Building Outdoor Classrooms

How Cool is That?! –Environmental Education for pre-K – age 99

What do stumps, mosquito netting, rain shelters, tents and fire pits all have in common? They are low-cost infrastructure to get students into an “outdoor classroom.” K-5, middle school science, art, music and PE teachers, guidance counselors and others are interested in teaching outdoors to keep everyone safe from COVID-19. Beyond the need to safely navigate COVID-19 issues, “There is a large and growing body of research that demonstrates the benefits of outdoor learning for mental health and well-being, stress reduction, physical health, student engagement, and academic success.” Getting students and teachers outside to learn can also help them deal with the stresses of the pandemic. Interested in outdoor classrooms at your school? Here are some resources to get started:

Guidance and ideas

• eeGuidance for Reopening Schools, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
• Creating an Outdoor Classroom: Things to Consider, Project Learning Tree
• Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Support Deerfield Education Facebook page to see outdoor classrooms being built this summer!

Upcoming webinars:

• Antioch University offers a webinar series on outdoor spaces/curriculum (and many other topics, too!)
• Creating Outdoor Spaces for Nature Play & Learning, Thursday, August 13
• Elementary Curriculum Outdoors, Thursday, August 20
• Risk Management in the Outdoors, Thursday, August 27

Funding:

• Deerfield Community School/PTO has very successfully solicited donations and volunteers from their community to build eight classrooms.
• Schoolyard Habitat Grant, NH Fish and Game

_{(Picture credits to Cindy Hanson, building outdoor classrooms August 2020)}