Outdoor Classroom Day: the antidote to 2020

Posted on 4 November, 2020

We’re sure all parents will understand the value of time outdoors after being indoors with children over summer due to bushfire smoke and enduring COVID lockdowns.

Spending time outdoors is essential for children’s physical and mental health and that is exactly what Nature Play CBR hopes to celebrate when they hold Outdoor Classroom Day this Thursday 5 November in schools across Canberra.

This Thursday, classrooms will swap the carpet for grass, the four walls for trees and books for planting seeds and exploring the environment around us.

Across the country, 100,000 children have been registered to take part in celebrating Outdoor Classroom Day.

In ordinary circumstances, teachers are urged to take lessons outdoors on the day and increase playtime, but this year teachers, parents and children are being challenged to celebrate in whatever way they can in a COVID-safe manner.

The importance of outdoor-based learning and interaction from a young age has been a key focus for the ACT Government and across Canberra, a number of nature play areas have popped up.

These organic areas allow children to explore the world through smell, sound and touch. The benefits of actively spending and exploring the outdoors have been noted by teachers across the world with 76% claiming that it boosts children’s engagement*.

“We all know that being outdoors can make us feel good, but it also has some real benefits to children—teachers tell us time and again and the research backs it up,” says Elle Greet, Project Officer at Nature Play CBR.

“But today’s children are spending less time outdoors than ever before and this is having a detrimental impact. Outdoor Classroom Day is about recognising this and taking steps towards making time outdoors a key part of the school day.”

 Outdoor Classroom Day is celebrated globally across 53 countries and this week, 60 Canberra schools will be taking part.

Wondering whether your child’s school is taking part? Head to outdoorclassroomday.com.au.

There you can also find an extensive list of ideas to get children outdoors and exploring the beautiful region we live in.

*Outdoor Classroom Day survey, 2019. Source: Nature Play CBR