Outdoor LearningFor schools across the UK and in countries across the world, students and teachers will soon be streaming out of doors for work as well as play. For several years, the imaginative Outdoor Classroom Day project has been going from strength to strength, with the organisers explaining that on given days “thousands of schools around the world take lessons outdoors and prioritise playtime.”

 

Over 500,000 children from the UK and Ireland took part in 2018 and this year promises to attract even greater numbers. The Outdoor Classroom Days for 2019 are set for Thursday 23rd May and Thursday 7th November.

 

Exercise is recognised as a key element in supporting health and counteracting problems such as childhood obesity. Encouraging children to play out of doors makes exercise enjoyable as well as contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

 

Ross Solution Projects has had many years of experience in carrying out school landscaping projects and we firmly believe that a school’s outdoor area can have further important uses. As well as a place for exercise and play, it can be as important to the learning experience as its interior facilities.

 

Learning benefits

 

This has been confirmed by teachers worldwide, who found that children invariably became more engaged with their subject during Outdoor Classroom Day lessons than they had been when taught indoors.  Far from causing distractions to concentration, being out in the fresh air can have real benefits for learning as well as health.

 

As we explain on the school landscaping section of our website: “Nowadays, schools are increasingly looking to bring the classroom outdoors in new and innovative ways by commissioning special outdoor classrooms using creative seating arrangements, making the most of any available shade and planning zones to facilitate new ways of learning.”

 

We wish the Outdoor Classroom Day 2019 events every success and believe that achievements in past years indicate encouraging trends for the future. We also look forward to carrying out further exciting landscaping projects for schools across London and the Home Counties, enhancing the environment for work and play.