Classroom #1
“You’re lucky, you are in first grade and you are getting to go
outside. This is the first time we have
been out here,” an older student said to a first grader on Wednesday.
These students had just finished measuring and identifying trees,
wading in the creek, playing snow baseball, writing poetry, and taking amazing
photos. This was math class and no, the
creek, baseball, poetry and photography were not a part of the lesson. Earlier
in the week, these students were tasked with the goal of identifying trees of
millable height, size and posture to get as much usable wood as possible with
minimal environmental impact. Wednesday
was the outdoor day and I was not entirely sure what to expect. Hypsometers (sticks that are used to measure
the millable wood in a tree) are measuring tools, but you know what? They make
great walking sticks, baseball bats and swords.
It did not take long for these students to figure this out. In talking
with a number of teachers, this is a primary concern of taking students
outdoors to learn.
Something New
The first time that you try doing something new with students,
there is going to be a need for students to learn about the way they interact
with the space, tool or resources. In
this case, there were a number of factors: new tools, new space and we were
using iPads. And as the student
mentioned, they had not been outside before in a learning capacity, nor had
they been in the outdoor classroom. To
someone who is trying a new lesson outdoors for the first time, this could be
enough stress to rethink the idea of going outside with students.
So, what do I do as a teacher who wants to get my students
outdoors?
The first step is simple, go outside! Let your students run through the woods, play
in the mud and swing sticks against trees.
Put structured learning aside to start and just let them play with the
“manipulative.” Another great way is to
observe the outdoors from a window at your school. Michelle Aldenderfer
- Griffin’s post on
the Children and Nature Network, gives you three easy ways to add outdoor
learning, indoors. Call your local
hardware store to ask for donations of bird feeders and seeds. Then use the Merlin Bird ID App to identify the birds that come and
eat at the feeders. The app is easy to
use and provides detailed information about local species. The more exposure that students have to
resources, tools or spaces, the less of a novelty it becomes and they start to
look at a non-traditional learning space differently, as in the case of the
classroom #2.
Classroom #2
On that same Wednesday, another class was outside. It was quoted to be the greatest outdoor day
they had to date. The reason: seven
deer, one bald eagle, a running creek, and a fresh coat of “sled-able”
snow. This was not in the plans, but it
led to a whole new set of learning. This
teacher was amazed by all of the cool questions and activities that happened
and told everyone that walked by her classroom.
A teammate wished she could just take her kids out there. Her barrier: she did not know what to do with
the students. The teacher’s response,
“Put on your winter clothes and just go out there. Everything I planned was messed up because of
the snow, but we talked about more things than I could have imagined with what
I had planned yesterday.”
Not the first time
This was not the first time that Classroom #2 had been
outside. Being outdoors is a weekly
event and students have really learned how to interact with the space. Students have learned so many new things
about the outdoors, they have started to drive their own learning. Students are asking if they can learn more
about the animals, habitats, creeks and trees.
The students are making connections to what they are experiencing
outdoors in every curricular area inside of the school. In language arts, students are writing about
their adventures in the woods or identifying the starting sounds and letters of
plants and animals they see outdoors. In
math, students are counting and tallying the birds that are flying to the
birdfeeders at the window. These are
just two of many examples of how outdoor learning is being integrated into
classrooms.
What next?
Take your students outdoors.
Let them play in nature. Not on
the playground, tennis/basketball courts, but in the fields, woods and
wetlands. Let students explore the
school grounds, neighborhoods and world around them. Then, provide them with opportunities to
reflect and connect with what they experienced outdoors. There are many great resources that are
available for teachers to continue learning outdoors. One amazing resource is Green Schoolyards
America. This website has two great resource guides; Living
Schoolyard Activity Guide - Midwest Edition and the International School
Grounds Month Activity Guide. There
are also great resources on Twitter; @MinnesotaEE, @RichLouv,
@OutdoorClassDay are just a few of great Twitter handles that provide links,
resources and ideas on how to engage your students outdoors.
Enjoy your time outdoors!
Alex Townsend
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