OUTDOOR LEARNING
Outdoor learning is the use of places othen than the classroom for teaching and learning. This, includes discovery, experimentation, learning about and connecting to the natural world, and engaging in adventure activities and outdoors sports.
Outdoor learning is
- outdoor play in the early years
- recreational activities
- envirnonmental education
- museum education
- learning by doing
- learning by encounter
- learning through discovery
Outdoor learning is learning in an outdoor context based on experiences and interactions with physical and cultural phenomena.
Outdoor activities can be
- scavenger hunt at the forest or the beach
- musical instruments from natural objects
- camping expeditions
- orientering
- educational visits (zoo, museum, bakery, church)
- educational visits at environmental centers
Benefits of outdoor learning
- stimulates brain development and enhances cognitive functions
- develops conceptual knowledge and skills
- promotes a sense of wonder and curiosity
- fulfills children's basic needs for freedom, adventure, experimentation, risk-taking and just being children
- enhances children's self-esteem and confidence
- improves emotional regulation and interpersonal skills
- promotes overall heaalth and well-being, setting the foundation for lifelong engagement in physical activity and countering potential negative implications from over-exposure to sedentary activities
- develop a sense of responsibility, care, appreciation and love of nature
Saint Nicholas Primary School is a multinational and multilingual school with pupils from low socio-economic level. Teaching in a multilingual class in a traditional way is very complex. difficult and usually not as efficient. Therefore, outdoor activities and outdoor learning is priority for Saint Nicholas primary School.
After the mobility in Greece, we organised a staff meeting to disseminate the new knowledge on Outdoor Learning. Below you can see the presentation used for the dissemination.
Outdoor Learning for colleques.pdf
We obtain a lot of activities related to Outdoor Learning for the Erasmus+ project "New Ways, New Skills". Here is a presentation of the work that the cypriot team have done.
Outdoor learning.pdf
