Let It Grow

The long-lasting benefits of a school garden — supporting health and wellness, encouraging students to choose nutritious foods.

Amid the litany of education reforms that emphasize innovation and new methods, school gardens stand out as a low-tech change. In an era where kids' lives are more sedentary, and where childhood obesity has risen dramatically, gardens support and encourage healthful eating as a key component of children's physical wellbeing, which can aid their academic and social success, too. And as the consequences of food deserts and poor nutrition on life outcomes become starker, advocates say that school gardens can act as a counterweight — an outdoor respite for children growing up in environments that can be otherwise unsafe or barren.

Source: Harvard Education

The Great Outdoors

Outdoor education encompasses a range of experiences, settings, and pedagogical goals. “Unplugged” sessions at overnight camp, or Outward Bound–type trips with classmates, are often the first images that come to mind. But outdoor education can be as simple as a lesson taught outside — entirely unrelated to nature, or using the outdoor landscape to teach sustainability or biology. Or it can be simpler still: playing outside, using free time to organize a game or investigate a wild section of the playground.

Source: Harvard Education

Upper Sturt Primary – An Outdoor School

Upper Sturt Primary in South Australia used to be an ordinary state primary school. Since September 2015, the school has been predominantly and outdoor and nature-based school. The children are outside almost all the time, all year round.

Source: Creative Star Learning

Expansive Classrooms: Taking Learning Outside

For educators that want to expand the walls of their classrooms a little more, check out some of the projects and activities that create experiential, outdoor opportunities for the students in our health and physical education classes and our English classes

How to Make the Benefits of a School Garden Meaningful in a Child's Life

Amid the litany of education reforms that emphasize innovation and new methods, school gardens stand out as a low-tech change. In an era where kids' lives are more sedentary, and where childhood obesity has risen dramatically, gardens support and encourage healthful eating as a key component of children's physical wellbeing, which can aid their academic and social success, too. And as the consequences of food deserts and poor nutrition on life outcomes become starker, advocates say that school gardens can act as a counterweight — an outdoor respite for children growing up in environments that can be otherwise unsafe or barren.

Source: KQED Mindshift

An Introduction to Forest School

Here at the Tortworth Arboretum, Jemma Robinson, from Robinson`s Discovery Tree (@JRDiscoverytree) speaks passionately about the premise of Forest School - to provide children and young people with the opportunity for experiential learning and play within the natural environment. Jemma is keen to encourage access, exploration and enjoyment of woodlands - allowing children the chance to connect with nature and to develop skills such as safe tool use, as well as a detailed knowledge of their natural surroundings. The Forest School approach is to offer frequent, regular sessions over time, to layer the learning, so that the children feel challenged, creative and confident, as well as nurturing a life-long love of the natural world. http://www.robinsonsdiscoverytree.co.uk/. http://tortwortharboretum.org . An Adliberate film http://www.adliberate.co.uk for WoodlandsTV http://www.woodlands.co.uk/tv

Source: Woodland TV

Benefits of Outdoor Education

Columbus Academy continues its "Education Today" series on NBC4's Daytime Columbus show with Head of Middle School Karla Long discussing the importance of outdoor education as well as the benefits of having an outdoor classroom and low ropes course.

Source: Columbus Academy

Outdoor Preschools Take Children into Living Classroom

Across the country, more parents opt for learning based on creativity and a little bit of dirt.

Source: Next America

Teaching STEM Outdoors: Activities for Young Children

by Patty Born Selly (Author)

Connect nature play, outdoor experiences, and STEM learning for young children with activities, real-life examples, and educator resources. Nurture young children’s innate tendencies toward exploration, sensory stimulation, and STEM learning when you connect outdoor learning and STEM curriculum. Discover the developmental benefits of outdoor learning and how the rich diversity of settings and materials of nature gives rise to questions and inquiry for deeper learning.

Full of activities, examples, and resources to take the fun of STEM outside, this book will help teachers articulate connections between nature play, outdoor experiences, and STEM learning in young children. Use STEM and nature-based learning to nurture children’s curiosity and exploration of the world.

Nature Education with Young Children: Integrating Inquiry and Practice

by Daniel R. Meier (Editor), Stephanie Sisk-Hilton (Editor)

Nature Education with Young Children is a thoughtful, sophisticated teacher resource that blends theory and practice on nature education, children's inquiry-based learning, and reflective teaching. The book’s guiding conceptual framework is founded upon the integration of four key ideas for effective and transformative nature education:

• The power and value of equity and access to nature education
• Effective teaching encompasses child development domains and integrates ECE curriculum
• Children learn best through inquiry-based and child-centered teaching
• Powerful teaching is founded upon teacher inquiry and reflection.

Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning

by David Sobel (Editor

Environmental education expert David Sobel joins with a variety of colleagues to share their experiences and steps for creating a successful forest kindergarten program. Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens walks you through the European roots of the concept to the recent resurgence of these kinds of programs in North America.

Forest School in Practice: For All Ages

by Sara Knight (Author)

A beautiful full-color book by Forest School expert and teacher Sara Knight that inspires and encourages individuals of all ages to take an innovative approach to outdoor play and learning. The images throughout the book bring alive Forest School activities and each chapter is accompanied by creative ideas for practice and in depth case studies from across the United Kingdom and Ireland exploring the amazing variety of nature provision.

Learning with Nature: A How-to Guide to Inspiring Children Through Outdoor Games and Activities

by Marina Robb (Author), Victoria Mew (Author), Anna Richardson (Author)

This book is suitable for groups of children aged between 3 and 16. It is written by experienced Nature educators and Forest School practitioners, using tried and tested games and activities, it provides comprehensive information for enriching childrens’ learning through nature. The games and activities are clearly categorized, with step-by-step instructions, age guide, a list of resources needed, and invisible learning points.

Learning Is in Bloom: Cultivating Outdoor Explorations

by Ruth Wilson (Author)

The movement to connect young children with nature continues to grow, as more parents and educators become passionate about bringing learning outdoors and letting children explore outside the bounds of traditional lessons. In the full-color Learning Is in Bloom, teachers and caregivers will find 40 hands-on activities effective in engaging young children in investigating nature, both indoors and outdoors, on the school grounds, and on excursions around the neighborhood. Through fostering a love of nature, the activities promote all areas of early childhood education and development.

Lens on Outdoor Learning

by Wendy Banning (Author), Ginny Sullivan (Author)

The outdoors is full of rich learning experiences for preschool and pre-kindergarten children. Lens on Outdoor Learning is filled with stories and colorful photographs that illustrate how the outdoors supports children's early learning. Each story is connected to an early learning standard such as curiosity and initiative; engagement and persistence; imagination, invention, and creativity; reasoning and problem-solving; risk-taking, responsibility, and confidence; reflection, application, and interpretation; and flexibility and resilience. Much of the teaching in these experiences is indirect and involves provisioning, observing, and conversing with children as they spend quality time in nature. Children's dialogue and actions are included in each story to show just how engaged they became during these experiences. Lens on Outdoor Learning will inspire early childhood professionals to use this outdoor approach in their own setting.

Dirty Teaching: A Beginner's Guide to Learning Outdoors

by Juliet Robertson (Author)

Juliet Robertson offers tips and tricks to help any primary school teacher develop variety in their teaching. One of the keys to a happy and creative classroom is getting outside the classroom and this book will give you the confidence to do it. This volume contains a wealth of ideas from cheat sheets to activities that allow teachers and parents to encourage outdoor learning and improve student participation.