The Value of Outdoor Lessons

There is, to be sure, a lot to be said for being inside. In terms of examples of human innovation, things like fire, the wheel, or flight are the most commonly referenced. But the concept of building a structure which shelters us from the elements is such a fundamental concept of our lives that we don’t even think about it. But that doesn’t mean that we can, or should, stay inside all the time. There’s plenty of stuff that you need to go outside to do, and it’s just nice to get some fresh air and experience a bit of nature.

Now, while this is good general life advice, it is also good advice for schools. Because your students will spend a lot of their learning time in a classroom of some description. But, since they’ll do the majority of their learning indoors, it’s not a bad idea to occasionally break things up with a lesson outside. Now, there are certainly considerations to be kept in mind when planning such a thing. The most obvious of these being weather. If you’re planning a lesson outside, you need to plan ahead and pick a day when the weather is expected to be good. And, if you’re planning to leave the school grounds, there are different health and safety factors to consider.

However, there are also plenty of benefits to it outside of merely being a change of pace. Research shows that outdoor learning can benefit children when it comes to confidence, social skills, communication, motivation, physical skills, knowledge and understanding. This is because school learning is, by necessity, somewhat regimented. A lesson outside can really shake things up and give children the opportunity to develop the above qualities.

So, assuming that I’ve sold you on the idea of outdoor lessons, this brings us onto the next question. What, exactly, do you do for an outdoor lesson. There are two avenues to explore as far as this goes. The simplest solution, if you’re planning to stay on the school grounds, is to have a regular lesson outside. Obviously, this lends itself more naturally to lessons which don’t have an excessive amount of writing involved. For example, the change of scenery can work wonders if you’re having a discussion with your students on a topic.

The second avenue is to build your lesson around the fact that you are outside. This approach embraces the possibilities being outside presents in terms of lesson planning. These lessons tend to help build fundamental life skills and attitudes. And when you choose to do the outdoor lesson also has an impact on what you can do. When you think of outdoor lessons, you generally think of spring or summer. But there are lessons for each season. Autumn, for example, provides as great opportunity for art lessons. Why not take your students out to gather different coloured autumn leaves for an art project? Has winter left things icy outside? Then this gives you the opportunity to have your students perform certain science experiments.

Furthermore, outdoor lessons add a sense of adventure to the proceedings. There’s a concept known as gamification, which can be used to tackle one of the fundamental challenges of teaching children. That, odds are, the children you’re teaching would rather be doing something else. Gamification is all about taking an activity and making it more fun for the people involved. And outdoor lessons are an opportunity to do just that; by turning what would be a standard lesson into an adventure. Are you teaching your students about minibeasts? Take them outside to find them in person. Or, how about a scavenger hunt? Taking things outside gives you plenty of options to make things more engaging for your students.

Ultimately, outdoor lessons are a great way to take a break from routine, encourage positive qualities in your students and to help get them engaged in learning. And, they’re an option for all ages of students, not just younger ones.