Outdoor Learning: 11 Tips for Teaching Outside the Classroom

Humans evolved exposed to nature, and yet, today, we learn and work in the comfort of our homes, schools, and offices. Of course, this has its benefits, but researchers agree that for optimal development, well-being, and health, we need balance. For kids, outdoor learning is a great way to find this balance. 

Teaching outdoors is not a stance against traditional teaching practices. It’s not even an alternative education, but simply a smart method for achieving the goals introduced by classical teaching practices. 

Outdoor learning is a transformative experience that stimulates the students’ natural curiosity and shows them that learning goes beyond books. This also raises awareness about the environment, which is more than needed. 

So, why is outdoor learning not a common practice? Well, the challenges usually concern maintaining curriculum standards, supervising children, and lack of knowledge on how to exactly execute it. Fortunately, we can help with two of these concerns. 

Thanks to our article, you’ll learn how to plan and execute a fantastic outdoor lesson plan that will meet every curriculum standard. Also, after reading this guide, we know that you’ll feel confident to take initiative and organize an outdoor lesson, so let’s get started. 

Tips for Outdoor Learning

The process of outdoor learning includes two phases – the preparation and execution phase. Because of this, we divided our tips based on these two phases – tips before the lecture and tips during the lecture. 

Before The Lecture

Most of the hard work takes place during the preparation phase. It’s a process that should turn your idea into a reality – one that works well with all the regulations and curriculum standards, yet it’s still fun and entertaining. Now, take the weather and other environmental conditions into account and you can see why this task quickly becomes overwhelming. 

But, if you follow our preparation tips for outdoor learning, you’ll learn where to start, how to take things one step at a time, and end up with a solid solution that you trust!

Plan Ahead

The ideal plan usually starts a few months before its execution date. This means that you should start planning for outdoor learning days at the beginning of the school year, or at the beginning of a new unit. 

Keep in mind that planning ahead does not mean figuring out every little detail months in advance, but only the foundation. What does this mean? 

The foundation is made of a series of decisions concerning: 

• What classes are most suited for outdoor learning? 
• How can I best integrate outdoor learning into the schedule that benefits the overall learning process? 
• What do I want to achieve with outdoor learning? 
• What will the kids learn? 
• How is this knowledge going to benefit the unit? 
• What is the best location for that subject? 
• Will the weather conditions allow outdoor learning in that period? 

The answers to these questions should help you draft a basic plan that includes the topic, goals, approximate date, and location. 

Identify the Requirements

Once you know the location where you would like to organize an outdoor lecture, it’s time to take action and check it first-hand. In other words, visit the location yourself, before deciding on anything else. 

Visiting the location should accomplish two things. First, it will give you confidence and make you feel comfortable knowing the exact entry and exit route. You can use the opportunity to scout the area and inspect the surrounding for potential hazards. It should also learn how long it takes to get there, what are good places for taking a break, and what sights are worth observing and learning from.

Second, by visiting the location beforehand you should identify the requirements that are needed for a flawless lecture. Are there strong winds? Do kids need water-resistant boots? Do they need gloves? What equipment is needed for achieving your previously proposed goals in this location? 

Carefully calculate the time you’ll need including the traveling time both ways. If you spend more than a few hours traveling and having the class, then another requirement is food and drinks. Consider how to organize that aspect of the outdoor learning experience. 

Use Technology

Usually, technology is not part of the basic requirements for organizing a memorable outdoor lecture, but it sure helps! 

If you have the conditions, consider what gadgets or other technological equipment can make the whole experience even better. For instance, there are plenty of free smartphone apps through which kids can photograph unique plants to find out what species they belong to. 

Some of the tools frequently used in outdoor learning include location devices, digital cameras, drones, tablets, and augmented reality devices. 

Refine Goals

Defining the goals, in the beginning, was crucial for the two next steps that followed, but after you’ve inspected the area and decided on the requirements needed for that location, it’s time to refine the goals. 

Refining means transforming the goals using the SMART technique. If you follow our steps from the beginning, you’ll have all the knowledge necessary to make those goals specific, measurable, attainable, relatable, and time-based. 

For instance, if you wrote “Teach kids about leaf cycles.” as one of your goals, you can now explain the whole process in detail. “Kids will learn about leaf cycles by exploring the nearby forest and gathering leaves in different shapes, colors, and sizes. They’ll identify the leaf species with a smartphone app and write their characteristics in their own DIY herbarium. They’ll practice this activity from ten to eleven-thirty in the morning.”

Make a Schedule

Our next tip for outdoor learning is making a schedule! By now, you probably have an idea of how the lecture would look like. But, what we don’t really pay attention to is one very crucial element in our imagination – the weather. 

Check the weather forecast for the day you plan to have the outdoor lecture and be ready to change your schedule in order to accommodate this outdoor activity. 

Another tip is to make two or three different schedules. While this might seem like an overwhelming and boring task, it will save you a lot of headaches down the road. Making two or three schedules for the unit with the outdoor lecture on different days allows you to be flexible. If it’s raining, cold, or in any other way not optimal for teaching outside, you can continue with schedule B, or even C. 

Set Rules

Setting rules is heavily based on the second tip (Identifying Requirements), so don’t skip! 

Once you’ve inspected the area and identified the potential hazards, as well as the equipment requirements, you can set rules to share with your students. 

To make sure you don’t forget anything, make a table with three categories: rules on behavior, rules on equipment, and social rules. Then, go over your notes from when you visited the location, trace back your steps, and fill out the table with rules that will keep students safe and optimize the learning process. 

The behavioral rules are about all the things students can or can’t be doing. One example for a behavioral rule would be “Going near the river alone is not allowed.”

Just like the name suggests, rules on equipment will inform students of what they can and can’t bring to attend the lecture. You can list down the necessary equipment and label the items kids have to bring with them, the items which are recommended, and those which are prohibited. 

Finally, the social rules are there to also increase the students’ safety, but also to make sure kids collaborate and help each other complete the tasks.

Hand Out Instruction Pamphlets

Before the lecture, you should share your plan and schedule with students. This can be achieved by sending them a virtual or printed informational pamphlet containing the time and date, location, entry and exit route, goals, planned activities, rules, necessary equipment, and other details. 

Another useful thing to include in the pamphlet would be a medical checklist. Students should fill it out with their parents, giving you information on specific conditions or allergies.

During The Lecture

When the due date has come, there are a few things to consider to keep yourself confident and comfortable. However, trusting the process and that you did a good job while preparing is essential for making everything go smoothly. 

Have Discussion and Stealth Phases

The first consideration is implementing different phases that will help kids concentrate and fully emerge in the exploration process. We named these two phases discussion and stealth. 

A big part of outdoor learning is exploration, observation, and analysis. One thing these three mental activities have in common is caution, action, patience, and full concentration. Unfortunately, this can’t be achieved if the students are constantly asking things, talking between themselves, and being unattentive. 

On the other hand, having open discussions, asking questions, and socializing with other students is another characteristic of outdoor learning. 

One way to balance these aspects of outdoor learning would be to set rules. One part of the lecture would be reserved for stealth activities, where special rules would apply. Another part of the lecture would be reserved for talking about the things that were observed, socializing, and having fun. 

Assign Roles

Another way to make things more interesting and optimize the learning process is to assign each student a role. 

The roles would give students a general assignment that they should follow through the whole day, but also keep them focused and entertained. 

Some kids can be guides. These kids should get maps, study the location well, and receive special instructions from you on how to navigate through, and motivate others to explore. Other kids can be guards. These students should observe their classmates and help the teacher in the task of making sure everyone is following the rules. 

You can also divide the students into groups and give them roles – some can take notes, some can gather, others can organize or count, etc. 

More specific roles are dependent on the nature of your lecture and the activities you have planned. 

Ask Questions

Kids will no doubt have questions, but sometimes it’s better to not have all the answers. After all, outdoor learning is all about stimulating curiosity and critical thinking, so reverse the roles and you be the one who asks questions. 

For instance, ask kids what they see, how would they describe it using their senses – hearing, touch, smell, sight. Also, encourage them to compare and identify characteristics, by asking what’s different, what’s new, why they think things happen in such a way, etc. 

Explore Freely

Finally, the last thing to consider is letting kids be spontaneous. This might feel uneasy considering it would be a little harder to supervise them once you give them the freedom to explore the surroundings, but with a few ground rules, it can be perfectly safe. 

Plus, letting kids to follow their instincts and curiosity will make them more engaged and passionate about outdoor learning. Of course, this shouldn’t take most of the lecture, but it’s a nice consideration to keep in mind. 

How to Make Outdoor Learning a Reality?

Unfortunately, sometimes even when planning goes easy, there are other limitations that can keep outdoor learning only as a teachers’ desire. Two of these limitations include not having support and not having enough resources. So, how do you tackle them to ensure outdoor learning becomes a reality? 

One thing you can do is develop a professional outdoor learning network. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals and get involved with associations and groups that promote outdoor learning. Also, keeping a wide network of camping companies, museums, gardens, park staff, and other groups will give you a significant advantage when planning an outdoor learning experience. 

Another thing you can do is apply for field trip funds. The school might not be in a position to fund your outdoor learning activities. However, as a teacher, you should research and find external organizations that sponsor field trips or other nature activities. 

Before You Go

As the days get longer and warmer, keeping kids inside the classroom will become a harder task every day. Fortunately, outdoor learning comes as a great alternative. It provides kids a break from the monotony, lets them spend time under the sun, socialize, and still learn new and exciting skills.  

We hope that our article covered everything that you were expecting to learn, but in case you’re still unsure on what topic to plan for outdoor learning, head over to our website and browse through our worksheet library. You can see interesting and creative bundles in science, biology, environment, history, geography, and many other subjects. We’re sure they’ll help you come up with some great ideas. 
Furthermore, don’t forget to visit our blog and subscribe to our newsletter. We have written a lot of guides that include outdoor activities, and we’ll continue to share our ideas with our followers.