4 Benefits of Outdoor Learning and Practical Ways to Get Started
byConnections Academy
4 min to read
The advent of warmer weather in the spring and summer months presents advantageous weather for exploring outdoor learning activities. And research reveals that outdoor learning benefits students academically, socially, and emotionally.
Read on to discover some of the benefits of learning outside as well as how to plan unique learning experiences outside of your everyday learning space.
What Is Outdoor Learning?
Outdoor learning takes learning experiences outside traditional indoor learning spaces, using nature and outdoor environments to increase student engagement, well-being, and understanding. It can include structured lessons, hands-on activities, and experiential learning in settings like parks, forests, schoolyards, or urban environments.
How Is Outdoor Learning Beneficial?
In addition to the many physical and mental health benefits that come from spending time outside—such as reduced stress and cortisol levels and an increase in vitamin D—there are also specific benefits to outside learning activities.
Improved attitude about school and learning
Taking classes and engaging in educational activities outdoors has also been shown to have a measurable impact on a child’s learning experience. Learning outdoors can help foster a more positive attitude for students toward learning and education. It increases student engagement, enthusiasm, and overall enjoyment of learning.
Improved academic curiosity
Many studies have recorded increased school performance through the integration of outdoor education, finding that students have more opportunities to be creative and imaginative when compared to indoor learning opportunities. Learning and playing outdoors regularly can help grow a student’s natural curiosity for learning and the world around them.
Supports different learning preferences
Outdoor learning activities encourage kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learners to engage with their environment in meaningful ways.
Five Outdoor Learning Activities
The benefits of learning outside are clear, but how can you get started integrating outdoor learning into your at-home school program? Check out these recommended outdoor learning activities for students of all ages.
1. Visit the local zoo or nature center for science lessons
What better way to see the wonders of nature in action than by seeing them up close? Visiting the zoo, a nature center, or even a local outdoor park allows students to connect with nature and learn about animal and wildlife conservation from experts.
2. Enhance history lessons with a trip to a museum or historical site
Textbooks and online lessons are valuable, but getting to visit a museum full of artifacts, images, and interactive exhibits is an unparalleled way to engage with history. Living history sites, battlefields, and heritage trails provide students with tangible connections to the past.
3. Embrace the local landscape
A great way to tap into the power of outdoor learning while fostering appreciation and pride in your local town is to explore nearby landmarks, ecosystems, and wildlife. Whether it’s a city park or a nature reserve, local environments can provide rich outdoor learning opportunities. Enrich science and geography lessons with activities like identifying native plants, conducting soil tests, or observing weather patterns.
4. Try “roadschooling”
There’s no reason outdoor learning should be confined to a single location. Visits to historical sites, national parks, and other unique locations during trips or vacations make meaningful, real-world educational experiences for students of all ages. Outdoor excursions allow students to apply classroom knowledge in a practical setting and help reinforce concepts in an engaging way.
5. Head outside for physical education
Nature is the best gym of all! Head outside to get active with your child. Outdoor activities like hiking, nature walks, or team sports provide opportunities for reinforcing the connection between movement and learning. Go for a run, walk, nature stroll—the options, and the benefits, are endless!
Is it Better to Learn Inside or Outside?
While we can’t deny the inherent positive outcomes of learning outdoors, there are benefits to finding a balance of both.
With the flexibility of online public schools like Connections Academy, embracing both indoor and outdoor learning activities, can be possible. Through the power of at-home, online learning through an accredited Connections Academy-supported K-12 school, families have the power to take an active role in their child’s education—including where they call the classroom. Whether your student takes part in a field trip, student meet-up, or make outdoor play a part of the everyday lesson plan, Connections Academy families can help create rich educational experiences for their students that can support academic achievement and personal development.
If you’d like to discover the possibilities online learning can unlock, download our free eGuide to learn more.
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