This extensive chapter of the National Outdoor Learning Library is intended to help schools and districts plan the infrastructure they will need to create outdoor learning programs. The resources in this chapter include ideas for establishing and managing outdoor classroom infrastructure and facilities to bring lessons and learning, meal service, and other school programs outdoors.

Many of the resources in this chapter were created during the pandemic to address school closures and physical distancing. Moving programs outside helped school districts across the country to stay open through the COVID-19 crisis and many found the experience so rewarding that they decided to keep part of the school day outside permanently. Schools who made investments in outdoor learning and schoolyard greening during the pandemic see that those investments can enrich education in the years to come. (For more information on the ecological benefits of schoolyard greening, see Chapter 2.) 

The articles and tools featured in this reorganized version of the outdoor learning infrastructure chapter can be used to inform outdoor learning planning beyond the pandemic. The advice shared in this chapter is grounded in the collective long-term experience of our co-authors, many of whom have been working in the green schoolyard field for a decade or more and have dedicated their careers to connecting children with nature at school.

Some of the resources below include ideas for temporary outdoor classrooms and learning that are intended to be possible for a school community to implement quickly.  If large-scale projects are underway or yet to be completed, these short-term changes can give the school a taste of what is to come. Other resources collected here address long term considerations for creating outdoor learning infrastructure.  We hope the materials included in this chapter will help your school district — wherever you are in the planning process — to take advantage of its outdoor spaces and increase access to fresh air!

This chapter is organized according to planning phase. It opens with context and background information, as well as rationale, tools, and resources for getting started. It includes a powerful pair of articles on the why and how of green schoolyards. The subsequent sections include more detailed planning and implementation guidance related to selecting specific types of infrastructure, adapting outdoor spaces for the weather, and managing these spaces during the pandemic and beyond. This chapter also includes curated plant lists designed for outdoor learning on school grounds, organized by climate type and location within the United States. As you begin your planning process, we also recommend exploring our case study chapter to see inspiring examples from across the country that were up and running during the pandemic.

GUIDE TO SECTIONS IN CHAPTER 7

Click on the links below to navigate directly to various sections of Chapter 7, or simply scroll down to browse.

• Setting the Stage

  — Context and Planning Considerations

  — Why Create Living School Grounds?

• Thoughtful Planning and Implementation

  — Selecting Infrastructure for Outdoor Classrooms

  — Weather Considerations

  — Managing Outdoor Spaces

• Resources

• Using Public Spaces as Outdoor Classrooms

• Pandemic Planning Strategies

Infrastructure Considerations for Culturally Inclusive Outdoor Learning
Outdoor classroom spaces can be customized by each school community to reflect the cultural richness, interests, and diversity of the students who will spend time in them.
(Coming soon!)

Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation
This comprehensive, award winning book covers transforming ordinary asphalt and grass schoolyards into vibrant ecosystems that promote hands-on learning, creative play and neighborhood ecology.

Outdoor Seating and Work Surfaces
A comfortable place to sit is often key to successful outdoor lessons. Portable or permanent? Natural or manufactured? We have ideas for your budget and situation.

Shade and Shelter
Open-sided shelters make outdoor spaces more comfortable and protect classes from sun and rain, increasing outdoor time. Read about materials, location, and permit rules.

Supplies and Storage for Outdoor Teaching
After setting up seating and shelter for an outdoor classroom, it is important to consider which teaching supplies are needed and how to store them conveniently. This article provides ideas and inspiration.

Making Paved Spaces Comfortable
Wondering how to make a paved schoolyard comfortable and inviting? This article offers strategies to add softness and color with art, container gardens, outdoor rugs, and more.

Using Raised Beds in Paved Schoolyards
Schools do not have to have direct access to unpaved land to add plants and gardens to their grounds. Raised beds will let you put the plants exactly where they are needed.

Outdoor Learning in All Types of Weather
Cool, sunny days are a clear fit for outdoor learning, but many people are curious about what to do if it is raining, windy, hot, or cold. Read about how to select clothing and gear.

Strategies for Managing Hot Weather
How can classes stay comfortable when the weather is hot? This article shares strategies for finding and adding shade and keeping everyone well hydrated.

Strategies for Managing Cold Temperatures
What does it take to adapt outdoor learning for winter temperatures? We have some great tips and ideas to share from teachers who take their classes outside in cold climates.

Winter Schoolyard Explorations (activities)
What can you do in your schoolyard in the winter, when snow is on the ground and tree branches are bare? We would like to invite you and your school to bring your students outside for hands-on learning all winter!

Outdoor Classroom Management
This article outlines useful strategies and tips for successful teaching and learning in an outdoor classroom.

Reducing Outdoor Allergens
Many children and adults have allergies to pollen, mold, and other materials that are naturally found outside. This article describes design and management considerations to minimize allergies during outdoor learning.

Start-up Toolkit for Schools
If you are a school looking to get started — this tool will help you visualize and plan for outdoor learning — whether you are looking for low-cost immediate options, using what you already have, or if you are planting seeds for permanent, long-term campus improvements.

District Pathway
If you are a school district just getting started with outdoor learning, this resource is designed to help you launch a district-wide program. It was written with input from district-level outdoor learning experts from across the country.

Books and Resources for Creating and Managing Outdoor Spaces for Children
The outdoor learning, green schoolyard, and nature play movements are more than thirty years old. This resource list includes more information on a wide range of related topics.

Regional Plant Lists for Children’s Environments

Plants soften outdoor environments and make them feel more comfortable and welcoming. Access to nature has also been shown to improve children’s mental and physical health and well-being, so adding plants to school grounds is not simply about beauty. Plants help to make outdoor learning spaces more effective as teaching environments by reducing students’ stress levels and helping them to pay attention. Schools can also incorporate specific plants or ecosystems into their grounds to provide hands-on teaching resources tied to standards-based curricula, and they can also select plants for their play value, wildlife habitat potential, interesting textures and shapes, and/or seasonal colors.

The plant lists in this section were developed with children’s outdoor environments in mind and include plants that are adapted to the climate of each region.

Moving Outdoor Learning Offsite:
Using Public Spaces as Outdoor Classrooms

Most schools and school districts begin their planning process for outdoor learning by considering the spaces available on their own grounds, right outside their classrooms. School grounds are a logical first choice for many schools, since they are conveniently located close to teaching supplies, Wi-Fi, meal service, and other resources that are stored inside the buildings.

As schools and districts consider how to take learning outside during the pandemic, many will find their own campus cannot accommodate all of the students or programs they wish to have outdoors. In those cases, it is important to think beyond the campus boundaries, to imagine new possibilities in the wider community. Parks, public lands, closed streets, and other outdoor spaces offer valuable opportunities to extend learning into the neighborhood. We invite you to read our chapter about planning strategies for moving outdoor learning into spaces off campus.

Outdoor Infrastructure Planning Strategies
This document is a good place to start. It includes strategies to help guide outdoor classroom infrastructure development for a school or school district. Version: 12-31-20
Download PDF.

Outdoor Classroom Configuration Options
Download this worksheet to estimate the size of each outdoor classroom your school will need.

Elementary School in Southern California
Very hot climate, suburban location, classroom doors open directly onto the school grounds

Elementary School
in the San Francisco Bay Area, California
Mild year-round climate, urban neighborhood, next to a park

Elementary School in Northern Virginia
Climate with four distinct seasons (very hot summers and mild, snowy winters), suburban location

Emergency Schoolyard Design Volunteer Program and Example DiagramS

The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative was pleased to be able to provide site planning assistance to many schools and districts around the country via our Emergency Schoolyard Design Volunteers program, from June 2020 through June 2021.

The Design Volunteers program provided specialized pro bono landscape planning assistance during the pandemic, intended to help schools consider their outdoor infrastructure needs and create their first site diagrams. The diagrams conveyed each school’s outdoor learning plans and help to build consensus within a school community. Visit the design volunteer page to view an archive of real-world diagrams that volunteer students and professionals created with and for their partner schools.