Outdoor Learning in Early Childhood

In today’s age of technology, electronics, and media saturation, it has become more important than ever to bring learning into the outdoor space. Being able to slow down, unplug, and literally touch grass is invaluable to not only our littlest learners, but ourselves as educators. To help us achieve those goals, we often hold nature trainings at the Wildflower Child & Family Center. We get lots of insight on how to incorporate outdoor learning into early childhood program.

Here are some ideas of how to grow outdoor learning in your program, whether you have a small garden area or acres of land to explore and utilize:

• nature scavenger hunt — can you find a leaf, something that starts with F, a rock, something brown, etc. It improves their observation skills and connects all different types of learning to nature.

• bringing indoor play outdoors — dolls, balls, books, and dancing scarves can all be taken outside for a different learning experience. Imagine a child’s first time reading a book while nestled under a tree!

• sensory play in an outdoor space — between dirt, sand, mud, snow, hay, dried leaves, pine cones, or flower petals, you could have a variety of sensory experiences using nature materials. Just make sure the children have the correct attire and you’re ready to assist with cleanup afterward.

• bug investigation — from roly polies to grasshoppers to beetles, there are lots of bugs to check out in an outdoor space. If you have a bug investigation kit with a netted container and magnifying glass, awesome! But you don’t need a fancy one if you have access to a clear jar with a holed top. Or just watching the bugs in their natural habitat is enough, too. Some children love watching bugs for hours as they crawl around doing their bug jobs!

If you’re interested in participating in one of our nature trainings, please check out our listing of upcoming workshops!