Is Outdoor Learning Just A Fad?
We are all aware of the amazing benefits of outdoor learning but is it just here today and gone tomorrow?
Outdoor play allows young children to experience the world with all their senses. This does not always have to be in the sandy beaches or green grass. Your little one’s senses are also heightened in urban spaces when exposed to different smells, textures, light and noise.
Studies have shown time and again that when you knock down those classroom walls and unleash the child into the realms of Mother Nature, amazing things happen.
The Amazing Benefits of Outdoor Learning
Retaining information through lived experiences
When kids get involved in hands-on activities that engage their sense of wonder, they are more receptive to learning. What goes in stays in because they can make an association in their memory. Looking at a picture of a flower in a textbook in a traditional classroom has nothing on touching and smelling the same flower in a garden. Which experience is your child more likely to remember? Which experience is more enriching? That’s the power of outdoor learning.
Staying fit and active
These formative years are crucial for your child’s development and their perception of what it means to be healthy and active. A healthy child thrives on being able to experience the outdoors with abandon: exploring, climbing, running, jumping, skipping, hiding, exploring. Kids are born active. Inactivity is a learnt behaviour. In fact, learning from second-hand experiences while sitting at a desk is a relatively new style of learning that we have come to accept as “normal”, and we are not facing the consequences.
Developing an affinity with nature
We live in a modern metropolis with limited access to non-manmade nature. So, it’s important to expose your child to the beauty and complexity of Mother Nature and give them an early sense of environmental stewardship. It is vital for future sustainability that children today connect to nature so that they are more likely to be proactive in environmental protection as they grow older. Help us raise advocates for a healthy and sustainable world. It’s the only one we’ve got.
Getting good at being social
At Outdoor School, we make sure that our outdoor learning camps involve a huge dose of social interaction through collaborative tasks and games designed to have children work together. Getting great at communication, teamwork and problem-solving will serve your child’s personal and professional life into adulthood. It’s not enough anymore to achieve academic success. There’s a reason that C grade students with gumption become the bosses of their A grade counterparts.
Cultivating a strong mind
Have you hugged a tree recently or walked barefoot on the grass and become grounded with the earth? If you have, we bet you came away feeling lighter, less stressed and in an overall more positive mood. You probably also returned to your daily chores with renewed concentration and mindfulness. Your child also benefits from a session with the outdoors. We often notice enhanced psychological well-being, reduced behavioural problems and improved academic performance.
Adept at problem-solving
It doesn’t matter how creative a classroom session is, it’s still contained within four walls. By contrast, the unstructured nature of outdoor learning encourages children to think creatively, explore freely and develop innovative solutions to challenges. It’s one of the greatest perks of what we do at Outdoor School Singapore and a joy for us to behold. Watch as your child begins to foster the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for the 21st century.
Resources
Learning with Nature can definitely take place at a park or nature reserve itself. It is however important to extend it and continue at home or in school. Learning in different spaces allows children to form a stronger connection with nature and develop their ecological empathy and intelligence!
Drop us a request if you are keen to receive a complimentary copy of our e-resources.
- eBook
- Home-based Learning Resources