Support Administrators

Implementing an outdoor learning program in the short or long term will require principals to acquire some new skills and knowledge. This may include new ways to use and steward their land, new ways to support teachers, and new ways to structure time. Developing this understanding is key to the success of outdoor learning programs, so it is essential to provide professional learning for administrators. Montgomery County, Maryland created this simple step-by-step getting started guide for principals.

Facilities and maintenance

It is essential both at the district and school level for facilities and maintenance staff to be part of professional learning, key conversations, planning, and decision-making related to transforming campuses from spaces mainly designed to support athletics and recess to outdoor learning spaces that support teaching and learning, as well as living schoolyards that provide a range of ecological benefits.

support teachers

Start Small

To help teachers who are new to outdoor learning feel comfortable, offer opportunities to begin with simple steps and encourage teachers to use the outdoors more as their comfort grows.

Start with a walk around the grounds with the class, or a story time under a tree.

Add outdoor snacks, stretch breaks, and morning meetings.

Eventually, the appeal of the outdoors may invite science, math, music, art, reading, writing, and more to happen in the schoolyard.  

Going outdoors will lead to learning outdoors and eventually to outdoor learning — curriculum based on the natural and built environment of your campus. 

Hold Meetings Outdoors

You might decide to create an outdoor teachers’ lounge and demonstrate with outdoor faculty meetings.

Offer Staff Development

Offer ongoing staff development and idea sharing opportunities to support teachers at all stages and levels of expertise.  

Bring in outside experts.
Spotlight passionate members of your team.
Designate outdoor lead teachers.
Consider adding environmental educators,
outdoor learning specialists, and
garden teachers to your staff. 

Check out this excellent 36-minute orientation-to-outdoor-learning video created for teachers in Portland, Maine. It includes behavior management and teaching tips, ideas for systems and curriculum, and lots of encouragement to help teachers — especially those who are new to outdoor learning — get started. Portland was a pioneer in district-wide outdoor learning early in the pandemic.

The National Outdoor Learning Library includes extensive professional learning resources related to what to teach outdoors.

Integrate Outdoors into Curriculum

As you consider how and what to teach outdoors, you will find many useful articles on the National Outdoor Learning Library's Teaching and Learning Outdoors page. Specifically, you will find resources on staffing and scheduling, outdoor classroom management, and how to create a positive experience for students, steps to taking curriculum outside, connecting science and outdoor learning, an approach to walking field trips, professional learning, and more.

In addition, you will want to visit our extensive outdoor learning resources page that has links to curriculum, activities, books, and other helpful resources that have been developed by the environmental education, school garden, and green schoolyards fields over many years. This includes resources related to what to teach outdoors that have been shared by stellar national organizations with a great deal of expertise: The BEETLES Project for outdoor science, Life Lab for garden-based education, and Out Teach for early science experiences.

establish systems

Provide Planning Time

Allow staff time for the project management required to develop a district-level program, as well as each school’s outdoor learning program, and then time to keep everything running well. On this page, under "Instructional Plans," there are extensive and professionally developed plans for outdoor learning developed by The Lawrence Hall of Science.

Create a Team

In some districts, there are professionals in curriculum, health, and facilities departments who focus on support for outdoor learning, school gardens, and environmental literacy as well as on mental and physical health. Learn more from Portland, Maine’s Public Schools. This case study and Meeting #15 here explain how they worked with various organizations to create a solid team to advocate for outdoor learning.

Choose a Model

You may opt to have an outdoor coordinator at each school site and/or you may have key personnel with expertise in school gardens, environmental literacy, and other related fields supporting and overseeing many school programs from the district-level facilities, curriculum, sustainability, and/or other offices.

Work with Experts and Outside Organizations

Some districts opt to partner with outside organizations that have relevant expertise and the necessary capacity to implement outdoor learning programs. If you choose to hire a coordinator, check out this guide to securing community-based partner staffing support.

By partnering with local and national organizations that had the necessary expertise, the New York City Department of Education was able to rapidly implement a support system for outdoor learning in its district early in the pandemic. The partner organizations, GROW NYC and National Wildlife Federation, together created the Outdoor Learning Toolkit — a rich, readable resource filled with tips for how in the largest school district in the country in a big, mostly paved Northeastern city, outdoor learning can work. In addition, this partnership has been providing training webinars and other materials for teachers.

A key to the success of outdoor learning in the city was for schools with limited room on their campuses to be able to access nearby open space. The NYCDOE created this resource that addresses how to close streets, use rooftops, and partner with parks for outdoor learning, as well as equity, funding, and the challenges of weather. 

Schedule Shared Space

If outdoor learning spaces are shared, you may want to encourage each school to incorporate scheduling tools or apps so that planning is easy and communication is clear. This Outdoor Spaces Scheduling Template is a helpful resource. Explore these extensive scheduling examples (under "schedule examples") provided by The Lawrence Hall of Science.

Plan for Care

Discuss and plan for maintenance as you design each campus so that your initial investment will last into the future. Even a low maintenance space will require some time and funds for regular care and periodic replenishing and replacing.

Schools with established outdoor learning programs know that volunteers can take on some but usually not all the maintenance tasks.  Some maintenance can be built into the curriculum as student responsibilities, movement opportunities, and a chance to learn skills.  Training teens to care for schoolyards can be part of a job training program that provides skills and paid opportunities.

When planning for outdoor learning, your planning team should consider what maintenance activities will be necessary. Build that into the budget so that already overworked custodians are not required to take this on. To keep outdoor spaces working well, feeling inviting, and looking great, it is important to prioritize their care by allocating funds that give them the same attention that the interior of buildings receive. 

Consider FUNDING Sources

Districts that have incorporated outdoor learning system-wide have funded it in a variety of ways. 

As federal dollars for mental health, climate change mitigation, infrastructure improvements, and countering learning loss post-pandemic become available, that funding can be directed to developing outdoor learning spaces that will serve children for the long term. Explore the federal funding opportunities described on this page and in webinar #23 on this page.

Creative partnering with organizations whose mission is complementary can fund living schoolyards as part of stormwater initiatives or provide neighborhood nature by transforming campuses into parklike spaces available to the community after school hours.

Some jurisdictions pass bonds to support district-wide outdoor learning programs.

Explore our case studies to learn about how other schools and districts found funding for outdoor learning.

 ASSESS AND LEARN

Develop a system to track how and when outdoor spaces are used. Collect data to inform planning and use going forward.

Periodically survey teachers, administrators, children, and families on what is working and what needs improvement.  

The district-level team should connect regularly with each school through site visits, observations, consultations, ongoing training, newsletters, idea sharing between schools, and schoolyards tours. 

To ensure the ongoing sustainability of your outdoor learning program, build outdoor learning into master plan documents so that as schools are built and renovated, space for outdoor learning (and maintenance) is always funded and included in the design and installations.