. This type of exercise gives students the chance to think on their own and express themselves freely.
Creative thinking is an important lifelong skill. It enables children to solve problems from different angles and adapt to foreign situations more graciously. Creative thinking is often linked to critical thinking: Someone who is a creative thinker can likely analyze different problems and find alternate solutions.
Also, creativity is what makes us as individuals unique. In a world filled with AI and computer-generated content, being creative and suggesting ideas outside of the standard norm are what allow individuals to stand out. Children who can grasp this core competency early on have a better chance of being recognized and noticed for their fresh, imaginative thinking skills.
4. Increase Collaboration
Outdoor learning environments also increase peer-to-peer collaboration. While the structure of an indoor classroom tends to limit teachers and guardians in how children can collaborate, the possibilities are endless outside. Teachers can pair up children who typically sit across the class with each other for a specific exercise. Or bigger groups of two to five children can be assembled to work on larger group work, such as brainstorming or building exercises.
Collaboration enhances the learning experience by shaping how children communicate and speak with one another. For their ideas to be heard, they need to be respectful of others and their ideas and opinions. They need to work together on the common project, which sometimes means compromising and taking turns. Children learn the importance of empathy and understanding while building relationships with their classmates.
Some outdoor activities that require collaboration include problem-based learning, role-play, and game-based learning. Having students team up and solve an algebra problem, for instance, with others can also increase their confidence levels. If students are new to collaborating, it may be helpful to designate specific roles to different group members. This ensures that everyone feels part of the group and contributes, as opposed to letting one team member work on behalf of everyone.
Takeaways
The advantages of outdoor learning are plentiful in terms of academic performance. From improved physical and mental health to boosts in creativity and collaboration, outdoor learning can be the solution for teachers struggling to engage their students in meaningful ways. So, the next time a teaching lesson can be brought outside, try it out. It may just be the switch-up your lesson plan needs for continued success.
