Outdoor Learning

Environment in
ECE
MKA
What is outdoor learning
environment?
• The outdoor environment provide different play
opportunities that cannot be replicated indoors.
• Outdoor environments might hold affordances for:
• Constructive play such as building shelters
• Symbolic or dramatic play including playing house or
pirates
• Locomotive play involving gross motor activities and skills,
such as running, hide and seek, and chase games which
tend to take place where there are large open spaces
Being outdoors, especially in natural
outdoor learning environments, provides the
opportunity for:

• Open-ended interactions
• Spontaneity
• Exploration
• Discovery
• Risk-taking
• Connection with nature
CONTINUE
In outdoor settings, children generally move more, sit less and
engage in play for more sustained periods.

Depending on the location and design of the outdoor

environment, they potentially have more space and freedom for
large and loud movement play.

They engage in more moderate to vigorous physical activity, have

greater opportunities to gain mastery over a wide range of gross
and fine motor skills, and develop better motor co-ordination.
OUTSIDE - CHILDREN AND YOUTH CAN RELEASE CHILDREN CAN EXPERIENCE THE PLANTS AND
ENERGY, USE LOUD VOICES, PLAY VIGOROUSLY, ANIMALS IN THEIR LOCAL ECOSYSTEM
AND ENGAGE IN MESSY PROJECTS. (GREENMAN, 2007).
 Research has helped us identify many other benefits to playing
outdoors (Children and Nature Network, 2012), such as:

1. Better physical health

2. Numerous opportunities to strengthen motor skills

3. Stress relief

4. Greater visual-motor integration (or the ability to control hand or body movement guided by vision)

5. Greater creativity

6. Stronger verbal and social skills

7. Production of Vitamin D (an essential vitamin for bone health) through exposure to sunlight

8. Increased attention and cognitive abilities (Wells, 2000)


Playing outdoors and opportunities to
connect with nature may be
particularly beneficial for some children
with special needs.
For example, in a study of 7- to 12-
year-olds with attention deficit disorder
(ADD), children displayed less severe
ADD symptoms after they spent time in
“green” settings, and the greener the
outdoor environment, with more grass
and trees, the better the effect (Taylor,
Kuo & Sullivan, 2001).
Outdoor environments will look different from program
to program.

Some might have a wide-open green space, wooded areas, and gardens;
whereas others may mostly utilize a paved area.

Depending on your school-age program, the outdoor environment may

include a dedicated outdoor play space at your program location, or you
may use nearby outdoor spaces such as a local park.

Some may have permanent climbing and gross- motor equipment, while
others have equipment carts that are brought out during outdoor time.
The purposes of an outdoor environment are:

i. to encourage children to ii. to give them a break

be active, from being indoors, and

• Outdoor space should

iii. to support learning in a be safe and organized and
variety of environments. include planned activities
as well as free time.
The Standards for After School and Youth Development
(Council on
Accreditation) for outdoor environments include:

• The outdoor space is suitable for a wide

variety of activities, active and quiet
• There are regular opportunities to
participate in outdoor activities (e.g., at
least 30 minutes of every three-hour block
of time at the program)
• Children and youth can easily access a
variety of outdoor equipment and games
• Any permanent equipment is suitable for
the ages, sizes, and abilities of the children
and youth in the program
When designing a school-age outdoor space, it
is important to consider the following:

• Adequate space for play for the children and youth in

your program (large programs may need staggered
outdoor times to keep it from being overcrowded)
• Sheltered space that provides shade and protection
from the weather
• Easy access to a source of drinking water
• Close proximity to a bathroom (to ensure staff
maintain staff-child ratios and adequate supervision)
• Easy access to indoor space (in the event of
inclement weather)
• Accessible storage for outdoor play equipment
 Safe Outdoor Spaces

Evaluate your outdoor

learning environments by
making sure the equipment
is safe and the environment
is free from preventable
risks.
Look for these items and
correct them before 2.Protrusion of nuts and
1.Missing or broken parts
children and youth are bolts
permitted to play:

3.Rust and chipping or 4.Sharp edges, splinters, and

5.Unstable handholds 6.Visible cracks
peeling paint rough surfaces

7.Unstable non-anchored
large play equipment (e.g.,
playhouses, climbers)
9.Broken or worn electrical
8.Wear and deterioration
fixtures or cords
Activity:

• Plan an outdoor environment

which suitable for the children.
 REFERENCES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9YOP
MensU0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC1fiE6Wcsg