Five Positive Impacts Outdoor Classrooms Have on Children (and Educators)
We interviewed five educators once their outdoor classroom projects were complete and found five positive impacts in common among the group: socialization, physical development, confidence-building, risk-taking and creativity. Read more about the examples and quotes from these educators on how their outdoor learning environments have impacted them just as much as their students.
Socialization
In an outdoor learning environment, children socialize with their peers as they take turns and offer encouragement to each other. They have many opportunities to interact, either by playing together or by observing each other’s play. A tumble hill is an unparalleled outdoor classroom feature for socialization. At the same time, it can help children learn concepts such as gravity, slope and incline.
“We had an environment that was completely wasted. We designed something that I had asked for over and over in my career, allowing children who need to run, bounce, not worry about pieces of equipment and just be outdoors, feeling themselves run. The smiles on those kids’ faces make me think we did it right.”
Chris, a school director
Physical Development
Natural balance logs and ropes help children develop strength, balance, coordination and spatial awareness.
“In our outdoor classroom, we have a little rope where they can walk, and a rope where they can hang. And at first, our kids were just like ‘I’m not going to do that.” And then, when they get that confidence and they’re like, ‘I want to go for it,’ and they get to the top and they’re like, “Yesssss!” It’s a whole cheer moment. Those are the best moments.”
LaQuisha, a teacher
Confidence-Building
Trying new things can be challenging and requires a degree of courage. When children are successful, they build self-confidence and a sense of achievement.
“We have a little girl in our class. She has special needs, and one of her goals is walking. Right when she started in February, we had just gotten our outdoor classroom. She’s able to use our environment to really be confident in what she’s doing. It’s always been worth it to have the freedom to do things outside that make them confident.”
Kendra, a teacher
Risk-Taking
Outdoor classrooms provide opportunities for children to take risks in a safe and controlled environment. This can help children try new things and develop a sense of adventure and exploration.
“I’ve always encouraged risky play and how amazing it is for the kids and how I’ve seen the kids change. Watching them be nervous at first and asking us to hold their hands and then being like ‘look! Watch me!’ and just running across there. That kind of development and learning is just so amazing to see.”
Heather, a teacher
Creativity and Imaginative Play
Outdoor classrooms provide a unique and beneficial play experience for children, and many of the features can be used in imaginative play. Children may picture themselves crossing a river or walking a tightrope when they’re navigating a balance rope. On a tumble hill, they may be climbing a mountain or sliding down a waterfall.”
“We have some logs, and the kids took the logs and actually made a seesaw. We were ecstatic that they just made a seesaw on their own with the materials we had out there. More kids started doing it. We took pictures and thought it was the coolest thing ever.”
Tiffany, a teacher
Many studies focus on the positive outcomes of outdoor learning on children alone, but because we work directly with educators, we know they experience just as many, if not even more, benefits from being outdoors.
Our focus is making sure we design and build nature classrooms specific to each facility’s needs and goals. The reward for us is hearing great feedback from educators on how it’s made a difference.
How can we help you make a difference? Let’s talk about your outdoor space today.