01
Physical and Mental Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) (2020) and Statistics Canada (StatsCan, 2016) noted that children should have 60 minutes of physical activity a day. of physical movement required by 5-12 year olds. Outdoor activities such as hikes, walking, running, and playing outdoors support optimal physical activities and help children to achieve their required daily physical activities. Physical activity promotes both healthy physical and mental health in children. By offering outdoor learning at school, we can provide a venue for children to participate in physical activity every day.
02
Place-Based Learning
A sense of place is an emotional connection with the world that surrounds you, building a sense of community, and understanding the world that we are a part of, allowing a child to begin to answer the Cosmic Question “Who am I?” Cosmic education is the foundation of the Montessori Curriculum. One can argue that nature and one’s community offers an environment destined to provide meaningful learning opportunities, sense of place and belonging.
03
Love for Nature & Stewardship
Outdoor learning provides opportunities for children to connect with nature, instill a lifelong love for nature and promote a sense of stewardship and care for the environment. Richard Louv (2008) the author of the book Last Child in the Woods examined the connection to a place and a devotion to the environment can result in passion.
“Passion is personal. Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered species: the child in nature” (Louv, 2008)
04
Increased Concentration & Motivation
Maria Montessori’s philosophy is deeply rooted in motivation, independence and the development of concentration. Spending time outdoors has been linked to increased motivation and concentration when returning indoors to resume learning. Faber Taylor, and Kuo (2009) found that “doses of nature” even just 20 minutes outside hightened cognitive functioning and attention for children.
“The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. It lays the whole basis for his social character and social behaviour. He must find out how to concentrate, and for this he needs things to concentrate upon. This shows the importance of his surroundings, for no one acting on the child from outside can cause him to concentrate.”
~Maria Montessori ( 1949)