Parents & Teachers Love These Outdoor Classroom Ideas
Parents & Teachers Love These Outdoor Classroom Ideas – Here’s Why!
This article presents a list of the best outdoor classroom ideas that are loved by both parents and teachers alike. Read till the end to learn about all the future outdoor learning classroom ideas you can try!
The National Literacy Trust supports outdoor classroom ideas because they boost students’ social skills, confidence, communication, and understanding. The students who participate in outdoor activities notice an increase in children’s self-esteem, and their self-confidence improves in greater detail.
QuadC says outside support and learning are integral to creating a successful student experience. Arranging some practical learning activities might become a bit overwhelming for both teachers and students. However, such activities can be planned carefully with little effort and consideration.
In this article, we shall briefly review a list of the best outdoor classroom activity ideas and see why students and teachers love these for their children equally.
Let’s get into the details.
Do You Need Planning Permission For An Outdoor Classroom?
As per The Hideout House Company, outdoor classroom learning needs planning permission, and there must be a way to get approval for building regulations. However, if it is under the Permitted Development Rights (PDR), you may not need to get planning permission for your outdoor classroom.
In some cases, permission may not be required. Still, it will be better to consult with your local planning authorities for confirmation, as the regulations vary by the specifics and the location of a given project. The types of permissions and confirmations that may be required for outdoor classroom seating ideas are the following:
- Permitted development
- Local regulations
- Temporary or permanent regulatory structures
Top 8 Outdoor Classroom Ideas That Are Loved By Both Parents And Teachers
Outdoor learning classrooms offer students many learning opportunities. These ideas blend education and fun in a way that appeals to teachers and parents. Some games, such as scavenger hunts, outdoor math games, and bird-watching activities, also improve students’ learning skills.
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The following outdoor classroom day ideas are for all the parents and teachers who want to keep their learners engaged in learning activities outside the premises of a classroom:
Nature Scavenger Hunt
It is one of the most famous outdoor classroom ideas for elementary students. During this session, the organizers must create a list of items for students to find. The items may include specific leaves, flowers, or rocks. The primary purpose of this activity is to encourage students’ observation skills and exploration faculties. Their curiosity will also be piqued, and they will want to learn quickly about the hidden items.
Why is this Activity Beneficial for Students?
- It can enhance students’ observation skills because they notice different details in nature.
- You can also promote teamwork and communication among them when the exploration is done collaboratively.
- Students can also be encouraged to develop critical thinking as they learn to analyze different clues and categorize their findings.
- The students have to engage in physical activity, which improves their overall health and engagement.
- You can also learn that the students are being fostered with a deep appreciation and great environmental awareness.
Garden Exploration
Community gardens or school gardens can be used to guide students in learning about different kinds and species of plants. The ecosystems and life cycles of plants can be discovered. Students may also be guided about taking active care of the plants they might have in their homes. It may lead to the development a gardening passion in students and learners. This way, you can create a sense of responsibility inside students, and they will know that they have to take care of the environment around them.
Why is this Activity Beneficial for Students?
The community gardens are easy to access and even more straightforward for the learners to explore. By just taking a walk in a garden, students can gain quite a lot of helpful insights. Some of the benefits are mentioned here:
- Using their insights from the garden exploration, students can get hands-on learning about plant life cycles, growth, and ecosystems.
- Plant care and observation can also strengthen students’ sense of responsibility and patience.
- Using the garden exploration method, you can also enhance sensory experiences by letting students engage with touch, smell, and sight.
- These activities help connect classroom science lessons to real-world applications.
- Furthermore, these activities encourage mindfulness and stress relief in learners from all academic levels through interaction with nature.
Outdoor Reading Time
How about making a little book club for the little learners? Students may be encouraged to bring their books outside and sit together in a garden to study them. This change of scenery can make the entire reading experience much more enjoyable and engaging for students. It is one of the best outdoor classroom ideas for preschool students. Not only will students become more interested in learning, but they can also exchange their thoughts and ideas on the topics under discussion. You can also tell them about the best techniques for reading a book.
Why is this Activity Beneficial for Students?
If you are wondering why the outdoor reading time is essential for the cognitive development of students, go through the following points:
- It improves focus and retention by reducing indoor distractions for the students.
- It can be used to stimulate creativity and imagination in a natural setting.
- Students also feel the encouragement for a lifelong love for reading through an enjoyable experience.
- Outdoor reading time is the best time to get fresh air and sunlight. It all further results in boosting mood and well-being.
- You can also break the monotony of classroom learning, hence making reading more engaging.
Chalk Problems
This is more like a creative learning technique that students can follow daily. The maths class can be moved outside the classroom, and students may be encouraged to solve complex issues on the pavement using sidewalk chalk. This interactive approach can make learning more physical and fun. Students also retain the information learned in this way for more extended periods.
Why is this Activity Beneficial for Students?
The chalk talk problems are essential for students as they improve their engagement and study various perspectives. Some other reasons that may help students and teachers see the importance of this activity are the following:
- Students usually engage in written conversation with their peers in this activity, which encourages class participation.
- These talks focus on open-ended questions that require deep reflection on the topic.
- It has also allowed students to exchange ideas on a single topic in bulk.
- These charts can be used formally to assess students’ understanding of concepts.
- Chart talks are also the best way to improve students’ cognitive functions.
Storytelling Circle
This is one of the best outdoor classroom ideas for kindergarten students or those enrolled in their elementary classes. Parents and teachers can gather their students in a circle arranged outside for collaborative storytelling. Each student will have to contribute to a story sentence. The entire process fosters a sense of creativity and improves students’ communication skills. It can improve the communication skills of young learners by a great deal.
Why is this Activity Beneficial for Students?
In the story circles, students can learn to listen and empathize with others. It is beneficial for students for the following reasons:
- It creates a non-judgemental environment for students to express their personal stories.
- Other students can learn a lot from the stories narrated by one student.
- The listeners may learn how to overcome their prejudices towards the contents of stories.
- It creates a healthy dialogue between the storyteller and the listeners.
- Students may learn that although they cannot change what happens in the story, they can still change their position about it.
- Parents encourage their children to participate in this activity, and they may want to tell their stories to other students.
- Students can be easily reassured about the usefulness of their shared information.
- The students may also learn different story writing and scriptwriting techniques due to these storytelling sessions.
- These storytelling sessions also improve students’ observational skills and sharpen their imagination.
- The visual skills and narration skills of students have improved quite a lot.
Art Projects
Following this idea, students can set up an outdoor art station where children use traditional and natural art supplies. This way, they can improve their creative expression in a fresh environment. Teachers and parents can foster students’ innovative spirit by providing different art supplies and asking them to draw their observations. You can also ask the learners to try journaling when sitting in an open and fresh environment.
Why is this Activity Beneficial for Students?
The reasons why working on different art projects in the outside class environment can be beneficial for students are the following:
- These activities enable students to communicate their ideas in a better way.
- Students can create a sense of beauty in themselves and further explore art as their hobby.
- Learning through art can enrich students’ studying experience and prepare them for life after school.
- Art schools encourage self-expression and creativity and give learners a medium to express themselves.
- The high-quality curriculum can also enable students to develop a love of an intellectually challenging subject.
Outdoor Theatre
If you are looking for outdoor classroom design ideas of a physical nature, you can plan an outdoor theatre for your students. By arranging an outdoor theatre, you can transform your reading sessions into live performances, allowing students to act out different stories. They can also create their plays outdoors, leading to the integration of drama with physical activities.
Why is this Activity Beneficial for Students?
The outdoor theatre activities are quite helpful for students due to the following reasons:
- This activity improves students’ engagement & motivation, leading to a deeper understanding of the material.
- Students can also explore different characters and perspectives in a unique outdoor environment.
- Theatre activities can improve people’s social skills.
- These activities also help promote students’ social and communication skills.
- Students also learn how to enact different plays and bring them to life.
Weather Station
This is one of the outdoor classroom ideas high school students can explore to satisfy their scientific curiosity. The students may be asked to create a more straightforward weather station where children record the daily weather changes. The hands-on activity can enhance their understanding of weather and meteorology. Furthermore, students’ observation skills also improved quite a lot.
Why is this Activity Beneficial for Students?
Weather station activities can help students develop scientific and practical skills because they allow them to engage in real-time data collection. Most importantly, students can foster an understanding of different weather patterns and climate changes by visiting these weather stations:
- Students can firsthand observe and measure elements like wind, temperature, and rainfall.
- These activities connect theoretical knowledge with the phenomenon of the real world.
- The students can also learn to collect, organize, and interpret the relevant data.
- Activities like visiting weather stations can enforce cross-disciplinary learning in students.
- Hands-on learning activities are quite engaging and fun for students.
- Students can also learn how to collect and analyze data and skills that are valuable in various fields.
- It also fosters an understanding of climate change in the students.
What Does Ofsted Say About Outdoor Learning?
Ofsted says that inspections drive provision. In the book, as mentioned by Taylor and Francis Online, there is a specification that for getting good grades, students must have an opportunity to go outside and take an active part in physical play, and they must also experience different challenges, such as risking new things and activities. It all motivates students and encourages them to try new things in life.
What Are The Advantages Of Outdoor Learning?
Taking the entire learning process outdoors can improve students’ mental health and enhance their education. As per Learning through Landscapes, the top 5 benefits of outdoor learning for students are the following:
- It improves the mental health & well-being of students, particularly the children.
- The relationship of students with nature also improves quite a lot.
- Due to outdoor learning, education becomes more inclusive as children find new ways to learn information.
- The children will discover that education is more inclusive due to the ideas of outdoor science classrooms.
- The curriculum-based learning of students is usually enhanced when they go out to outdoor activities for learning purposes.
- Children can better learn their educational aspects by being away from classroom seating plans and classroom-based learning.
Concluding Observations
We have explored the best outdoor classroom ideas that parents and teachers love. You can combine these activities or do one learning activity per day to keep students engaged. Either way, it will be super interesting for students.
However, if you feel that your homework assignments are being impacted by your frequent indulgence in outdoor classroom activities, get assistance from British assignment writing firms. These services have several expert writers on board who can assist students with fulfilling the requirements of their papers.
Lastly, activity-based learning is much more effective for students than the traditional classroom learning environment. Schools are busy places, often with mechanical routines. Students who go out into nature for learning purposes can improve their learning skills quite a lot compared to those who stay inside traditional classes all day.
