The recent Oke Outdoor Classroom Week highlighted how learning in an outside environment strengthens the education curriculum while enhancing children’s wellbeing.
The first-ever Oke Outdoor Classroom Week ran from September 15 to 19, and Kopuarahi School, which worked with Oke to build gardens in August, was quick to participate.
The school’s principal Chris Patel said an outdoor classroom/school garden is central to the education curriculum for her students, with everything from fractions to soil science to persuasive writing taught in the outdoor spaces.
“Inside, often kids get distracted and lose focus, but I find it easier to keep their attention when we’re outside learning in the garden,” Patel said.
“Most kids need to move about; they need to be outside and standing up regularly. I had a student tell me that planting in the garden was one of the most satisfying things they’d ever done.
“It’s good for me too to get outside for a walk, it’s a win-win.”
Oke is a charity which partners with schools to build gardens for children to learn and thrive in. Chief executive officer Paul Dickson calls them “outdoor classrooms”.
“There is an urgent need for all children to feel connected and we know that kids who feel connected tend to learn better,” Dickson said.
“Children who struggle with inside learning, often thrive outside, while all kids benefit from the well-being aspects of learning outside.”
“It’s good for the teachers, too. We hear from schools about the excited buzz when children learn in an outdoor classroom.”
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