Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Outdoor Learning?What to ConsiderBenefits: From the Experts

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

What Is Outdoor Learning?

What to Consider

Benefits: From the Experts

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When COVID hit, the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative was formed in May 2020. Its purpose was to motivate schools and districts to adopt outdoorlearning.

Initially a solution for thepandemic’s distancing restrictions, the initiative is now advocating for outdoor learning as a long-term answer to the systemic inequalities within traditional academic settings.

Outdoor learning refers to education that occurs outside of a classroom.

It originally began in the early 1900s in response to tuberculosis rates at the time, as children were particularly vulnerable to the illness. Despite this, Rhode Island doctors wanted children tocontinue receiving an education.

COVID-19 and Outdoor Learning

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020, education systems were once again faced with a conundrum.

How could students still keep up with lessons and receive an education, without spreading the virus?

What to Consider About Outdoor Learning

Studies show that outdoor learning can help students develop a variety of traits. These include the ability to complete tasks, the capacity to self-direct learning, and the ability tobuild connectionswith fellow students. These findings were particularly pronounced for students from ethnic minorities and low-income households.

A systematic review also found that nature-based learning could positively impact students’  well-being and improve their academic performance.Though these findings are promising, further studies are required to determine specific outcomes that occur as a result of outdoor learning.

What Are the Benefits of Outdoor Learning?

Below, mental health experts, school administrators, and teachers discuss the benefits of outdoor learning.

What Mental Health Experts Have to Say

According to mental health experts, the benefits of outdoor learning are robust.Rebecca Rolland, EdD, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, notes its ability to provide children with concrete learning opportunities.

“Young children learn words for things they experience, such as colors, smells, and textures. This allows them to learn vocabulary in context, versus through a textbook," says Dr. Rolland.

Furthermore, Dr. Rolland says outdoor learning gives kids “the ability to collaborate and self-structure tasks, which builds theirexecutive functionandsocial skills.” This helps children build language andrelate to one anothermore easily.

There are also significant emotional benefits of outdoor learning.Taish Malone, LPC, PhD, a counselorMindpath Health, states that serotonin levels rise when the body is exposed to fresh air.

Taish Malone, LPC, PhD[Serotonin produces] feelings of contentment,positive outlook, andself-efficacy, [traits that are] a great asset in these times when children’s mental stability has been tested the most.

Taish Malone, LPC, PhD

[Serotonin produces] feelings of contentment,positive outlook, andself-efficacy, [traits that are] a great asset in these times when children’s mental stability has been tested the most.

Serotonin: What It Is, How to Increase It, and Can You Have Too Much?

School Administrators Weigh In

Educators and educational professionals also tout outdoor learning’s positive attributes.Cynthia Hoisington, MEd, a project director at Education Development Center and a former teacher, says that outdoor learning can be especially beneficial when teaching the sciences.

Connects Children to NatureIt “connects children to natureand supports a caring disposition toward the environment and the plants and animals that share it with us,” Hoisington says.

Connects Children to Nature

It “connects children to natureand supports a caring disposition toward the environment and the plants and animals that share it with us,” Hoisington says.

Carolyn Hines, a director at theAspen Country Day School, says that outdoor learning has tremendous implications for students.

Carolyn Hines, School DirectorIt [outdoor learning] teaches kids to have agrowth mindset. It also helps them buildconfidenceandresilience.

Carolyn Hines, School Director

It [outdoor learning] teaches kids to have agrowth mindset. It also helps them buildconfidenceandresilience.

Outdoor learning can also give children a chance to be “challenged in a nurturing environment,” Hines says. When students have a chance to work collaboratively with classmates and their teachers, they can build a strong sense of community and acquire traits likealtruism. These skills can then be carried over into other parts of students’ lives, like at home with their families.

A Teacher’s Thoughts

Outdoor learning can facilitate a teacher’s workday, and can have noticeable impacts on a student’s behavior and ability tofocus.

Janet Ecochardt, a certified elementary and special education teacher at Spruce Creek Elementary School in Port Orange, Florida, says this model allowed for more flexible seating. “As long as they are working,” she says, “I let my students find the best spot for themselves—at a picnic table, under a tree, in the grass.”

Being Outside Can Be Exciting and StimulatingWorking outside offers kids more choices in their decisions and can break up the monotony of sitting at the same desk the entire day.

Being Outside Can Be Exciting and Stimulating

Working outside offers kids more choices in their decisions and can break up the monotony of sitting at the same desk the entire day.

Improved Focus and Behavior

Furthermore, Janet says that she noticed fewer distractions. Herspecial educationstudents often require limited distractions. “Classrooms are typically rather noisy with a lot of visual stimulation (colorful posters, decorations, other people moving around, windows, doors, etc). A lot of that is eliminated outside. I found that my students were actually able to focus a lot better outdoors than in.”

Finally, Janet’s students demonstrated improved behavior. Since she works in groups, they’re usually seated close together around a small table. This close proximity results in behavior challenges.

Nature Promotes Relaxation

Outdoor Learning ResourcesTo learn more about outdoor learning, visit theNational COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative website. Here you will find more information about the research and policies behind this initiative.

Outdoor Learning Resources

To learn more about outdoor learning, visit theNational COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative website. Here you will find more information about the research and policies behind this initiative.

3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rhode Island Medical Journal.Fighting TB with Fresh-Air Schools.Slee V, Allan JF.Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions.Sports (Basel). 2019 May 31;7(6):134. doi: 10.3390/sports7060134.Mann J, Gray T, Truong S, Brymer E, Passy R, Ho S, Sahlberg P, Ward K, Bentsen P, Curry C, Cowper R.Getting Out of the Classroom and Into Nature: A Systematic Review of Nature-Specific Outdoor Learning on School Children’s Learning and Development.Front Public Health. 2022 May 16;10:877058. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.877058.

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rhode Island Medical Journal.Fighting TB with Fresh-Air Schools.Slee V, Allan JF.Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions.Sports (Basel). 2019 May 31;7(6):134. doi: 10.3390/sports7060134.Mann J, Gray T, Truong S, Brymer E, Passy R, Ho S, Sahlberg P, Ward K, Bentsen P, Curry C, Cowper R.Getting Out of the Classroom and Into Nature: A Systematic Review of Nature-Specific Outdoor Learning on School Children’s Learning and Development.Front Public Health. 2022 May 16;10:877058. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.877058.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Rhode Island Medical Journal.Fighting TB with Fresh-Air Schools.Slee V, Allan JF.Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions.Sports (Basel). 2019 May 31;7(6):134. doi: 10.3390/sports7060134.Mann J, Gray T, Truong S, Brymer E, Passy R, Ho S, Sahlberg P, Ward K, Bentsen P, Curry C, Cowper R.Getting Out of the Classroom and Into Nature: A Systematic Review of Nature-Specific Outdoor Learning on School Children’s Learning and Development.Front Public Health. 2022 May 16;10:877058. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.877058.

Rhode Island Medical Journal.Fighting TB with Fresh-Air Schools.

Slee V, Allan JF.Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions.Sports (Basel). 2019 May 31;7(6):134. doi: 10.3390/sports7060134.

Mann J, Gray T, Truong S, Brymer E, Passy R, Ho S, Sahlberg P, Ward K, Bentsen P, Curry C, Cowper R.Getting Out of the Classroom and Into Nature: A Systematic Review of Nature-Specific Outdoor Learning on School Children’s Learning and Development.Front Public Health. 2022 May 16;10:877058. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.877058.

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