Happy Outdoor Classroom Day!

This blog was contributed by guest writer, Kristen Mei. 

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign that encourages the integration of outdoor learning and play. Every year, schools around the world take part in outdoor lessons and prioritizing outdoor play.

 Outdoor learning is great for health and engaging children with nature. Having the outdoors incorporated in classroom learning can serve as a building block for fostering a connection with nature and a motivation to protect nature as well.

Here at EcoSpark, our programs have a heavy focus on encouraging outdoor experiential education. One of our past programs, Nature Academy, trained teachers to effectively teach outdoor education no matter what grade or subject. Teachers took part in PD workshops on different environmental topics with curriculum-linked activities and resources. Our workshop topics included:

1. The Water We Drink

2. The Air We Breathe

3. Our Urban Pollinators

4. The Geography of the Greenbelt

5. Terrestrial Invasive Species

6. Growing in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

Having programs such as Nature Academy is important in providing teachers with the tools they need to integrate outdoor learning and play. They get take away kits from each workshop so they can implement the lesson plans as soon as they want!

Teachers have the power to transform the way a student understands and experiences nature. It is because of this that we believe in empowering teachers to foster this learning environment within their classroom time.

Interested in more resources, visit Outdoor Classroom Day’s resource page!

Kristen Mei is an Environmental Studies student at the University of Toronto. She is currently interning at EcoSpark as an Environmental Researcher. Kristen is interested in environmental sustainability within the urban setting and is always looking to expand in her knowledge of sustainable practices.