The most effective environment for outdoor learning is a dedicated multifunctional space in the school grounds:
- accessible all year round
- providing for small and large group gathering.
- conducive to a variety of activities, from active participation to quiet contemplation.
- space to manipulate, gather and display materials & artefacts.
- sheltered from inclement seasonal weather, particularly winter, and also providing summer shade.
20 years ago, an outdoor learning area would have been a dedicated sitting area where the class teacher held attention. Today our classes require a larger area to operate in – and should include a whole class gathering space, as well as smaller group zones, space for activities, singing, tables, display areas, varied surfaces, plants and trees, and so on.
We help you to identify the most appropriate areas to use, and work with you to make the those areas wholly effective for teaching, learning & and a range of collaborative activities.
“Exposure to natural environments improves children’s cognitive development by improving their awareness, reasoning and observational skills”
- Robert Pyle, in Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural and Evolutionary Investigations, Kahn and Kellert, 2002
Multifunctional opportunities: learn, play, collaborate.
We help you design, create and install special places which can be used throughout the school day. Accessible all year round – sheltered for autumn and winter, sensory in spring, an oasis in summer.
“We still get a lot of compliments about the area”
- Don Mclean, Principal, 4 years after the installation
Hampden Street School, Nelson, NZ