Students experience outdoor classrooms and the natural environment through self-play, exploration, imagination, new friendships, and freedom

The Outdoor Mission

The ethos of our Outdoor Classrooms is simple but, we believe, profound: Your child’s health, curiosity, learning, and fun are nourished by spending quality time outdoors. These enhancements are achieved through children’s exposure to the following features:

A Natural Learning Environment

Children should be able to move seamlessly between indoors and outdoors, learning and playing with ease and without apprehension or fear. By enriching our Outdoor Classrooms with manipulatives, loose materials, and natural components, students gain confidence in their relationship with the out-of-doors, and develop confidence in themselves across environments.

Freedom to Play on Their Own

We believe your child has a fundamental right to agency over their own play. As such, we allow children to initiate their own outdoor activities, to participate with a group when they choose, or to be on their own when they choose, and to experiment and arrive at conclusions in their own way.

Freedom to Play on Their Own

We believe your child has a fundamental right to agency over their own play. As such, we allow children to initiate their own outdoor activities, to participate with a group when they choose, or to be on their own when they choose, and to experiment and arrive at conclusions in their own way.

Some Learning Takes Time

Being outdoors and working with natural materials allows children to take their time and try different things at their own pace. In the Outdoor Classroom, children don’t feel pressured to hurry, or to get things “right” on the first try. Here, young learners are encouraged to experiment at their own pace when a building structure with a friend, adding something new to a space, or investigating a question.

The Overprotected Child

The changes we have executed in childhood in order to protect children from danger are resulting in rapidly escalating negative effects.

These are the five most critical issues facing children today:

The Outdoor Classroom helps to restore the traditional benefits of childhood while addressing these challenges by:

From Cultivating Outdoor Classrooms: Designing and Implementing Child-Centered Learning Environments by Eric M. Nelson. © 2012 by Eric M. Nelson.

HOURS

2022 – 2023 School Year:
Monday – Friday
7:00 am – 6:00 pm