Many schools in the U.S. started rethinking what traditional learning looks like years ago. But the global pandemic supercharged this in a way many people don’t realize. Indeed, parents and teachers everywhere were even desperate to get kids outside. In that time, they also saw how much kids could actually learn out there in the “wild.” Now, more schools are truly integrating outdoor learning into their campuses. There, kids can play, learn, and grow in natural ways that benefit everyone.
Here’s what that shift looks like: The Playground as More than a Playground For more than 100 years, grown-ups have pushed kids out onto the playground to have fun. Sure, kids got to play. But also… parents caught a break. Then, as universal education set it in the early 1900s, educators realized that kids needed to be able to run, climb, and play on commercial swing sets and structures with their friends in between classes. Making kids sit and focus for hours on end without recess simply didn’t work. Since then, the modern playground has evolved, but its purpose has remained largely the same.
And yet, not much in education changed over 100 years until recent decades. Educators in the United States began to wonder why kids didn’t seem to be performing as well academically as kids in other developed nations. Part of that, they discovered, has to do with the connection between play and learning. Kids in Western European countries, with much higher test scores, engage in outdoor playgrounds, community gardens, and physical activity. How Playgrounds address STEM and SEL when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Outside, even without any additional learning elements, kids can learn from:
- Plant and animal life
- Changing weather patterns
- Each other
- And they do it in ways they just can’t when they’re inside. They get to experiment, observe, and ask questions about the natural world, which is much more likely to keep them engaged. Basically, STEM is happening all around kids outside all the time.
Plus, kids in nature play more freely, more… naturally. This open-ended play helps them build their social emotional learning skills.
- They’re better at communicating and working with their peers. They ask each other for help when they need it.
- They’re learning to regulate their emotions better. So they’re less likely to have meltdowns and throw temper tantrums.
- They’re also more resilient. They deal better with conflict outside because they have more space, literally, to work things out.
- The playground, in reality, is just a less stressful space than a small, tight classroom. Features to Include in Your Outdoor Classroom Of course, you can take this learning a step further by intentionally designing outdoor classrooms to meet the needs of all your students. Indeed, outdoor learning helps kids learn more and become more engaged. So it pays to make sure you have all the academic tools and features necessary to foster this learning process. The first step is to ensure your space is accessible to kids of all ages, developmental phases, and abilities. From there, the sky’s the limit.
You can install shaded seating that includes fast-growing plant life and plastic elements that arch up and overhead. Kids can study the plants themselves or simply hide from the hot sun. Including modular, weatherproof furniture gives kids a space to sit and read, reflect on experiments, or discuss their findings with classmates. And adding water features, weather stations, planting beds, and climbing elements lets kids explore a variety of academic subjects physically. This helps their long-term retention of the subject matter. Get the Community Involved If you really want your outdoor playgrounds to be a success, get your community involved. The more of a voice your parents, neighbors, and local vendors feel like they have, the more willing they’ll be to pitch in. STEM, SEL, and play features can be expensive to purchase and maintain, so you’ll need the whole school to get involved. And remember, you can build incrementally over time, adding one element at a time.
Start with a community meeting at the school that invites parents and business owners in your district. Also, be sure to include community organizations. They may have more experience with grants and funding and ways of raising interest and investment. Ask participants for ideas for ways to make the best use of your space, contributions they’d be willing to make, and programs they think will work best for your goals. When they understand the benefits of outdoor learning, your community members will likely be more than willing to help out. The Future of Education as Play The bottom line is this: play and educational and social emotional learning do indeed intersect. The better educators, parents, and anyone involved in the future of a community understand this intersection, the more they can contribute to making the most of kids’ earliest learning years. Because bringing learning, play, and the outdoors together doesn’t just lead to improved academic outcomes and children who are healthier at a physical and mental level. It also leads to a stronger community and a stronger society as a whole. That’s well worth the investment.