Outdoor Learning

Saturday I spent the majority of the day outside, I even did my grad school work outside. With all this nice weather coming our way it had me thinking of just how much kindergartners and elementary aged students just prefer to be outside. Really most of our world's biggest minds did a lot of their work outside.

Reflect with me on some of the great leaders of our past:

Henry David Threau- a naturalist and abolitionist who wrote about the wrongs of slavery and the world around him. Some of his most famous pieces include A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and (Thoughts from) Walden- were written while in nature, as was most of his work.

Robert Frost- I think we all remember having to memorize The Road Not Taken... recite with me "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both. And be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth..." I will forever associate that poem with Mrs. Geiger's 8th grade English class.

Nathaniel Hawthorne- The Scarlet Letter goes into such rich detail about the nature in the state of Massachusetts that when I visited Vermont over spring break, the drive from Boston to VT just made all the imagery in Hawthorne's writing alive. I could just imagine that patch of woods next to the river, tucked away from civilization being where Hester Prynne lived. Visiting Boston for the first time over spring break, I could see the book come to life as I walked The Freedom Trail. (I know it wasn't set in Boston, but the buildings are the same.)

Abraham Lincoln actively played outside and taught himself everything he knew. He educated himself so well, while absorbing nature that he was able to become a lawyer and the president.

George Washington was a great leader and soldier, but first and foremost was a farmer and surveyor. He knew the land, understood it, and felt he was one with it. His bond with nature forged his character!

During the Renaissance in both Europe and our own Renaissance periods, people were often found outdoors working because it yielded so much more production.

Most ivy league and well established universities are surrounded by nature and have extensive grounds that they keep. Year round you find students sprawled across the yards of those universities in study groups, independent study, in self expression, or even my own university had a stump that people could stand on and freely express anything they wanted from that stump. 

Examples of those who actively believed in learning through nature or doing work outdoors lead to more productive work is extensive. This philosophy of learning stems from Maria Montessori- http://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/History-of-Montessori-Education/Biography-of-Maria-Montessori.aspx- , an educational theorists who (very simply put) believed learning should be done at the learner's pace through exploration. This is largely why in my classroom I don't require students to work in a dedicated place- yes we have tables and they do have assigned spots, however they only go to those areas when they are being redirected or it is a whole group learning time. The remainder of our day students may complete the tasks I give them via free roam (that's what we call the period of independent/ partner/ small group tasks). Only if they don't meet our agreed upon contract rules for this period can they be asked to go to a preassigned area. This rarely happens though! It's unique. It's challenging. It's EXTREMELY chaotic. However, I've seen so much improvement in my students this year that seems to be a direct result of the process. They are most importantly more responsible because they have to be or the privileges are revoked.

SO, I am about to begin a series of blogs based on outdoor learning. This learning will be structured but out of your control- so if you like holding the reigns take a deep breath and just try to experiment with me! We are creating leaders! We are creating independent children! We are creating deeper thinkers! So, with these blogs to come there is a challenge involved... can you handle it?

Challenge: For the last 10 weeks of school (so this starts NEXT MONDAY- 3/31/14) cut out technology and encourage your family to do outdoor activities instead- at least during the school week. I know rain will come since it's spring, so I will include rainy day suggestions as well. I encourage you to share the experience in the comments of how this goes for you during the last 10 weeks of school.