Tips for Teaching Outdoors in Extreme Temperatures

Being outdoors is essential for children's physical and mental health, but what happens when temperatures soar or plummet to extreme levels? Teachers face a delicate balancing act - on one hand, they want to ensure children reap the benefits of outdoor learning, but on the other, they need to keep them safe from heatstroke, frostbite or other weather-related hazards. Fortunately, studies suggest that time outside in extreme temperatures can be beneficial for children's health and development, as long as certain precautions are taken. Let’s explore some tips for outdoor classroom teaching in extreme hot or cold weather so you can help children make the most of their outdoor learning environment.

1. Tips for Teaching Outdoors in Extreme Temperatures: Communicate Well with Parents.

It’s important to have supportive parents, and good communication can help them prepare and feel more comfortable.

In an episode of The Play Based Learning Podcast, guest Kyla Maciosek, founder and CEO of Nature Created Play, shared how important it is to let parents know early on that they’ll be going outside daily in Arizona’s hot desert climate, but she also reassures them that they’ll start off slow.

Letting parents know your intentions up front helps them understand what to expect and how to dress their children for the weather. In Arizona that may mean UV blocking shirts and hats. In a cold climate, that could mean adding several layers, or sending an extra set of gloves or mittens.

Frequent communication is important, too. It’s helpful to send several reminder emails and text messages to parents about dressing children appropriately for outdoor learning.

2. Tips for Teaching Outdoors in Extreme Temperatures: Start Slow.

Maciosek emphasized the importance of starting slow. “It’s all about acclimation. When we start off the school year, in the middle of the afternoon it’s 100, 105, maybe 110 out. I’m not going to throw kids outside for 7 hours on the second, third day or even week of school …I take that idea of acclimation, start slow, and build.”

A 2017 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology investigated the effects of outdoor play in hot weather on heat acclimation in children. The authors found that children who engage in physical activity in hot weather developed heat acclimation adaptations like increased sweating and improved thermal regulation, even after just five days of exposure. The authors recommend that children engage in physical activity outdoors, even in hot weather, but caution that they should do so gradually and with appropriate hydration and cooling measures in place.

Maciosek said one of her techniques to help children cool down once they go back inside is to have them remove their shoes, lay down, and rest for a few minutes. 

3. Tips for Teaching Outdoors in Extreme Temperatures: Get to Know Your Students and Their Limits.

Kristen RB Peterson, retired founder of Butterfly Hill Nature Preschool in Minnesota and The Play Based Learning Podcast host, shares her experience of frigid winters of Minnesota.

“We know our limits and our children’s limits. When taken outside and dressed appropriately, they can handle it. In extreme cold, you encourage movement and encourage appropriate clothing, which is a huge issue in cold places. There are lots of ways to work around it.” 

An International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health study published in 2018 focuses on the association between active travel to school and health-related fitness in children and adolescents, but in one section of the article, the authors briefly discuss the potential benefits of outdoor play in extreme temperatures. They cite a previous study which found that children who played outside in cold weather had improved cardiovascular health and immune system function compared to those who didn’t, and also noted that outdoor play in extreme temperatures can help children develop resilience and coping skills.

4. Tips for Teaching Outdoors in Extreme Temperatures: Make Adjustments as You Go.

In Minnesota’s extremely cold winters, sometimes it’s safe for children to be outside for a limited timeframe. Instead of avoiding it altogether, Peterson said she’ll take her students outside for 10 - 15 minutes, go inside, read a story and then go back out.

On the opposite spectrum, Maciosek builds in water break timeouts on Arizona’s hottest summer days. “We’ll yell out ‘water break,’ and the kids will stop what they’re doing, get water and then go right back to what they’re doing.”

Arizona, Minnesota, and even central states like Oklahoma, host outdoor classrooms that educators can use and embrace year-round, even in extreme temperatures. The key is communicating well with parents, starting slow and working toward acclimation, knowing their students’ limits, and making appropriate adjustments along the way. 

Plan the perfect outdoor classroom around your space and climate today.