The one about learning outdoors {get your students outside!}

This post may contain some affiliate links, which means if you click on one of the links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. You will never incur a fee or charge for this.

It’s spring time and the weather is starting to look beautiful. As soon as the temperatures start to rise just a teensy bit, I’m itching to get outside as much as my students are. The back of my classroom is all windows, which make us all antsy and excited as soon as we see good weather. Unfortunately, I still have curriculum to teach. We’re almost back from spring break, and I still have 2+ months of teaching to do.

So, how do you keep them engaged in their learning AND take advantage of their need to get outside?

Before going outside, it’s important to set boundaries. Remind students that they will have a job to complete and that if they can’t complete this job, we can’t go outside. I like to set an alarm on my phone to give them a specific amount of time to finish.

5 Ways to Take Learning Outdoors

1. Measuring playground equipment: In their math notebooks, we create a simple chart. We have three columns- piece of equipment, estimate, actual measurement. We write down the names of the piece of equipment we want to measure. Sometimes we do the estimate inside and sometimes we do the estimate outside, just by looking at the equipment. We need our rulers (possibly some yardsticks), notebooks, and pencils. And our brains! Students are paired up to measure. Afterwards, we see if we had reasonable estimates, and how good our actual measuring is. If we have time, as a class, we go back to the playground equipment and I model measuring again for the big reveal.

2. Nature scavenger hunt: This can be science-y, or just reorienting students to what’s outside their school! Are there trees, flowers, leaves? Did they notice the flag pole outside? Is there anything that makes your school unique? What does your school sign lettering say? See what students can find while you’re outside. Collect data! Talk about what you found when you go inside. Or maybe even write a descriptive paragraph about the amazing things you found! 🙂

3. Reading for book clubs, novel studies, or for fun: Students are asked to bring in towels, and we do some our reading outside, laying on our towels in the grass. Depending on our purpose for reading, we sometimes bring our notebooks, or post-its and a pencil. It’s important to not have too many supplies because, inevitably, someone will lose something outside. You could also bring some sweet custom sunglasses outside, to show how serious you are 😉 I picked up these neon wayfarer sunglasses from Amazon. It was easy to add the writing with a sharpie.

4. Task Cards: These are an easy way to build movement into your day around the classroom, so why not take them outside? I’ve taped mine up on our playground or stuck them into plastic eggs around the playground like a mini scavenger hunt. Students bring the answer sheet, a pencil, and a clipboard or folder to write on outside with them.

5. Take a break! Take a longer brain break and get some fresh air. Playing outside allows students to let off some steam (and I swear their attention span gets shorter the nicer the weather gets…) and the fresh air can help you feel relaxed. Don’t have a playground to use? Stroll around the outside perimeter of the building and play follow the leader. Even the older students don’t mind if it’s giving them a break! And don’t forget about you- take a few minutes to enjoy that vitamin D.

Do you have any fun ways to get your students outside? Let me know!