All the world’s a classroom: Why outdoor learning is so crucial
A crowd of excited six year olds gather around their teacher, barely able to stop themselves from hopping up and down on the spot. Today is a big day for these little people. It’s the day that they get to see the end results of a project that they’ve been working on for the best part of a year - their very own oozy, sticky, delicious honey.
It’s not often you hear about primary school children making honey; least of all primary school children in inner city London. Yet in today’s technology obsessed world, where three-quarters of British children spend less time outside than prisoners do and where we seem to be fighting a losing battle against childhood obesity, there’s a quiet revolution taking place. More and more educational establishments are recognising the benefits of taking learning out of the classroom and into the wild.
Many of us grew up exploring the world beyond our homes. We would climb trees or build dens or ride our bikes until it got dark. But over the last couple of decades there has been a shift away from outdoor play, largely due to concerns around safety, with children spending a considerable number of hours at home in front of a screen instead, leading to “nature deficit disorder”. So, it’s fantastic to see schools taking the initiative to encourage their pupils to connect with the natural world in a way that’s safe, but also fun and educational. Children get to stretch their legs, they learn about the environment, and their mental well-being improves too.
Getting kids involved in activities like gardening, for example, or teaching a maths lesson outside using nature as a learning aid can actually improve attention-span and help children to remember what they’re being taught. Being immersed in the natural world reduces stress and generally improves mood. Practical lessons are also of enormous benefit to children with special educational needs. Not everyone thrives in a classroom environment and outdoor learning fosters teamwork, communication and problem-solving in ways that wouldn’t be feasible during a “regular” class. What’s more, in some instances, the wider community also benefits. For instance, the honey made by our inner-city primary pupils was sold, meaning that local people got to enjoy organic honey from within their own neighbourhood - at a fraction of the usual price!
The relevance of outdoor education for our children is now so widely appreciated that we can even find “forest schools” across the UK. Aimed at nursery or primary age pupils, these establishments put outdoor play at the forefront of their education policy. They aren’t just fair-weather places either; children are outside come shine or rain, getting muddy, getting active and seemingly getting a healthier start in life. And, of course, if we teach our children about the importance of the environment from a young age, they will be more inclined to take care of the planet as adults. That can never be a bad thing.
By, Lucy P 2018