Enjoying the easy weather
This post originally appeared in Dr. Rachel A. Larimore’s weekly Samara newsletter on April 2, 2024. If you’re interested in receiving these emails, scroll to the bottom of this page to subscribe.
Here in Michigan we’re starting to move into more “easy weather” days–those days where we need less gear to stay warm and/or dry. These easy weather days make it much easier to extend the amount of time we spend outdoors.
How about snack time outside today?
We could have our group meeting outside!
Hmm, maybe we should just stay outside all day?!
Yes, yes, yes! Yet, sometimes programs find these changes in schedule difficult. There are two key things that can make it easier to move the class day outside–1) keep the routine and 2) ensure the outdoor play area is an extension of the classroom.
Keep the routine (& communicate that fact!)
Moving your class day outside will feel like a huge shift to some children and this can be dysregulating. That’s why it’s important to keep the same order of activities and simply change the location. For example, we have choice time, then group meeting, and then snack, but today each of those will be outside. Another important part of maintaining the routine is sharing that with children. We can communicate the change in routine to children during drop-off, at the group meeting, and any other time children are needing clarification or reassurance.
Ensure the outdoor play area is an extension of the classroom
While maintaining a routine will help the group be successful entirely outdoors, I find the biggest challenge is the play space itself. Traditional playgrounds with mostly physical play and limited open-ended materials can lose their interest for children fairly quickly. This is a challenge when you want to spend as much as 6 hours outside!
A way to combat boredom and potential behavioral challenges is to move towards the outdoors being an extension of the Inside classroom. This doesn’t mean doing the exact same activities, but rather engaging with children in the same holistic ways Outside as Inside. The first step to this engagement is providing a rich physical learning environment.
Do children have access to lots of loose parts? (Ideally a mix of both natural and manufactured materials)
Are all types of play available to children? (Not just physical, but imaginative play, art play, etc.)
Are there play opportunities related to all learning domains (literacy, math, etc.)?
To help educators create a natural outdoor play area that truly serves as an extension of the classroom, we created the Examining the Natural Play Area: An extension of the indoor classroom? workbook.
This workbook guides you through a quick check of the materials, features, and play opportunities available in your outdoor play area. It also provides prompts to reflect on how the natural play area is used in children’s play. Check it out if you’re looking to dig deeper into making the easy weather days even easier!
Again, the goal of a natural play area is to provide children with opportunities for deep and extensive play and interactions—just like when they're indoors!
As the weather gets easier, I hope you’ll consider spending even more of your day outdoors. While I can’t guarantee the experience will be perfect, I can assure you that a clear routine and a rich learning space will make the experience much, much better for everyone!
By the way, if you’re where the weather is starting to get harder for you, I hope you’ll still consider more of your day outdoors!
Keep changing lives,
Rachel
Rachel A. Larimore, Ph.D., Chief Visionary of Samara Learning
P.S.–The Examining the Natural Play Area workbook is one of the more than 50 templates, guides, and ready-to-print flyers available to members of The Grove. Not a member? Learn more and join here.
