by Lotje Hives, Tara-Lynn Scheffel, and Jeff Scott

“I have the right to learn about friendship, peace and respect for our planet and for each human being who lives on it, for each animal that inhabits it, for each plant that nourishes it.”[1]
(Excerpt from I Have a Right to be a Child by Alain Serres)

We began writing this article with a focus on lessons learned from a Kindergarten classroom in Northern Ontario, Canada, but the current pandemic adds another timely filter to the critical lens we bring to developing a healthy relationship with nature. Each local context will bring its own unique qualities, but for this article and our case study, we highlight the range of seasonal changes and describe the learning that unfolded within the context of an evolving natural backdrop situated on an escarpment and abutting a Conservation Authority (Photo 1). The inclusion of natural materials at the entry to the classroom itself (e.g., “Welcome! Come play and learn with us” is written on a scroll of birch bark with flowers and plants alongside.), is an invitation remarking on what is valued in the learning. This Kindergarten educator team[2] understands the curriculum to be integrated, dynamic, and living (the what); values the outdoors as an extension of the indoor space (the where); and promotes nurturing curiosity to be the essence of how the children engage in their learning (the why).

Not only is learning in the outdoors a right of childhood[3], it is essential to building an organic relationship with the environment[4]. Not all doors lead to open green spaces inviting exploration as with this case, but within local contexts there will be places and spaces that are waiting to be discovered and they are representative of the land upon which the children reside.

The teacher in this Kindergarten program talks candidly about how learning outdoors offers the opportunity for social development in personalized ways. As we anticipate how learning might be different in the foreseeable future, the outdoors offers space conducive to social distancing. She describes how a curriculum that flows between the classroom and natural environment invites children to explore a microcosm of life on earth. So how might this look and feel from an adapted school setting, or promoted from a virtual classroom online, or perhaps a hybrid of both? What ecological partnerships might we tap into? How might technology allow us to introduce aspects of the environment through live and intentional, narrated virtual nature walks? What is the potential to integrate learning and nurture wonderings? And, what other relationships, beyond that with the environment, will be strengthened in the process?

The heightened sense of urgency around safe spaces for learning sparked by the current global pandemic is cause to revisit the benefits and risks deeply rooted in the argument for or against outdoor learning. We consider perceived barriers and explore ways to promote learning in the outdoors that bridge platforms (onsite or virtual) and grade levels. We hope that in sharing the case study of this one classroom, it will inspire others to explore the possibilities that the outdoors has to offer.

SCENARIO I

Learning in the Outdoors: Adapting and Problem-solving

Some of the Kindergarten children are drawn to shadow play on this sunny, clear winter day, as they manage their bodies on the slippery, uneven terrain. In preparation for outdoor learning on this day, the Kindergarten class has engaged in real conversations about how the sun helps us to notice time passing, and how animals adapt to weather conditions. Daily experiences outdoors are flexible and responsive to what the environment offers. Today the children discuss how to move carefully on the ice like different animals do. They are becoming in tune with the rhythm of change and familiar with their surroundings.

Later the same week, the temperature rises and the children notice and explore changes to their environment once again. Some pooling water in the yard leads to a fascination with how the water makes pathways and puddles (Photo 2), and they have the opportunity to observe and speak with a surveyor visiting the school. The pooling water presents a real issue and the perfect conditions to name the mathematics layered into this opportunity for problem-solving and innovative thinking.

A teacher candidate visiting this program notices the educator team’s intentionality around materials offered to support outdoor play and learning: “…[they] provided a variety of materials… snow shovels, toboggans, plastic bins, and snowshoes for the children to use if and how they choose to.” These materials, tools, and other loose parts (logs, planks, umbrellas, tubes, buckets, blankets, clipboards, etc.) are accessible from the classroom as well as in a shed built that stores the loose parts. The children make choices and access what they need to feel comfortable (e.g., towels to sit on).

Photos of the children exploring outdoors initiate dialogue about their developing theories. Samplings of the documentation of learning (photos, artifacts, narratives, videos) are shared with home via the Remind app, engaging families in learning conversations.

SCENARIO II

Bringing the Outdoors In: Integration and Meaningful Connections

Today the educator team is taking the learning outdoors with the intention to bring it back into the classroom to make meaningful connections about where mathematics lives in the environment. Just like they had with their Grade 6 Learning Buddies in Fall, the Kindergarten children venture into the neighbouring conservation area, this time accompanied by Grade 3 and 4 Learning Buddies. Prior to heading out, focused and intentional circle conversations in the classroom for review of expectations of respectful and safe behaviour, learning goals and success criteria, and use of learning materials and tools distributed to intentional learning partners. Feeling prepared, with ample adult supervision, the educators and children set out with shared clipboards (Photo 3) and a relevant question as provocation for this learning opportunity: “What two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures might we find in nature?”

The Learning Buddies manage the terrain, notice shapes and figures in nature, and work together to represent their observations by drawing and writing to make their thinking visible. Their artifacts (drawings and writings) become provocations for building, designing, creating, and more writing upon returning to the classroom. Only a few samples from nature (seeds, leaves, stones, bark) that do not damage the environment come back into the classroom for further research and investigation. The educator team documents the learning unfolding.

A visiting teacher candidate at the time found it interesting how “the students connect what they are learning in the classroom to what they are learning outdoors.” In the Fall, for example, a basket of gourds was brought into the classroom as a provocation for children to explore patterns and cycles, and to sort, label, count, and graph (Photo 5).
Through drawings and writing, families noticed the learning inspired by experiences in relationship with nature. Remarking on the depth of understanding that arises through integrated learning outdoors, in a survey one family expressed, “Kindergarten children are able to understand complex concepts regarding the environment including photosynthesis, weather patterns, tree seasonal cycles — AND are able to explain them in detail to transfer knowledge.”

Benefits and barriers to outdoor learning

Play has value throughout our lifetime[5]. The integral connection between play and the outdoors is supported by the 2015 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play[6], which states,
Access to active play in nature and outdoors — with its risks — is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings — at home, at school, in child care, the community, and nature (p.1).

Risk can impede the desire to venture outdoors, but this position statement, along with studies supporting the benefits of risky play[7], remind educators and families to consider the risk of not promoting healthy activity and attitudes as a way of life.

Benefits to outdoor learning include not only health and well-being[8] but also physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual development, including self-regulation, focus, attention, and communication[9]. However, decisions about learning environments are often “based on concern about safety and ease of disinfecting, rather than concern about the need to provide a stimulating environment that promotes exploration and inquiry”[10] — indoors and out. Now we throw in the challenges of a viral pandemic and suddenly the space and possibilities of a wall-less outdoor classroom are full of intrigue. Other common barriers include concerns related to funding, time, health and safety, inclement weather, and teacher expertise[11].

For the educators in our case study, key barriers included preparedness (all weather/all seasons), concerns for risk, and the unpredictability of inquiry-based learning. What became more practical, however, were the ways to overcome these barriers (Table 1). We call these strategies “nudges” to describe the ways the educators sought solutions to hurdles, always with the benefit for the children central to their thinking.

1. Being prepared (all weather/all seasons)

“All over the world, children play outdoors in dramatically different climates. With suitable apparel, and perhaps sun protection, an especially cold or hot day (or even precipitation) need not keep children from playing outdoors[12].”
– Kemple, Oh, Kenney & Smith-Bonahue

Families identified concerns related to “sun exposure without protection” and “bug bites that are potentially dangerous — ticks, vector mosquitoes.” Educators took steps to address this concern in practical ways. For example, looking back to Scenario 1, we see how the educator team creates open communication around learning in the outdoors with families, and also engages the children in conversations about preparing to be outdoors. At the beginning of the year, the educator team was intentional about letting parents know they planned to be outside every day:

We encourage you to look at a weather app with your child and to talk with them about how they can be prepared for the day. This encourages your child to think and talk about how weather is always changing and it fosters adaptability as an important life skill. (Welcome Letter)

The Grade 3/4 educator encouraged families to send an extra pair of socks for going out on the trails when drizzling. Each educator also had a box of donated and clean mitts, toques, snow pants, and extra socks in case a student didn’t have dry outdoor clothing when the weather was colder.

You may find, like these educators, that generalized rules have occurred over time within your context (e.g., no walking on the ice) rather than a view towards children as capable (e.g., learning to walk carefully on slippery surfaces as described in Scenario I). As you recognize possibilities for learning in the outdoors throughout the seasons, you might seek opportunities for ongoing professional dialogue while at the same time acknowledging the importance of referencing the administrative guidelines with principal input.

2. Responding to concerns about risk

“The art of research already exists in the hands of children acutely sensitive to the pleasure of surprise. The wonder of learning, of knowing, of understanding is one of the first, fundamental sensations each human being expects from experiences faced alone or with others[13].”
– Loris Malaguzzi

Have you found that children, in their excitement to be outdoors, might become boisterous, distracted, or run ahead? Here we are talking about risk that moves beyond safety and preparation to that of unpredictable circumstances that might arise due to children’s unfamiliarity with outdoor learning. As with all novel contexts, children are drawn to explore with their senses and their whole bodies, such as wanting to climb trees. The Kindergarten teacher spoke to how authentic conversations (as demonstrated in Scenario I) with young children about being mindful of living things and appreciating how we are all living in an ecosystem (Photo 4) leads to “a whole different way of being.” This sets a foundation that invites “investigation and respect”[14].

Families, too, recognized the purposeful teaching around respect for the environment in the documentation shared. They noticed how their children expressed greater concern for living things and a developing “…appreciation of the outdoors and a conscience about” actions in nature such as hanging clothing out to dry instead of using the dryer. The documentation highlighted their curiosity and competence.

Learning Buddies was a prominent strategy used in Scenario II. The benefits of partnering older and younger children leads to differentiated 1:1 experiences and oral language opportunities, while creating a space for team-teaching, experiencing the learning with multiple perspectives and noticing connections along the continuum of learning. As expressed by the Kindergarten teacher, it is in these situations that we “… see the children in a different light.” The Grade 2 and 3/4 educators spoke to the leadership opportunities that came from pairing with younger learners, and all educators recognized greater engagement and a building of community across grades. How might this look and feel going forward when school starts up in a pandemic-impacted reality?

3. Building comfort with the unpredictability of inquiry-based learning

“Inquiry … requires more than simply answering questions or getting a right answer. It espouses investigation, exploration, search, quest, research, pursuit, and study. It is enhanced by involvement with a community of learners, each learning from the other in social interaction[15].”

– Kuklthau, Maniotes & Caspari

Similar to the educator team in our study, you might be thinking, “they might have knowledge that you don’t have or they might have a question that you can’t answer” or “Where is this learning going to go?” Despite these questions, they also saw potential and possibility for curricular learning when they considered the outdoor space around their school. In Scenario II, the Learning Buddies venture in search of two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures[16], and we witness how the learning is focused and yet integrated and living. Knowing the curriculum, knowing the learners, and knowing the outdoor context were always foundational to the planning of this learning.

In another example, as illustrated in Scenario I, when winter melted into Spring, learning for this class flowed continuously and easily from outdoors in, and back out again. Born of the children’s curiosity, a water inquiry created opportunities for learning in connection with the curriculum[17]. Taking up the children’s lead, the educator team observed, introduced relevant read-aloud texts focusing on the universality of water, and asked questions to deepen understandings. Eventually, the educator team and their children landed on a big wondering: How might we create a system around the world so that all children have access to clean water? The children partnered with their Learning Buddies to move water (represented by a marble) through a system of cardboard tubes as they explored questions of water accessibility around the world. The inquiry was an opportunity for innovative thinking and problem solving with global relevance.

Scenario II is a vivid example of how outdoor learning nourishes literacy connections. Families noticed how experiences related to outdoor learning extended into oral language at home through “stories to tell.” Educators spoke to how the children easily generated ideas outside given that each day, the season and cycles of weather bring change and unique contexts. This refreshing abundance of inspiration allowed for in-class time to be focused on the refinement of writing elements such as word choice and sensory details. It is “a very natural way to inspire writing through being in the outdoors,” the Kindergarten teacher reflected.

An educator of a partnering class similarly noticed opportunities for collaboration and multimodal literacy during the water inquiry (Scenario I): “We were able to collaborate with another class and they [older students] created a video to capture the moment… how amazing it was to connect math, geography, and science to one experience… outside.” As part of this same inquiry, Learning Buddy partners (Kindergarten and Grade 2) found ways to inspire action by designing posters with powerful messaging that they proudly hung to inspire others throughout the school.

A new challenge: Inspiring a relationship with the environment from a virtual
sit spot

As we look ahead beyond the benefits, the perceived barriers and strategies to nudge at them, the educators in this case study offer a snapshot of learning opportunities both outdoors and in (Table 2), and challenge us to think about…
weighing risks with benefits
involving children in taking a shared responsibility for their environment
encouraging experiences in the outdoors that foster healthy and active habits for life
connecting mathematics and literacy learning with outdoor learning
planning for learning in ways that view children as storytellers, designers, mathematicians, authors, artists, and scientists of their world

When we think about how educators can plan based on these foundational values towards building a relationship with nature, it does not matter if we are facilitating learning in the outdoors, within the walls of a classroom, a modified community learning space, or via an online platform; what matters most is that we plan for it, model it and do it with intentionality. And, that we engage in this dialogue with colleagues, community partners, families, and their children.

The educators in this context reflected an appreciation for the benefits that learning in the outdoors offers not only on learning at that time for the child, but on developing a healthy trajectory for life. As described in the two scenarios, they spoke to manageable approaches to accessing the outdoors as a natural and critical extension of the classroom. Their pedagogical values were unwavering despite the challenges presented by the ever-changing outdoor conditions typical of a Northern Ontario community (e.g., how to walk safely in icy conditions). And, pervasive was an ongoing dialogue with administration, staff, families, and children, creating a space to challenge myths and assumptions, explore benefits, and discuss proactive strategies for outdoor learning norms and safety.

This dialogue is an invitation to view the environment through the eyes of the child, with wonder, curiosity, and a desire to explore, and then to plan with great intention for meaningful learning that honors who our learners are and is relevant to the context in which they are living.

Additional reading

• The website OutsidePlay.ca provides an interactive, engaging tool for families to explore the benefits of risk-taking including the development of resilience: https://outsideplay.ca
• Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition (2017) by D. Anderson, J. Comay and L. Chiarotto. A Resource for Educators: Considering Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry. Toronto: The Laboratory School at The Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study.
• Hives, L. and Steele, A. (2016). Exploring Learning Stories. Green Teacher, 111, 10–14.
• Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Inquiry-based Learning, Capacity Building Series K–12, Secretariat Special Edition, #32. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/cbs_inquirybased.pdf
• McGurk, Linda Akeson (2017). There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids. New York, NY: Touchstone.
• Ontario Children’s Outdoor Charter, Discovering the Wonders of Nature: http://www.childrensoutdoorcharter.ca

Recently retired from teaching and Program Leadership, Lotje Hives is a Part-time Instructor in the Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University, Ontario, Canada. She continues to be a Research Collaborator and Professional Learning Facilitator for pre- and in-service educators in Ontario. Most recently she was a Program Coordinator for a virtual Summer Learning Program (July 2020). Leadership and research interests include fostering a healthy relationship with the environment for optimal learning and overall wellbeing, and the reflective process of pedagogical documentation.

Tara-Lynn Scheffel is an Associate Professor in the Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University, Ontario, Canada. She teaches courses in Language & Literacies and Educating Young Children. Her research interests focus on student/literacy engagement, community-based literacy initiatives, teacher education, and the sharing of practitioner stories.

Jeff Scott works as an Associate Professor in the Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University. He currently teaches the Primary/Junior Science and Technology methodology course with research interests focused on Experiential/Outdoor Education and Sustainability within an Environment, specifically with younger students and their teachers.

Endnotes:

[1]

1. Serres, A. (2012).

I have the right to be a child

1. . Groundwood Books Ltd.

[2]The educator team includes a teacher and early childhood educator. See Ontario Ministry of Education. (2016) The Kindergarten Program, Toronto, Ontario: Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from https://www.ontario.ca/document/Kindergarten-program-2016/learning-environment (p. 122)

[3]United Nations (1989). Convention of the rights of the child. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx *Article 31

[4]Steele, A., Hives, L., Scott, J. (2016). Stories of Learning: Inquiry-Based Pathways of Discovery through Environmental Education. Cogent Education, 3(1),

[5]Wien, C. (2018). Environments that support engagement and expression. In, Ontario Ministry of Education, Think, Feel, Act: Empowering Children in the Middle Years. Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/brief_1_environments_en.pdf

[6]Tremblay, M.S.; Gray, C.; Babcock, S.; Barnes, J.; Bradstreet, C.C.; Carr, D.; Chabot, G.; Choquette, L.; Chorney, D.; Collyer, C.; Herrington, S.; Janson, K.; Janssen, I.; Larouche, R.; Pickett, W.; Power, M.; Sandseter, E.B.H.; Simon, B.; Brussoni, M. Position. (2015). Statement on Active Outdoor Play. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 12, 6,475–6,505.

[7]Brussoni, M., Olsen, L. L., Pike, I., & Sleet, D. A. (2012). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9(9), 3134–3148. doi:10.3390/ijerph9093134

[8]Coe, H. (2016) From Excuses to Encouragements: Confronting and Overcoming the Barriers to Early Childhood Outdoor Learning in Canadian Schools. Canadian Association for Young Children: Journal of Childhood Studies, vol. 41(1). Retrieved from https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/15461

[9]Kemple, K., M., Oh, J., Kenney., E., Smith-Bonahue, T. (November/December 2016). The power of outdoor play and play in natural environments. Childhood Education, 446–454.

[10]Callaghan, K. (2013). The Environment is a Teacher. In, Ontario Ministry of Education, Think, feel, act: Lessons from research about young children. Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved from http://edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/Callaghan.pdf (p. 2)

[11]Sources include Dyment, J.E. (2005). Green School Grounds as Sites for Outdoor Learning: Barriers and Opportunities. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 14(1), 28–45. / Ernst, J. (2014). Early childhood educators’ use of natural outdoor settings as learning environments: an exploratory study of beliefs, practices, and barriers. Environmental Education Research, 20(6), 735–752. / Sink, R., & Boyes, M. (2006). The nature and scope of outdoor education in New Zealand schools. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 10(1), 11–21. / Waite, S. (2009). Paper presented at ‘Outdoor education research and theory: critical reflections, new directions,’ the Fourth International Outdoor Education Research Conference, La Trobe University, Beechworth, Victoria, Australia, 15–18 April 2009.

[12]Kemple, K., M., Oh, J., Kenney., E., Smith-Bonahue, T. (November/December 2016). The power of outdoor play and play in natural environments. Childhood Education, 446–454. (p. 452)

[13]The Quarterly Periodical of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance | September 2014 Innovations In Early Education: The International Reggio Emilia Exchange, (p. 8)

[14]Callaghan, K. (2013). The Environment is a Teacher. In, Ontario Ministry of Education, Think, feel, act: Lessons from research about young children. Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved from http://edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/Callaghan.pdf (p. 3)

[15]Kuklthau, C.C., Maniotes, L.K., & Caspari, A.K. (2007). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century. Westport, CT & London: Libraries Unlimited. (p. 2)

[16]Specific Expectation 17.1 in The Kindergarten Program (2016) (p. 230)

[17]Overall Expectation 20 in The Kindergarten Program (2016) (p. 288)

[18]Topal, C. & Gandini, L. (1999). Beautiful stuff! Learning with found materials. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications Inc.