Gathering areas are essential to outdoor educational spaces by providing clear locations for students to be oriented, and it also allows for small groups to work together, or individual students to work independently. 

The type of seating can vary and be flexible to accommodate the needs of the children or activity that will take place in that space. For example, the seating can be made of natural materials such as logs or boulders, and can be placed in a variety of configurations, or it can also be permanent or movable. 

These gathering spaces encourage connections and social interactions to form and provide an opportunity to involve and engage the children by identifying their favorite places to gather, play, or relax. 

Urban meadows are areas made of native grasses and flowering perennials as well as habitats for birds, insects, and other organisms. This means that it can provide an engaging experience where the children’s senses can be immersed in a natural environment. 

It also creates the opportunity for a hands-on learning experience that cannot be replicated inside a classroom such as with collecting seed pods, picking flowers, investigating plants, and observing seasonal change and ecological dynamics. 

Overall, urban meadows can become spaces that inspire an appreciation for nature through the vocabulary, math, writing, and observational skills children develop in school.

Planting beds are additional spaces dedicated to hands-on learning through plants and vegetation. With this element, children can practice gardening and learn about natural cycles in plants and food production, which can also be implemented into their science, math, and language arts education. 

Planting beds also involve a therapeutic approach by including sensory garden elements. These gardens can help to remediate sensory processing issues, which can facilitate the exposure to nature for children living with disabilities. 

There are many methods that can be implemented into outdoor educational environments that act as models of sustainable and responsible use of resources. 

This can include learning about water management through rain barrels, rain gardens, and dry stream beds. The process of decomposition can be shown with leaf cages, a low maintenance alternative to compost bins.

Overall, being able to observe and be exposed to these elements that display green concepts and practices creates a more fulfilling learning experience for students or children. 

 Signage in outdoor, natural areas is important because it allows to communicate educational concepts as well to provide cues for use and behavior. Implementing multi-lingual signs is also a great way to enhance secondary language skills. 

Additionally, the children can be engaged in this design element by involving them in the creation of the signs, which gives them a sense of ownership in the space they will use.