Can trees teach us math? Can birds teach us a new language? One of the numerous advantages for teaching children outdoors is their ability to explore the world at first hand and experience natural phenomena such as the weather and the changing of the seasons. Moreover, children learning outdoor has been shown to develop positive and caring attitudes to the wider environment. In this talk, I will introduce an innovated practical course which reveals the potential of outdoor learning in school yards. This course is intended for pre-service primary school teachers and designed for experiencing the natural learning resources available in the school yard. The course is ultimately enabling the teachers to implement outdoor learning activities for children at their schools, without the need to go on a field trip in order to experience nature. I will demonstrate how teaching the course exclusively in the college yard results in the students' ability to acknowledge and understand the pedagogical, emotional and social aspects involved with the ongoing changes of the natural environment nearby.

Published in: London International Conference on Education (LICE-2020)

• Date of Conference: 23-25 November 2020
• DOI: 10.2053/LICE.2020.0007
• ISBN: 978-1-913572-22-8
• Conference Location: London, UK