Outdoor spaces provide opportunities for real life and meaningful education for 21st century learners. Outdoor activities and lessons encourage academic skill development, creative and critical thinking, teamwork, collaboration and interpersonal communication skills. Students are more engaged in outdoor learning opportunities through stimulation with their natural world and learning to take risks in a safe environment. Combining curriculum with active learning improves the personal and social wellbeing, as well as academic achievement of students.
The benefits of outdoor learning include:
• Social skill development — Learning to get along with others.
• Self confidence — Developing a sense of self worth.
• Team building — Discovering how to work with others.
• Leadership — Guiding and directing others.
• Problem solving — Finding different ways to approach tasks.
• Personal growth — Building self-esteem and recognising strengths and weaknesses.
• Health and fitness — Recognising the value of staying active
The benefits of outdoor learning include:
• Social skill development — Learning to get along with others.
• Self confidence — Developing a sense of self worth.
• Team building — Discovering how to work with others.
• Leadership — Guiding and directing others.
• Problem solving — Finding different ways to approach tasks.
• Personal growth — Building self-esteem and recognising strengths and weaknesses.
• Health and fitness — Recognising the value of staying active
USING OUR OUTDOOR SPACES
Learnscapes -are environments specifically designed for education where students can participate in activities that not only engage them in learning but also in the development of life skills. Learnscapes develop environmental awareness and knowledge within schools and their communities by emphasising conservation principles, biodiversity and ecologically sustainable development, and encouraging commitment to action and lifestyle change.
The Inside Out Model - Some model classrooms have allowed an indoor/outdoor space that becomes an extension of classroom learning. Spaces might include a door that rolls back or time to learn outside. This space is full of opportunities to incorporate the stimulation from the natural world into the kids’ days, and get them outside of the classrooms for some of their lessons.
Zoned Model - An aspect of the Inside Out Model where different zones are set up within that space: an instruction zone; a creative zone; an independent zone: a collaborative zone; and a withdrawal zone where kids can go and work in groups.
The Playground Advisory Unit (PAU) is available to schools for inspection, maintenance, design and planning advice for existing and new play spaces.
Consider the location, aspect and typical weather conditions when planning your outdoor learning space.
GRANTS
Office of Environment and Heritage- Eco School Grants
Eco School Grants offered by the Office of Environment and Heritage, increase funding available for school environmental education projects and provide greater opportunity for students with special needs by funding a broader range of environmental projects. They offer up to 80 grants of $3,500 each over two years. A further 18 grants of $3,500 each will be available for projects catering for students with special needs.
Teacher’s Mutual Bank Eco Grants
“We believe teaching sustainability is as important as practising it. The more our next generation know how to look after the world now, the more we can all look forward to later. Through this programme, we are helping teachers bring their sustainability projects to life." Teachers Mutual Bank CEO Steve James.
Each year there are two rounds of up to $2,000 granted to projects demonstrating environmental benefits and a passion for teaching sustainability.
Eco School Grants offered by the Office of Environment and Heritage, increase funding available for school environmental education projects and provide greater opportunity for students with special needs by funding a broader range of environmental projects. They offer up to 80 grants of $3,500 each over two years. A further 18 grants of $3,500 each will be available for projects catering for students with special needs.
Teacher’s Mutual Bank Eco Grants
“We believe teaching sustainability is as important as practising it. The more our next generation know how to look after the world now, the more we can all look forward to later. Through this programme, we are helping teachers bring their sustainability projects to life." Teachers Mutual Bank CEO Steve James.
Each year there are two rounds of up to $2,000 granted to projects demonstrating environmental benefits and a passion for teaching sustainability.
EXAMPLE ACTIVITY: GEOCACHING AND EDUCACHING
GEOCACHINGGeocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting game that utilises GPS-enabled devices to find geocaches (containers) in the local environment. Teams or individuals navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache hidden at that location. Geocaches are often placed at sites of geographical or historical significance and are placed specifically to make participants aware of the relevance of sites.
Students who access geocaching activities gain skills in map and compass reading as well as building problem solving, team building and personal resilience skills. Students work as a team to decode clues and gain further information about the differing locations visited in order to navigate to specific GPS coordinates using a GPS, map and compass. The activity promotes respect for the local environment and allows students to experience different urban and bush locations. The physical nature of the activity requires endurance and personal fitness. EDUCACHINGAs geocaching takes students outside of the school environment it can cause many challenges for class groups who have exhausted the geocaching locations close to their school. For this reason educaching has become a popular alternative.
|
Using the team building ideas and problem solving activities found in geocaching, teachers are able to create the same treasure hunting aspect of geocaching within school grounds whilst still accessing gps technologies. In this way Educators are able to successfully adapt the activity to different KLA areas without the need to leave school grounds.
USEFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES
The NSW Office of Sports and Recreation
Do kids Learn Better Outdoors? - An article from School A to Z on the benefits of Outdoor Learning.
Geocaching - The official worldwide geocaching website with links to resources, applications and informations on the activitiy
Geocaching NSW - Local website on Geocaching activities in NSW.
The Educacher - Educaching Blog with resources, information and lesson ideas for Educaching
Do kids Learn Better Outdoors? - An article from School A to Z on the benefits of Outdoor Learning.
Geocaching - The official worldwide geocaching website with links to resources, applications and informations on the activitiy
Geocaching NSW - Local website on Geocaching activities in NSW.
The Educacher - Educaching Blog with resources, information and lesson ideas for Educaching