Outdoor Learning Environment Analysis
Children learn by doing. Experience and play in the outdoors are vital to children's well-being, health and development across all areas. For experiential learners, the out-of-doors provides an exciting, hands-on, deeply interesting space in which children learn from the natural world, one another and from their play.
How a school's outdoor learning environment is designed, equipped and maintained has a deep impact on youngsters and their learning. Well-designed outdoor spaces encourage discovery, promote activity and provide diverse opportunities for learning. They also encourage creativity, imagination and exploration. By supporting positive social interactions, the development of strong social skills, competence in conflict resolution and growth of communication and language skills, well-designed, well-equipped and well- maintained outdoor learning environments minimize aggressive and/or negative social interactions and behavior. In short, well-designed grounds can help schools achieve all of the goals they have for students: goals in curricular content areas such as language and literacy, science and mathematical thinking and reasoning, as well as goals in social development, physical development and creative expression.
The outdoor learning environment should offer spaces for active play, for quiet, private time, for creative endeavors and for exploratory activities. It should include spaces with shade, areas for gathering as a class with adequate seating, natural areas and numerous activity areas. The environment needs to invite children to be active, quiet, interactive, messy and/or noisy. It is a space where children can work and play on a grand scale, have many choices, and truly follow their own interests.
Learn Outside provides services in assessing outdoor learning environments and developing ideas for implementation. Services include reviewing what is already available naturally for students while also looking at the possibilities for extending and developing new areas and experiences. Consultative services can also include follow-up training sessions with teachers and/or parents on supporting and using the outdoor learning environment.
Wendy Banning, Educational Consultant
919.942.7773
wendy@learn-outside.com
www.learn-outside.com
