Introduction to Growing Outdoor Classrooms Sylvia Kennedy-Godin September 24, 2020

Every outdoor classroom is as unique as the school or program that designs and builds it. This training will define terms related to outdoor classrooms, give an overview of what an outdoor classroom can become, help define key factors in how outdoor classrooms differ from typical playgrounds. Participants will explore the developmental benefits of outdoor classrooms and learn how to communicate these benefits to parents. Research confirms that learning outdoors promotes child development and learning in all domains –physical, cognitive, and social-emotional. By understanding the benefits of outdoor learning and participants will learn ways to share information with stakeholders as a powerful way to communicate the value of creating nature-inspired learning spaces. Once stakeholders understand how outdoor classrooms positively impact student growth, development, and learning they will be more confident in investing time and money into building or expanding the outdoor learning space. Whether you are starting from scratch, transforming a traditional playground into a nature-inspired play area, or expanding an existing outdoor classroom this training will help you define and prioritize design elements for your space. Participants will create the “Outdoor Classroom Map and Vision” which is a scaled map of your current space and how you would like to transform the space. In this model, participants will also list their current resources, identify barriers, and create a wish list so that their vision of an outdoor classroom begins to take shape. Participants will be encouraged to find a visible space within your program to display your “Outdoor Classroom Map and Vision” so you will begin to get more buy-in.