taking kids outside the classroom

A Coast Connections How-To Guide

Outdoor learning experiences - whether they take place a bus-ride away or simply in the schoolyard - are unmatched in their potential to elicit deep understanding of concepts while also improving mental and physical well-being. Here you'll find tried-and-true techniques to make outdoor learning experiences stress-free and successful for both you and your students.

Prepare yourself

Make sure you are very comfortable and familiar with your field site. Visit it more than once if necessary on your own to learn what it's like and where things are (especially important landmarks such as bathrooms and picnic tables!). Develop your understanding of the ecosystems and animals present - the Oceanscape Network is a great resource for this.
Ask and answer some questions about your site: What is likely to distract your students? Will they be able to concentrate here? Are there noises (i.e. the road) that might distract students or make them unable to hear instructions? What obstacles or dangers do you need to warn students about beforehand?
Set your own guidelines for trips outside: i.e. temperature must be at least 60 degrees, ground must be dry, bathroom policy (do they hold it or does everyone have to come inside?) etc.
Recruit help: Ask for parent volunteers to assist, and/or engage a Community Partner who can lead activities and provide support at the field site.
Be purposeful: make sure planned outdoor activities support indoor learning, and vice-versa. Use our Guide to Connecting Field Trips to the Classroom to identify clear pathways between curriculum standards, learning goals, and field trip activities.

Prepare your students

Practice using the tools or skills they'll need to use outside in the classroom so you can work through any challenges there, without wasting precious outdoor time. This will also help students feel more focused and confident when they get outside.
Minimize novelty: Especially for younger students, a huge barrier to learning outdoors is simply how new everything is - they want to get their hands on and explore everything! So bring the outdoors in. Bring in natural objects that students might encounter at the field site, such as leaves, pinecones, sand, rocks, etc. Allow plenty of time for students to feel, explore, and ask questions about these objects. You can also share a map of the field site to help familiarize them, pointing out important landmarks or activity spots they'll be using.
Set ground rules: share clear expectations for behavior outdoors. And don't wait to do this until the day before or day of the field trip! Allow time for students to practice expected behaviors within the classroom setting first, up to several weeks before the field trip. Use a rewards system to positively reinforce each time a student demonstrates model behavior.
Tell students exactly what they'll be doing outside, how they'll be doing it, and WHY they're doing it. Refer back to the Guide to Connecting Field Trips to the Classroom and share these connections with students, so they understand the importance and significance of their outdoor work.
Tell students (and their parents, via notes home) exactly what they'll need to bring to school that day, such as rain gear, water bottle, sunscreen, etc. If possible, gather some extra supplies for students who do not bring the needed materials. The Oregon Coast STEM Hub has field trip materials that you can borrow for free, including rain gear and scientific tools.
Do some teambuilding: especially if your planned activities involve group work, make sure your class has a strong team dynamic and is comfortable with working in groups. Put students into small groups for learning activities and projects, as indicated in the Authentic Projects page for your chosen Driving Question. Check out our Guide to Facilitating Student Work Groups for more ideas.

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Keep it simple

For very young learners, your expeditions outside may be limited to the schoolyard, but that still provides rich learning opportunities. For their first trip outside, keep it brief (5-10 minutes) and keep expectations limited to one simple activity, such as observing the weather and following behavior expectations.
For each trip outside, have one main activity in mind to accomplish, linked to a learning goal. You'll find it takes alot more time to do things such as gather students to attention, write a brief entry in their journals, etc. outside versus in the classroom. So don't plan too much and give yourself plenty of "spare time". And if there is extra time, don't waste it by going back inside! Use it to reflect on the experience, do a silent "sharing walk", or elicit questions that students have about the environment.
Not all outdoor activities have to be science-focused. In fact, the outdoors provides ample meaningful opportunities to engage students in all subjects. Go outside to read a book, write poetry, create artwork, practice math skills - the possibilities are endless! The more you take students outside to do a variety of activities, the more comfortable and successful they will become at learning outdoors.
If schedule restrictions are a barrier, find short periods to incorporate schoolyard time throughout the year. Even as little as 15-20 minutes can still have a big impact on students' well-being and academic achievement.

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Plan troubleshooting ideas for potential challenges

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is allow a 5-8 minute period of "free time" as soon as students get outside. They will invariably stream off the bus or out of the classroom full of energy and excitement. Let them burn some off this off before attempting to do any sort of learning! Point out boundaries, remind them of safety and behavior expectations, set a timer, and let them run around.
Plan tasks to help keep challenging students on-task and safe. For example, if you have one student who you expect might try to run off, give them a specific job to do near you, i.e., carrying something or recording what you ask him/her to.
Establish a buddy system: tell students that they are responsible for the safety and good behavior of their buddies. You can pair up students of different skills and abilities that may also be able to help each other with tasks. You may also want to make accountability process clear, i.e., first politely ask your buddy to change their behavior, and if they don't listen, THEN go to the teacher.
Remind yourself WHY you wished to take your kids outside in the first place. Does being outside make you feel calmer and more grounded? Does it help you think more clearly, or appreciate the world? Channel those feelings, and incorporate moments for your students to experience the same. Don't be afraid to hit pause on the learning activities if students are simply too "wound up", and try some mindfulness exercises or a brief meditation instead to re-establish focus. These kinds of activities also make great book-ends to begin and/or end the experience with.
Have a "poor weather plan". If your outdoor site has a covered area, plan some activities you can do there. If not, have a contingency plan with some less-structured activities you can do on the move, such as observational walks or plant/animal identification. Also, set guidelines for if and when the field trip will be cancelled or cut short: for example, we will go outside if it is raining lightly, but if it begins pouring or thundering we will go back inside. You may have to adjust this based on your students' comfort level.

Balance flexibility with routine

The outdoors is a dramatically different setting than the classroom. And often, students are accustomed to few rules when playing outside in places like playgrounds or parks. So while it is important to enforce safety and good behavior, you'll also need to keep in mind that students simply won't be willing or able to behave as quietly or compliantly as they would in the classroom. And that's okay! Some freedom and room to explore is part of the joy of outside learning.
To maintain some level of classroom-like setting, establish a particular "listening spot" for students to return to when it's time to get instructions or do a task together. This can be a particular rock, tree, or picnic bench. Make it clear that when students are called back to this spot, it is time for them to be quiet and listen. Use a fun "call-back" that you can shout to gather students to this spot.
Make indoor and outdoor learning routines as similar as possible. This includes the use of a "listening spot" or signal in the classroom, or establishing a particular lesson flow that can be used both in class and during field trips (i.e. each day begins with a certain engaging activity, followed by instruction, followed by student exploration, and concluding with group reflection time).
Be prepared to feel like a beginning teacher again! If you haven't taken routinely taken students outside before, you may experience feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and frustration. And that's okay. Allow yourself the same patience and understanding you give your students. Together, you will all learn how to make outdoor learning a success, and something you and your students look forward to!

For additional information, check out this guide by Imaginative Ecological Education.

Are you looking for information about Oregon Outdoor School? Find answers to your questions about ODS here.

This short video shows some great, easy strategies you can use to keep kids on-task outdoors.

Staff from STARNet Early Learning demonstrate how outdoor spaces can be successfully used as engaging learning spaces, and addresses how barriers can be overcome.

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