“Since the 1980s there has been a 50% decrease in outdoor activities and a 35% decrease in play overall”– Barreiro & Howards, 2017
Catholic Primary schools across Maitland-Newcastle recently celebrated ‘Outdoor Classroom Day’ – an international celebration of the importance of outdoor play and learning!
On the day, schools took lessons outside to prioritise playtime. Providing students with direct contact with nature can promote enjoyment of the natural world and foster positive human-nature relationships to the benefit of communities. Some other benefits of outdoor activities include:
- Mental Health – Engaging in outdoor environments fosters collaboration and communication, allowing students to develop stronger peer relationships and teamwork skills. Research has shown ‘green spaces’ are important for mental health.
- Social Development – Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, supporting students’ emotional regulation and overall mental wellbeing.
- Physical Health – Outdoor learning encourages movement and physical activity, helping students build strength, coordination, and overall wellbeing.
Some of the ways schools celebrated included investigating science experiments, maths games, scavenger hunt at the beach, PDHPE lesson on resilience and independent reading under the trees.
Reflections from our Schools:
- “I liked that it was maths and play outside at the same time, it was fun.” Sasha Year 1
- “I enjoyed being outside in the fresh air, it was so refreshing.” Adhitihi Year 1
- “Teachers as much as students enjoy a change in the learning environment. There is so much to learn about a student when we alter the learning environments on a regular basis. Today the sun was shining and the children were engaged in the activities in a meaningful way, that promoted their learning in maths. As a teacher I could observe ‘lightbulb’ moments as the children physically jumped the number line or had to add their bean bag numbers to determine the winning group. Another successful outdoor lesson!” Mrs McCulloch Year 1 teacher
- “I liked that we got to be in the sun and combine sport and maths today, it made it really fun.” Summer Year 2
- “Whenever I take learning outside, I’m always reminded of how engaged students are when we provide opportunities for them to be physically active while challenging them cognitively.” Miss Stokes Year 2 teacher
- “I loved that we got to spend more learning time outside, it was beautiful outside and I loved moving around more.” Year 4 Student
- “I enjoyed being outside to learn. You got to move around and we didn’t have to sit down when we were reading.” Year 4 Student
- “I loved watching all of the children engaged in a fluency lesson that involved so much more movement then we would normally do in a regular reading lesson – they loved it!” Mrs Bryant Year 4 Teacher
- “Learning outdoors often doesn’t feel like learning. It can feel like playing and helps increase student confidence and strengthen social skills. Outdoor learning also improves focus for indoor activities, and reminds us how fortunate we are to grow and learn in our beautiful school environment.” Lisa Matzanke Acting Principal
