Tag Archives: Health & Safety

The Silver Lining: More Fresh Air via Outdoor Learning

November 24, 2020

In this COVID-pandemic, outdoors is the safest place to be. Some may, in fact, argue that even when we are not in the midst of a global pandemic, being outdoors is always going to provide better air quality and therefore better health outcomes.

The SickKids report that was commissioned by our provincial government to provide guidelines on how to safely reopen Ontario’s schools urged school boards and educators to incorporate outdoor learning activities into the curriculum. In fact, the SickKids report clearly stated that “transmission of the virus will likely be attenuated in outdoor settings, and outdoor play and learning have many benefits for children and youth”. Even Premier Doug Ford mused on the value of outdoor learning while talking to reporters in July, saying it was a “big highlight” to have a class outdoors under a tree.

For some students in Ontario, local schools and teachers have leveraged outdoor spaces to provide opportunities for outdoor learning. In a recent Ottawa Citizen article, we read that a Kemptville school uses the hundreds of acres they have available for students to frequently roam and to learn. Similiarly, an elementary school in Hull has been using a nearby forest for regular outdoor learning. This article notes that there is a historical precedent for moving classrooms outdoors — it has been done in the past during epidemics to prevent the spread of infection.

In North York, students from Gulfstream Public School have been using the area around a nearby pond, for outdoor education sessions focused on biology and art. Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee Christopher Mammoliti said his community has been hit hard by the pandemic, so he wanted to find green space to get students out of classrooms, citing that this step would serve “multiple purposes: mental health, physical well-being, as well as obviously doing your best to mitigate some of the risks from the transmission of the virus itself”.  Alice Casselman, former science teacher and founding president of the Association of Canadian Educational Resources (ACER), said that the COVID-pandemic has given outdoor educators “a new lease on life” since the pandemic is forcing a re-examination of outdoor education and its multitude of benefits: academic, social and mental health.

With the risk of COVID-19 transmission considered much lower outside, several schools in Rainbow District School Board in Ontario, the largest public school board in northern Ontario, have taken to holding some classes in the great outdoors, where students can enjoy the benefit of fresh air. Some of the outdoor classrooms involve logs and stumps, which can be used as chairs and tables for students, as well as large, outdoor blackboards.

We can also find other areas of the world that are embracing outdoor learning more during this global pandemic. For instance, New York City is offering an Outdoor Learning program that allows schools to hold classes outdoors in schoolyards, adjacent streets, and nearby park space. Schools in areas hardest-hit by COVID-19 with no outdoor space receive priority access to this newly implemented program. According to this Washington Post article, entitled, “In Denmark, the forest is the new classroom”, the COVID-pandemic has led many schools across the country to embrace outdoor learning.

An interesting article entitled, “What if Schools Viewed Outdoor Learning as Plan A?”, offers some great tips for schools who want to try outdoor learning for the first time. It also shares how various US-based outdoor education advocacy groups have banded together to increase outdoor learning opportunities across the US. As Sharon Danks, the CEO of Green Schoolyards America, states, “neither insufficient money, limited outdoor space, nor inclement weather should stand in the way of a school doing outdoor learning”. A Portland educator echoes many teachers’ experiences with outdoor learning, “I thought kids would be a lot more distracted, but I don’t find that. The open-air absorbs the noise of talking and teaching, even if classes are nearby. Fresh air seems to help regulate mood and decreases restlessness and boredom. 

Recognizing that we are heading into colder temperatures firmly in the midst of a frightening second wave of COVID-19, how do parents and educators in Ontario feel about outdoor learning? What is being done outdoors at your local school? What resources are being leveraged that can be shared? Fix Our Schools would love to hear from you!