Design Guide

The easiest way to get started with outdoor learning is to work with the resources currently available at the school. Walk you site and identify areas where students can gather or sit. However, investing in a bit of infrastructure for a dedicated outdoor classroom space can help institutionalize an outdoor education program.

This page links to some design resources and ideas for outdoor classroom spaces.

Designs for City Schools

Outdoor classroom proposal for Fort Worthington

Outdoor classroom proposal for Renaissance Academy.

Consider using google maps to assess your own schoolyard space. Log in to Google and create your own map to access Google Maps' measuring and drawing tools. Using these tools you can measure square footage and draw polygons to represent different space usage. These can be useful tools for examining possible options for outdoor learning. See this example map of Abbotston, school #50. Follow these instructions, and use this template to create your own maps.

Design Guides

Education Outside's Top 10 guide. This document is full of photos of examples of the top 10 most important pieces of outdoor classroom infrastructure.

Outdoor Learning & Play areas on a Budget. Grim & Parker Architects. Photos of outdoor classroom arrangements and seating examples.

Philadelphia Design Aid - Outdoor Learning Spaces. Detailed guidance and ideas.

Inspiration from Other Districts

Boston Schoolyard Initiative Design Guide. This design guide from Boston covers the various considerations, with plenty of photos, when designing an outdoor classroom.

Chicago, Space to Grow Design Guide.

Resources for Classroom Builds

The Baltimore ToolBank provides tools for community based projects. Check it out if you are planning some classroom construction.