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
In my work with teachers I am often asked what risky play is. Risky play isn’t something you teach. It is a field of research that
A common misconception, when taking students outdoors, is that they will be off task or challenging to manage. In this workshop we will consider how an outdoor classroom is just like any other classroom and completely different, at the same time!
If you are going to have a school garden, then be sure to plan some space to grow your own pumpkins. Pumpkins are easy to
Flanders Field Poppies Remembrance Day can be an abstract and complicated topic for small children. Where we live, and across most of the commonwealth, Remembrance
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International Mud Day is June 29th this year, and if you are going to have a garden with kids, it makes sense to have a mud kitchen. Not only is
Math is all around us in nature, and patterning can be a great entry point for students to engage in mathematical thinking and learning while exploring and playing outdoors. The
If you are going to have a school garden, then be sure to plan some space to grow your own pumpkins. Pumpkins are easy to grow, have a big impact
Butterflies are essential pollinator friends in our ecosystem that add to the biodiversity of any garden. When it comes to butterfly STEAM, this paper project is one of my favourites
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