Outdoor Play and Learning

This tool is designed for elementary school teachers. There are four themes to explore which offer valuable insights and hands-on resources to begin locating play and learning outdoors.

Outdoor Play & Learning in Schools

This theme helps teachers understand the potential of outdoor play and learning in elementary schools.

Getting Started

This theme helps teachers prepare for outdoor play and learning in their school.

Emergent Learning

This theme helps teachers understand how emergent learning supports outdoor play and learning.

Assessment

This theme helps teachers assess outdoor play and learning for reporting purposes.

Speaker Series

Continue the Conversation

To enrich your learning journey, we invite you to listen in on our speaker series. We explore themes and modules with colleagues who are experienced with outdoor play and learning from across Canada.

Stay up to date with the latest news and releases by following us on Instagram @outsideplayubc

Discussion Questions

Collaborate with your colleagues to discuss modules in a study group or lunch and learn format

Ready to Start?

Outdoor play is different from indoor play as it tends to involve children feeling more freedom, being more physically active, moving their bodies in different ways, and playing differently than they would inside. The outdoors can offer more variety of play environments and loose parts (e.g., sticks, rocks, buckets, sand, crates) to move around, allowing their imagination to shape their play. Children need daily outdoor play opportunities for their development, physical health, and well-being. 


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Navigating this tool: A quick introduction

Interview with Juliet Robertson

Best-selling author of Dirty Teaching and Messy Maths. Juliet is a pioneer in the outdoor learning field, an early adopter of curricular learning outdoors, and prolific contributor to policy documents across Europe. Learn more about the history and intent of outdoor play and learning in schools from a legendary teacher, whose work this tool is built on!

Behind the Scenes: The making of the Outside Play Teacher tool