Playful learning outdoors is not only possible in your outdoor classroom, it is necessary! Inspire students to work collaboratively on outdoor garden projects like music walls, dinosaur gardens, mud kitchens and playful literacy through the use of shadow puppets and loose parts.
Command games are a playful way for teachers to position themselves as an authority figure with large groups of children who may be reluctant to
From time to time, I am sent teaching resources to review. I was offered a Magidome kit during the 2021 school year and was excited
Opportunities for playing in the rain are sorely missing in many childhoods. It often seems like decisions to stay inside at recess are randomly decided
Music Is Not My Strongest Subject But… Of all the curricular content I teach as an elementary school educator, music is likely my weakest subject
Thank you to Rene Gualtieri for contributions to this post! Not A Stick Play Having worked at a nature camp, I am very aware of
Dandelions are a sure sign of spring and an early source of pollen in our Spring gardens. Often considered weeds by gardeners, dandelions offer a
If you’ve ever fallen into the black hole of Pinterest, you’ve certainly seen some cute and fun ideas for gardening with kids. Which is great
Bug hotels are an essential addition to any garden, and particularly a children’s garden. There are really only two reasons to build them. One is
The emergent curriculum is a valuable tool for student directed inquiry in any outdoor classroom. I often have specific plans for my students that are
Walking, working and playing in nature invites children’s imaginations to create stories that reflect their lived experiences, their wonders and their understandings of the world
Loose parts are found or natural objects that have no specific instructions for play and are highly valued for their imaginative and creative affordances for
One hundred years ago Soviet psychologist and play theorist, Lev Vygotsky, argued that play was a purposeful activity for children. Vygotsky believed that a child’s
Teaching outdoors is nothing new. As a species, humans have evolved to learn outdoors. For thousands of years, we have actively learned from experience alongside
If you’ve never heard of Dr. Stuart Brown then you are in for a treat when you read his book, Play. In this book, Brown explains
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What a fun night with colleagues from the Niagara District School Board! Thank you to all who joined in on our first session of the series. The session was framed
A shift has happened in our house. The kids are growing and their interests are changing. For many years, we got by with a simple toddler table with lots of
Of all the edible garden crops you can plant, kale has the reputation of the being the easiest and most resilient. It doesn’t take much know how, or specific growing
These are strange and stressful days for educators heading back to school amidst a global pandemic. This 90 minute webinar is offered to districts or schools looking for inspiration, practical ideas, and capacity building for their school community who wish to take the learning outdoors as much as possible.
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