Nature-Based Learning: Outdoor Classrooms Gain Popularity

Over the past few years, there has been a complete revamp of the manner in which a classroom looked like – a room with four walls, desks, and blackboards, among others. Another fascinating and consequential trend in the present-day learning process is nature-based learning, which raises a tendency for the existence of outdoor classrooms all around the world. This concept of education brought the natural environment into play in the education process and has huge advantages for students’ body, mind, and spirit.

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The Rise of Outdoor Classrooms

In many respects, and as already alluded to, outdoor classrooms are no fad; they are representative of an emergent trend in early years education that is about re-establishing children’s relationship with the natural environment. With technology taking up most of children’s time, it is increasingly becoming evident that natural environments are a worthwhile investment for learners’ development. Blended learning is not new but recently has gained much ground and became very popular, especially due to the conditions of COVID-19, where the concept of social distancing and safe learning environments became crucial.

Benefits of Nature-Based Learning

Enhanced Cognitive Development:
Science proves that working under open sky increases concentration, creative thinking, and even problem solving abilities. With the help of nature-based approaches the students can get practical experience and involve their thinking and exploring skills.

Improved Mental Health:
That is why, the ability of nature to restore tired people has been proven many a time. The beauty of nature proves effective in decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression among students. They also enable learning in an open space which is healthy for the welfare of the kid’s psychological state.

Physical Health and Fitness:
Exercising is not something that is extraordinary, while in nature-based learning, children run through the forest, dig into the soil, or even walk through a park. Besides contributing positively to physical fitness this active engagement has timely come in to discourage the inertness that is noticeable in the young generation today.

Social and Emotional Growth:
Learning within the natural environment, staking prompts increase group activities that involve collaborative, communicative, and valentine. It makes students to be emotionally strong since they are prepared to survive in the difficult situations which they come across in future.

Environmental Stewardship:
Observing and thus interacting with nature enables the students to gain enhanced perception and enhanced appreciation of nature. Several of SW’s lessons incorporate an active learning model where students are assigned tasks, thereby promoting the culture of responsibility while cultivating environmental responsible subjects of tomorrow.

Implementing Outdoor Classrooms

Nature-based learning in school education plays an increasingly considerable role in schools and education institutions as these schools implement learning in different settings such as school gardens, local and forest parks, and even urban green spaces. These classes to be conducted under tree shade can be as natural as a circle of log in a forest or as structured as specially designed outdoor education facilities that mimic the forest.

There is also a need to give credence to the role of teachers in the entire process since they are a critical part of outdoor learning. Teachers are now being trained on how to align their curriculum with play; most subjects can be taught in an environmental setting, from math to science to language. For example, a lesson in biology may consist in the identification of plant and animal species, whereas a lesson in mathematics may focus on finding out the length of trees or the area of a garden plot.

Challenges and Solutions

Even so, one can confidently state that nature as a teaching resource has its advantages, although raising an outdoor classroom has several disadvantages as well. Some of the challenges that may affect schools include Weather conditions that may hinder transport accessibility, safety issues, and physical barriers. Nonetheless, if an adequate amount of planning and investments were to be made in these services, the predicaments stated above could be managed. For instance, the layout of the outdoor schools can be such a way that some apparatus are made to offer the children shade from the sun or protect them from the cold wind. They should ensure that the area is supervised and is within the reach of the disabled students.

In conclusion, Learning in the natural environment and teaching in an outdoor environment is an inspiring change for education for the future. With it progressing over the years, it will have the potential to revolutionize education as we know it and make it more learning-centered development, flexible, and holistic in its approach. Using nature as a tool of teaching and learning, we are not only providing the children with a more extended and deep perception of the curriculum but also raising a generation that is not only conscious of the environment that it is living in but also mindful of preserving it. More and more, our lives are mediated through a screen making learning that takes place in and with nature as a powerful antidote.