When we returned to the main field area to warm up with a fire, Anders explained how the exercises we had practiced as part of Evo Training improved memory, as they engaged mirror neurons- neurons that fire both when we perform an action and when we see the same action being performed by another person. This small insight showed just one way that learning with “the hand, the head, and the heart” is scientifically proven to increase retention of information.

Lastly, Anders showed us a variety of exercises that engaged both the body and the mind in learning. In one exercise, we used colored lengths of rope to make shapes and spell words on the grass, making us think creatively, move around and interact with the outdoor setting, and work collaboratively. This helped to show how outdoor education is applicable to any topic, not just ecology, as the activity we did would teach kids geometry, vocabulary, cooperation skills, and more. Most educators may never think to use a rope to teach kids to spell words, or about how that might be more comprehensible to some young minds than traditional writing exercises.

In the yard next to the school we met Buster, a young therapy dog in training, and his master. Buster illustrated how animals could be involved in outdoor education, and even indoor teaching methods that prioritizes learning with the body and interacting with what is right in front of you. We also learned that Buster was an excellent tool for promoting outdoor education to students themselves, because even students who were unsure about going out into the forest could be convinced to venture out if they knew that a familiar dog would be by their side.

After saying goodbye to Buster and his human, we walked through some more excellent natural playgrounds, a small woodland, the beautiful Gamla Linköping Open Air Museum, and finally back to the hostel.