Page 60 - spaces4learning, Fall 2024

s p a c e s 4 l e a rn i n g
OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACES
with the central courtyard to encourage inter-
action and exploration.
“When I take my students outside, they immedi-
ately want to play on the playground.”
Different spaces for different activities.
By intentionally separating recess areas and
learning areas, students will understand the out-
doors is not only a place to play but also a place
to learn. At the new PreK4SA South School in
San Antonio, Texas, outdoor learning environ-
ments and playgrounds will be between class-
room wings. Each outdoor learning space will
cater to distinct age groups and promote explor-
atory and gross motor play using non-traditional
natural elements like sand and water tables, rock
scramble areas and climbing elements—all to
create safe and engaging spaces for children.
“It’s too hot. There is no shade. My students
don’t want to sit on the ground.”
Provide carpet squares or pads to im-
prove comfort during outdoor activities.
But also, just fi nd the shade and go there!
Goose Creek’s EF Green Junior School was
designed so both courtyards stay shaded
throughout the day, so students have comfort-
able outdoor spaces at all times.
So, the question stands: how do we bring
this vision to life? It starts with reimagining
outdoor spaces as dynamic environments that invite explora-
tion, discovery and creative thinking for learning that takes
advantage of those spaces. To activate outdoor learning on your
campus, consider breaking down the concept into distinct, prac-
tical elements:
Sensory adventures: tapping into natural curiosity. Young
learners naturally use their senses to explore and understand the
world around them. Taking learning outdoors harnesses this cu-
riosity in a fun and educational way. Sound mapping is one of my
favorite ways to do this. It’s simple: Students fi nd a cozy spot out-
doors, sit quietly, and tune into the sounds around them. They
might sketch what they hear, jot notes, or just count with their
fi ngers. Then, we bring those discoveries back to the classroom
60 FALL 2024 | spaces4learning.com
and put together a chart of the sounds collected. Bonus points
if the students can identify the source of the sound they heard!
Materiality: the building blocks of our campus. Turn the
campus into a discovery zone where students can uncover the ma-
terials that make up their world. Start with an engaging task:
Ask them to look around and identify three different materials.
A tree introduces wood, the school walls showcase brick, and
playground equipment brings metal into the conversation. This
task, as straightforward as it seems, opens their eyes to the hidden
stories of common objects. To further refi ne their observational
skills, encourage students to use a journal for deeper engagement
with these materials. They can write, draw, map, or even do rub-
bings. Challenge them to think about the properties—is the sur-
face rough or smooth? Is the material natural or manufactured?
And if it’s manufactured, what natural resource did it come from?
Understanding ecosystems: exploring life’s boundar-
ies. Elementary education often introduces the division between
living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of an ecosys-
tem. Building on this concept, take students outside to test their
knowledge. Instruct students to seek out and categorize examples
of living and non-living things around them, using evidence to
support their choices. Is a leaf that’s fallen still considered living?
What about a stick—does it count as alive? Concrete might seem
lifeless, yet a small, vibrant fl ower breaking through a crack sug-
gests otherwise. If your students struggle with focusing, try using
hula hoops or circles of yarn to defi ne a workspace and keep their
investigation on track.
As you can tell, I am passionate about getting kids outside to