The

Debby Morton
Bring Nature Back to Your City

I N S I D E
Outdoor Classroom
T H E L E A R N I N G G R O U N D S N E W S L E T T E R O N S C HO O L G R O U N D T R A N S F O R M AT IO N

SPRING 2005 • NUMBER 15

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Top Tips for Get Outside ! Kids and Nature
Teaching Outside
If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before
3 we ask them to save it. Perhaps this is what Thoreau had in mind when he said, “The more slowly trees grow
at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings.”
Three Starter – DAVID SOBEL, Beyond Ecophobia
Activities

T
hese ideas of environmental educator David will provide you with the incentive and tools to bust
4 Sobel and philosopher Henry David Thoreau are out of your four walls and look to the earth and sky
Win a $500 Home central to our purpose at Evergreen: By connecting for learning opportunities.
kids to nature on school grounds, we hope to kindle a
Depot Shopping sense of wonder and a love of the land that will nurture
In other news, we’ve just published an important study
Spree on the impacts of school greening in Toronto (see
interested and caring children who will become willing
Gaining Ground below), and in February we were
stewards of our land, water and air.
honoured to receive an award of excellence for our
The Learning Grounds team had the contribution to children’s healthy development through
privilege of working with David Sobel play by the International Play Association.
for two intense days last fall, probing
Lastly (well, hardly lastly), you’ll see The Outdoor
his ideas on place-based education and
Classroom has a new look. It was time to rethink and
exploring curriculum connections on the
refresh our publication, and to consolidate the English
school ground. The training session arose
and French versions to make it easier for you, the
out of a persistent murmur we heard
reader. Let us know what you think by filling out our
from across the country: “How can we
online survey (see pg. 4). We look forward to your
encourage more teachers to get outside
feedback.
and use the garden projects?”
It’s that question that inspired this
issue of The Outdoor Classroom, and we
hope our “Top Tips for Teaching Outside” LEARNING GROUNDS PROGRAM MANAGER

New Resources
Gaining Ground: The Power and Potential of School Ground Greening
in the Toronto District School Board
by Janet Dyment, Ph.D. (Evergreen, 2005)

We are thrilled to present a new, seminal study of greening in the fifth largest
school board in North America. Gaining Ground identifies compelling benefits
of hands-on outdoor learning and argues forcefully for greater institutional
support of green school grounds at the school board and provincial level.
Check our web site for the full, downloadable report.
Bring Nature Back to Your City

Small Wonders: Designing Vibrant, Natural Landscapes for Early Small Wonders:
Designing Vibrant,

Childhood (Evergreen, 2004)

Natural Landscapes for Early Childhood

Imagine creating a space for young children that evokes their sense of
wonder and curiosity, offers dynamic play opportunities and invites them to
explore the natural world. With enticing colour photography, Small Wonders Toyota Canada Inc. and its Dealerships – Proudly supporting outdoor classrooms in Canadian schools.

inspires readers to think outside the plastic play structure and envision a rich
and diverse outdoor learning environment for little ones. (35 pages, $10)

1
 Top Tips for Teaching Outside
BY DENNIS WENDLAND

T
oo cold, too damp, too messy, too hard to
control the kids – just four oft-cited worries
teachers have about going outside. But
there are easy ways to overcome these hurdles,
and the benefits are well worth the effort. Why
bother? Here’s why:
have fun
get dirty
explore
ask questions
inspire a sense of wonder

add diversity to kids’ school days, learning
environment and experience
contribute to their ecological literacy and
sense of stewardship
heighten their senses
enhance curriculum delivery.
To gain the most of an outdoor experience, a
teacher must be a leader, follower, listener and
learner. Try to engage students in activities that
contribute to an understanding of sense of place:
the human connection to the built and natural
environments that gets at the questions of where
do I fit in, what is my role, what can I do?
Before You Go Out:
1 Set clear rules (talk softly to each other;
pay attention to surroundings; stay within
boundaries; treat the environment with
respect).
2 Create a signal to gather together (for
example, shout “Rudbeckia!” and clap three
times).
3 Explain learning and behaviour expectations.
4 Make sit-upons to avoid damp bottoms: Fill
plastic bags with layers of newspapers and
tape them shut, or buy some camping foam
mats and cut them into squares.
5 Dress for the weather.
Evergreen
When You Go Out:
1 Start with short stints, then build up to longer classes.
2 Be sensitive to wind and sun. If possible, stand with your
back to the wind, so your voice will carry, and with the
sun in your eyes, not the students’.
3 Warm up with a fun physical activity like this name
game: Have everyone stand in a circle. You start by
saying your name and doing an action (for example,
flapping your arms like a bird). The student next to you
repeats your name and action and then says his name
and adds his own action, and so on around the circle.
4 Teach by example. Demonstrate a good environmental
ethic by what you do and what you ask the students to
do (be positive, organized, flexible; show excitement, fire
up your sense of wonder, explore with the kids – get dirty
too!). Your actions will often convey more than your
lesson.
5 Be prepared to make the most of incidental learning – for
example, when a child makes a personal discovery and
asks an important question. Use moments like this to
encourage others to ask questions, and weave these new
experiences into your lesson.
6 Bring students into sharing circles with your signal. This
keeps them focused, and the sharing can be educational
and entertaining.
7 Evaluate what works and what doesn’t, so over time you
develop your own strategy for exploring the school
ground.

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 When I am teaching outside, I feel excited again and I realize that I still have a lot of passion for teaching.
–– f r o m G a i n i n g G r o u n d , b y J A N E T D Y M E N T

Three Starter Activities

Cinquain Poem Task
Take the students for a walk around the school ground. Pick a subject to write about. For example: “We’re going to
explore ants today – how they move, look and feel.” Then have them work on a poem, following the structure below.
Title word: Ants
___________________________
Two descriptive words: ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Three action words: _______________________ _________________________ ________________________
Four feeling words: __________________ _________________ _________________ __________________
Synonym for title (one word): _______________________________________
To evaluate their work, compare poems in terms of vocabulary, attention to detail and depth of thought.

Shower Curtain Science

Purchase a cheap plastic shower curtain. Using permanent marker, put a bull’s eye in the
centre with concentric circles radiating outward (leave 12 to 18 inches around the outside
for students to kneel on). Put an insect in the bull’s eye and have students observe its
colours, activity, locomotion, body parts, etc., while it works its way across the shower
curtain. You can modify the activity to have a race between two or three found creatures
Joshua Berson

and compare their different characteristics. Caution: Don’t put the shower curtain in the
blazing sun, as it will absorb heat and fry the bugs!

Baggage Tags for Learning

Each child is given a baggage tag (with a string or elastic attached) that has an
instruction printed on it. For example, “Place your card on something prickly” (primary);
“Place your card on something granular” (rocks and minerals topic, grade 4/5); “Place
your card where some of our ammonia and nitrogen are being recycled” (ecology topic,
grade 7/8). Give students a certain amount of time to find what’s printed on their card
(within a defined area of the school ground) and hang their baggage tag on it. When
they’ve all finished and returned to your gathering spot, their tags will form a trail.
Take the whole class on a walk along the trail and have the kids share their findings.
Evergreen

With larger classes, students can work in partners to reduce the number of trail stops.

For more inspiration, check out the 20 new high school lesson plans on the Teachers’ Corner section of our web site.
You can also find terrific teaching ideas on the links below:
Greenteacher.com Greenschools.ca/seeds Southgatepublishers.co.uk
Acornnaturalists.com Enaturalist.org Schoolgrounds.ca/schoolgrounds

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 at a Fac Grant Distribution 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5
T h This year, our combined program of direct funding, expert assistance and how-to resources is made

t?
available through the generous financial contributions of Toyota Canada Inc., Green Street, Royal Bank
Is

of Canada, Franklin Templeton, Wal-Mart, Anonymous Foundation, VanCity, Troubadour Music and Universal
Music Canada. To date, we have given out 126 grants totaling $212,195 this school year. Here’s the
breakdown by province:
BC — 19 grants, $35,695 QC — 23 grants, $35,000

WSKI
WL
I KO AB — 9 grants, $18,000 NB — 4 grants, $4,650
SK — 2 grants, $3,150 NS — 4 grants, $7,000
PA

K
CE
JA
MB — 7 grants, $14,000 PEI — 1 grant, $2,000
ON — 54 grants, $87,000 NFLD — 3 grants, $5,700

G rey squirrels dig a hole

two to three inches deep
to store their nuts — one per 2005-2006 Expert assistance, Funding
hole. They push it down with
their nose and cover it with dirt and Resources
using their feet. In 30 minutes Check out our web site in August for information about next year’s program. And don’t forget to
they can store up to 25 nuts! register on the site; that’s the first step to get your project rolling.
SOURCE: nardypest.com

Win a We want to know what you think about this

Mulch is Magic — $500 gift newsletter. Please take a few minutes to fill out our
online survey and you’ll automatically be entered into

Spread It!
Use tub-ground wood mulch and
lay it on at least six inches (15 cm)
deep to protect your plants and
trees. Mulch helps your garden by:
• Retaining moisture
• Controlling weeds
• Adding nutrients to the soil
• Preventing compaction.
certificate to a draw for a $500 gift certificate from Home Depot for
your school! Just go to evergreen.ca
Home Depot!
Have you registered your school’s project with the online registry?
Evergreen’s online project registry provides a free forum for sharing information about school ground
greening initiatives across the country. The registry is a great way to promote events, thank
volunteers and sponsors, and track progress. It’s also a year-round teaching tool where you can
gather ideas while sharing your own.
Register your school’s project today at evergreen.ca/en/resources/registry.html.

www.evergreen.ca
355 Adelaide St. West, 5th Floor, #404-134 Abbott St., E-mail: info@evergreen.ca
Toronto, ON M5V 1S2 Vancouver, BC V6B 2K4 1-888-426-3138 toll free in Canada - outside
Tel: 416-596-1495 Fax: 416-596-1443 Tel: 604-689-0766 Fax: 604-669-6222 Toronto and Vancouver
Evergreen adheres to the Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code of the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy.Donations are tax deductible. Charitable Registration
Number: BN 131815763 RR0001.
Evergreen and Toyota Canada Inc. and its Dealerships are working together to ensure that children’s school environments are nurturing, learning environments. The Toyota Evergreen
Learning Grounds Program represents a commitment to contribute positively to the health and well-being of future generations by educating children about the importance of restoring
and preserving the environment. Teachers, students and community members are invited to participate in a nationwide effort to reclaim Canada’s school grounds and to create healthy
learning environments.
Check out the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds Charter on Evergreen’s web site — www.evergreen.ca/en/lg/lg-charter.html
The Outdoor Classroom is a biannual newsletter published by Evergreen and distributed free of charge to schools across Canada. No portion of The Outdoor Classroom may be reproduced,
stored or transferred, electronically or otherwise, without the express written permission of Evergreen.

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