Outdoor Classroom Day

We are on a mission to change the world and give children back their childhood!  We are strong advocates for children spending time outdoors and in nature, every day, for their mental and physical health wellbeing. When you take learning outside the classroom it engages and excites children in spectacular ways. We would love for you to join the movement and help us take learning and play outdoors, every day!

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play! Join Nature Play and thousands of schools around Australia in taking learning and play outdoors, and by celebrating on Thursday November 4th, 2021!

Remember outdoor learning is something that can and should happen daily, and we want to continue celebrating being in the outdoors regularly, in whatever way we can. While schools generally celebrate a single day, ‘Outdoor Classroom Day’ doesn’t stop at just one day. We see this day as a call to action. A point in the year to reflect, and either begin or reignite a focus on outdoor learning.

Teachers, Principals, Educators and Centre Leaders are using ‘Outdoor Classroom Day’ to trial and develop outdoor learning at their schools and services. Established outdoor learning professionals are using the day to celebrate and promote what they are already doing and to inspire other teachers to join in.

If you’re a parent, your child’s school, kindergarten or early learning service may want to get involved. Why not share this information with them?

If you work for an organisation that cares about children, nature, education or the environment, contact us about how you can get involved. We’d love to hear from you.

A great place to start is to head over to our Bio Blitz Project, in four short steps you can start your Outdoor Classroom Day journey. Children and their educators/parents will be part of a larger project that helps to make a real impact in the scientific community of Australia and helps children to connect with their environment at school, kindergarten, and at home.

Nature Play QLD supports you by providing FREE outdoor classroom day lesson plans, specifically created for this event to use as you wish.  Lesson plans have been developed for all children, whether they’re in early years, kindergarten, prep, or primary school.  Furthermore, all primary lesson plans are linked to the appropriate Australian National Curriculum, and resources to support My Time, Our Place outcomes. All early years nature play experiences and learning activities support the learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework.

FREE Nature Play Passport to An Amazing Childhood to use during your Outdoor Classroom Day adventure.

There are over 300 fun Nature Play missions to choose from online, which will beautifully compliment your outdoor play day. The Nature Play Passport is a fun way for children to record outdoor learning and activities they undertake, and provides them with additional incentives to go outdoors more often.  They are a resource that can be used long after Outdoor Classroom Day QLD has passed.  Passports can take up to 2 weeks to arrive; important if you want them in time for 7 November.  (Read more about using the Passports in education or large groups here).

Outdoor learning has a positive impact for teachers and educators on their practice, health and wellbeing, professional development, job satisfaction and more.

Outdoor learning has positive impacts for children – on their intrinsic motivation for learning, enjoyment of lessons, increases creativity, and activates thinking outside the box.  It also improves children’s health and wellbeing, social skills and behaviour, and it has furthermore been proven to encourage better attendance, teamwork and to reduce bullying.

Education in a Covid world: Getting outdoor play and learning on the agenda

At this free Outdoor Classroom Day webinar, policy leaders, academics and government representatives from Turkey, Australia, Scotland and Bangladesh will share how taking learning outdoors and improving playtimes is working to directly address the current challenges in their countries.