A big thank you to Juliet Robertson, whose blog post from December 29th, 2022, inspired me to reflect on my practice since August.
The questions, below, are from her post.
What has been the most memorable outdoor experience that happened in your school or setting in this past year?
Any time I take students off campus to learn from the surrounding environment, it is exciting for both the students and me. During our Art is in Nature unit of inquiry, second graders walked to the banks of the Rhine river to create artworks from the natural materials found there. Some students, inspired by Micheal Grab, tried their hand at gravity glue. Although their art was more rock stacking than balancing rocks using their center of gravity, students were very excited, completely engaged and didn’t mind the rainy weather at all! On the last day of school before the winter holiday when I asked them to share their favorite experience from the school year so far, many students recalled this excursion.
What did you enjoy most about being outside with your children?
The weather! We had a very mild, dry autumn this year in Duesseldorf, Germany. When it did get cold in December, it got really cold (-7 C/19 F). We were able to extend the Art in Nature unit by making sun-catchers with ice!
I also work with fourth graders in outdoor learning. Of all the experiences we had since August, I enjoyed teaching them compass skills the most. It was fun to see their wonder and fascination as they made a leaf compass, found the bearing of an object in the environment and used compass bearings to navigate to an unknown location.
What one change, action, resource or person made a particular difference to the quality of outdoor play and learning in your school or setting?
This is the first time I have taught second grade students in our outdoor learning program. In the past, I taught preschool, fourth and fifth grade students. I am learning so much from the second graders. They are very capable, energetic learners.
What one thing did you personally do to improve the quality of outdoor provision or practice last year?
I planned units of inquiry collaboratively with the indoor teachers. We looked for ways to connect the indoor learning experiences with outdoor learning experiences.
fire and guided them to the necessary precautions.
During the fourth grade unit of inquiry about energy, I chose magnetism because, through the vehicle of compasses, I could reinforce the students’ learning of angles in math. The students learned practical applications for magnetism and angles.
During the second grade unit entitled, through experiences we learn new things, students practiced self-management skills to keep themselves and others safe when using tools, knives and lighting fires. They learned to do a benefit-risk analysis to decide which risks could be taken and what precautions need to be in place to keep everyone safe. Students learned to be responsible, careful and vigilant with fire. My mantra is, “If you can’t control yourself, you can’t control fire.” Learning to be spatially aware, be safe and make informed choices are transferable skills that benefit students indoors and out.
What worried you the most about your outdoor provision? What did you do to overcome these concerns?
An outdoor learning curriculum to meet our teaching and learning needs doesn’t exist; therefore, we write our own curriculum and lessons. This takes a lot of time and creative energy. Sometimes my lessons aren’t as effective as I would like because I wrote them days before delivering them. There wasn’t time to consider improvements before doing the lessons with students. In the past, we didn’t consistently write comprehensive records of our lessons. To make teaching easier next year and leave a curriculum map for future outdoor learning teachers at our school, we are doing our best to record and reflect on our lessons this year.
What did you read, listen to, visit or watch that made a noticeable or even have a profound impact on your professional outdoor practice?
Since we are creating our own curriculum, I am constantly on the search for information and resources.
I have used:
Juliet Robertson’s books and website.
Tristan Gooley’s books, videos and website.
Brian Mertin’s ebooks, videos and website.
Project Learning Tree is a great resource.
Tracey Maciver has two books packed with ideas for outdoor learning.
Is there any thing you regret about this past year and your outdoor provision? If so, what can you realistically do to fix this?
I regret that I didn’t record and organize my lessons better in past years so my coworkers and I could easily access them in subsequent years. I am working hard to correct this mistake, as stated above. I am trying to logically organize my work digitally so everything will be at my fingertips next year.
What one thing have you changed about yourself in relation to your outdoor provision?
When I was on sabbatical leave for the 2021-22 school year, I met with a trainer to learn how to teach compass skills to children. This school year, I used my new knowledge and had fun doing it! On-line courses are convenient, but I especially enjoyed learning this new skill in-person. I look forward to finding more workshops and trainings to do on location with other adults.
If you could go back to January of last year, what advice would you give yourself about the year ahead in relation to being outside with children?
Advice to myself:
Your students, both in second grade and fourth grade, seem to have shorter attention spans and less ability to self-regulate. The students need nature, need to increase the longevity of their focus and need skills to manage their emotions and behavior in challenging situations. You will be spending more time co-constructing class agreements than you have in the past. It’s important work so don’t rush it. Once the class agreements are posted, refer to them often and reteach them when necessary. Be firm and kind.
