9 Ways To Celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day
18 Apr, 20241-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- How schools can embrace outdoor classroom day.
- 9 ways to celebrate outdoor classroom day.
- How to find and apply for the best Teaching jobs.
Looking for creative and fun ways to celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day? Thousands of Teachers all over the world celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day, and are tasked with creating lessons and activities that embrace nature and cultivate a love of learning outside the traditional classroom setting.
We have some great ideas to take advantage of the fresh air and explore the wonders of nature, perfect for Teachers looking to take the classroom outdoors! Discover creative and fun ways to celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day with activities that benefit students and Teachers alike.
So, step outside and celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day with these 9 creative activities that not only promote learning but also provide numerous benefits for students, Teachers and schools to engage with nature.
What is Outdoor Classroom Day?
Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to celebrate and encourage students to go outside and learn in their natural surroundings. On two days out of the year, Teachers take children outdoors to play, learn and get involved in nature.
Outdoor Classroom Day is celebrated biannually, and is a time for Teachers to embrace the outdoors, no matter the weather, and take the classroom outside!
Since it launched in 2011, Outdoor Classroom Day has become the world’s biggest celebration of outdoor play and learning with 10.4 million children having taken part in Outdoor Classroom Day so far.
In 2022/2023, 689 Maths lessons were taught using The Outdoor Classroom according to the Outdoor Classroom impact report. Maths was the most-taught subject outdoors, followed by P.E, with science ranking third with 232 lessons taught outdoors.
All year round, the Outdoor Classroom Day community campaigns for time outdoors everyday.
How can schools embrace Outdoor Classroom Day?
Schools across the globe can embrace Outdoor Classroom Day by taking any or all lessons outdoors to teach students about the importance of nature and the planet. An increasing number of schools cite pupil wellbeing and resilience as reasons for taking lessons outdoors. Outdoor curriculum can include evidencing learning, learning for sustainability and place-responsive education.
According to the Outdoor Classroom Day’s Teacher survey, two thirds of schools have increased playtime and outdoor learning since getting involved in Outdoor Classroom Day. Time outdoors at school supports engagement in learning, leads to a greater connection to nature and improves children’s mental and physical health.
9 ways to celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day
- Teach outdoors.
- Play.
- Go on a walk or a nature trail.
- Create a den.
- Become a scientist.
- Go on an insect hunt.
- Grow a vegetable garden.
- Take a trip outside.
Teach outdoors
The most obvious and most effective way to embrace this special day would be to take the lesson outside and teach your students in the great outdoors. Get your resources and get outside!
Weather dependent of course, but ensure that you have a lesson planned that can be taken outdoors without reducing or risking the standard of the lesson.
Don’t plan a lesson that relies heavily on technology, rather design your lesson around the natural environment. Sit outside on benches or in the play area, and take advantage of your surroundings.
Prepare a lesson that embraces the outdoors whether it’s P.E, Maths or Art, most subjects can be taken outdoors and made relevant but still fun!
Play
Play is essential and provides children with important opportunities for learning that they wouldn’t get in a classroom. It is vital that pupils are provided with high-quality play to ensure that they have opportunities to develop key life skills and socialise with other students in a more relaxed and enjoyable way.
Playing games and activities is essential to a healthy and happy childhood and giving students a break from indoors and a structured lesson in the classroom, can make learning and Outdoor Classroom Day more memorable.
Outdoor play especially provides more opportunities for managing risk, building resilience and exploring nature.
Play some nature-themed games that combine learning and play, with opportunities for your students to work together. Play not only teaches critical life skills such as resilience, teamwork and creativity, but is central to children's enjoyment of childhood.
Go on a walk or nature trail
Discover the wonders of the outdoors with a nature trail, or keep it simple, affordable and effective, by simply taking students on a walk around the school grounds. A walk or a nature trail is a great opportunity for learning about a variety of subjects whether its plants, nature or geography.
Why not provide a new and interesting way of learning on the go and get students outdoors and exercising as they learn more about their environment? You could turn it into a texture walk to make it more inclusive for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and sensory needs and for an art and design experiment.
Ask students to describe what they see, how it makes them feel and the purpose nature plays e.g. providing us with the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink.
Create a den
Why not test your children’s skills and set them a fun task like building a den? Den building is a great way to not only allow children to interact with natural elements, but also test their skills. They can learn to negotiate, problem solve, resolve, manage and cooperate with each other.
It’s vital for children to work together at any age, and den building can be a way of learning how best to work as a team and communicate with each other.
Encourage students to create a den out of natural materials, teach them about assessing risks and the importance of thinking logically. Den building will test your students mathematical skills as they have to consider the shape and size of the materials they are using as well as their design skills to visualise the finished product.
Why not make it a competition, and rank the best den or set a timer and choose the fastest winners?
Become a scientist
You could give students the opportunity to spend the lesson outside as a scientist out in the field. Lead a discussion explaining what you want students to find, feel and experience in a science lesson with a twist. Understanding the purpose of the outdoors is crucial for learning no matter the goals of the scientific experiment.
This Outdoor Classroom Day, Teachers can give students the opportunity to conduct experiments outdoors by collecting data and making scientific observations. Some great scientific ideas and experiments include harnessing the power of wind, building a bird's nest from outdoor materials and experimenting with limestone rocks.
Encourage students to start a nature journal, to get them interested in science and nature even after Outdoor Classroom Day is over. This is a great way to partner writing with outdoor science, while improving their observation and concentration skills.
Go on an insect hunt
Teachers can take it one step further and take pupils outdoors on an insect hunt! From ladybirds and worms, to ants, bees and wasps, why not create an activity pack or chart for students to track their findings.
Don’t stop there, ask students to draw the insect that they find, and write about their natural habitat, diet and the part they play in the ecosystem. See how many different species of insects your pupils can correctly identify and what they can tell you about their living conditions and how they survive and thrive.
Consider how the weather, and different environments affect each insect differently. This will give them the opportunity to hone their observational skills, learn more about the world around them, and see first hand the role that different creatures play.
Grow a vegetable garden
Enrich the lives of your pupils with an opportunity to start something that will have an impact on the development of plants and vegetables. Growing a vegetable garden on the school grounds is an inquisitive and rewarding way to teach students about the environment, sustainability and healthy eating.
With the aim to make the planet greener and reconnect with the Earth, children can develop important gardening practices and understand more about community and biodiversity. It is a hands-on opportunity for students to enhance their science curriculum, engage in local food, biodiversity and community.
Teachers can embrace Outdoor Classroom Day by teaching children about the environment, sustainability and even the role insects play on the development of plants and vegetables. And the best part is the yummy vegetables at the end of the gardening process!
Take a trip outside
A great way to get children outdoors and familiar with different surroundings – not just their school playground – would be to visit a local park, garden or playground. Venture further than your school grounds and take your students on an outdoor learning trip.
Many gardens and parks feature play areas, learning opportunities and teaching facilities for students, making it perfect for children to learn about nature, the environment and have fun. There are also interactive and practical workshops for schools to learn through play and exploration.
For children and young people living in urban areas, this would be a treat and many are run by charities with an aim to make the world greener.
Why not book an adventurous trip for your students, one that embraces outdoor physical activities and exercise like rock climbing, canoeing and caving?
Teaching jobs
If you’re searching for your next teaching job, why not take a look at the latest teaching vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Recruit teaching staff
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We currently work with hundreds of schools and have exclusive access to some of the best Teachers and Teaching Assistants in the North West.
If you’re struggling to fill a teaching vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?
Primary schools - Jimmy Callagher
Secondary schools - Liam Jones
SEND schools - Jamie Heath
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