Whole Child and SEL
Outdoor learning has research-backed benefits to student and staff mental health, physical health, and social emotional learning. Many outdoor activities inherently infuse social emotional learning, as they require skills such as learning to work on a team, identify and respond to environmental stimuli (e.g. hesitancy around insects), and practice mindful observation.
SEL, Art, Health & Play:
Art, Community, and SEL Activities, International School Grounds Month Activity Guide. This compilation from the International School Grounds Alliance features a wide range of activities for various age groups on topics including art, health, recreation, campus agriculture, and social emotional learning. Recommended grade level: various.
Living Schoolyards Activity Guide, Featuring activities based in art, social emotional learning, play, health and schoolyard food and agriculture, this activity is a great place to go for simple ways to incorporate nature or get outside.
Into Nature Guide, Back to Nature Network. This guide contains a number of short, simple activities to bring students in grades K-8 outdoors. Many of these activities are play or observation based and can be linked to curriculum, or used as an outdoor break. Grades: K-8.
Plant yoga video - see Laura "L" Menyuk of the City Schools Farm to School team, lead an 11-minute teacher PD session about yoga that you can do with your students.
Quick Reference
Check out our quick reference guide for using nature for SEL.