Creating an Outdoor Classroom, Part 3: Taking It On-the-Go

We've unpacked the idea of creating an outdoor classroom and how to do so if you're short on space and cash, so now let's talk about taking it with you! Whether your outdoor classroom needs to be mobile because you do not have a designated permanent outdoor space or because, like me, you are running a traveling outdoor program, today's post is for you. And even if you do have and utilize a permanent outdoor space, nature based learning often requires materials to be easily transportable--so keep reading. I'm a visual learner, myself, so I will be including some extra photos in today's post to spark some seeds of inspiration as you grow--I mean, go...

You can't take it with you! WRONG! You totally can! And really it just takes a bit of planning and creativity when you want to take your learning outdoors and on the go. There are some key factors to consider as you pack your bags (or bins or baskets).

• Mobility: how will you haul your stuff from point A to point B? Additionally, how will the members of your group get from point A to point B? Are there children who are not yet mobile independently? If so, is your destination one that is stroller friendly or will you need to carry/wear infants and young toddlers? These are all things to consider as you pack yourself and prep your crew.
• Your Destination: what is the terrain like where you will be? Will you be able to roll your goods or only carry them? What's already at your location and what do you need to bring from home? Are there public restrooms available? What is parking like? If you're meeting up with a group, have you made your meetup location clear?
• Weather and Climate Conditions: When you're teaching outdoors, you're at the whim of the elements. Literally. You need to consider wet, muddy, windy, rainy, hot/sunny, cold/snowy/icy conditions in advance as much as possible. What do your children need to wear to be comfortable? What do you need to wear to be comfortable? (Keep in mind, adults are often less mobile outdoors than children, especially if you're stationing yourself at a particular location to lead a lesson or see your group--you might need more layers than the kids do to keep warm!) If there's no shade/shelter from sun, you might consider bringing umbrellas, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen. If it's a windy day, do you have a way to weigh down a tablecloth/blanket or loose sheets of paper/materials that could blow away? If there's potential for wet conditions, can you supply extra towels or plastic ponchos? 
• Miscellaneous Needs: First aid kits, towels, wipes, a trash bag to collect anything disposable, plastic bags for wet/dirty linens or materials, changes of clothes for you and your family just in case, and snacks/water are all things you might consider having available as you go, whether in your car or in a pack to carry along.

So now that we've run through the nitty-gritty list, here's the fun part: setting up and creating your Nature-on-the-Go Kits! 

• What is a Nature-on-the-Go Kit?  This is the name I give to any activity or materials I bring with me outdoors, whether large or small. Think of it as an educational picnic of sorts! The idea is that you take what you need with you in a way that makes it easily transportable and accessible once you are at your destination. With a little planning and imagination, your Nature-on-the-Go Kits will be truly delicious!

  

  I love pencil pouches for smaller Nature on the Go Kits. You can also purchase
  plastic ones very inexpensively, which are more waterproof/weather resistant. You can
  store several of these in a large binder if you need multiples for a larger group.
  Consider keeping a laminated card attached with a metal ring of what is inside each
  pack so you can remember to check that it all gets replaced and brought back
  with you when you leave--especially if you are circulating your packs.

Some Nature-on-the-Go Kits are as simple as a pencil pouch always kept in the car or in your Mom Bag ready for a park visit or playground trip (or even a wait in a restaurant or doctor's office). It may be as simple as a notepad, some colored pencils, some double sided tape for sticking/collecting interesting bits of nature and foliage, maybe an ink pad for pine cone and seed pod prints or a broken unwrapped crayon for tree bark or rock rubbings. Even a tiny pot of clay or playdough can be easily towed or a small magnifying glass for closer observation. Larger kits can include a sketch book or nature journal, field guides and relevant books, binoculars, containers for collecting items found in nature, both living (temporarily--make sure your container for that is appropriately made with air holes) and nonliving (I love small tins with windows or magnifying glass boxes). Some Nature-on-the-Go Kits can even be lesson specific if you are bringing a particular literacy, math, science, art or play based activity outdoors. The main things to consider as you build a Nature-on-the-Go Kit (or even many of them) are:

• how you will transport them (mobility)
• what you will need in addition to what you're bringing and what is available at your destination
• how you will set it up when you are there
• what you will need in order to clean it up and take it back with you
• how to store and transport it in a way that protects it from unforeseen weather conditions

I do not recommend bringing along more than you can easily tow. On the other hand, if your kids and/or other adults can help you transport, delegate away! If you have access to water on site, that's one thing you can leave behind--just bring the containers you'll need. If you don't have access to water on site, don't forget it! For ease of mobility and transportation, many natural teachers prefer backpacks for their goods. These are great and you can find them secondhand quite easily. Tote bags, baskets, plastic bins with lids, wagons, rolling suitcases or carts or even a wheelbarrow can be used outdoors to transport materials.

I also think it is worth honorable mention to talk about transporting people--specifically the little people in your crew. My boys have become a little bit addicted to the double stroller when we head out to our nature based playgroup meet-ups and I have gone with it because I like it for the storage capacity. On the other hand, they are both big enough to walk independently and getting too heavy to push up huge hills... In creatively addressing this issue, I might switch my own transport method to using a rolling suitcase or cart or even a backpack and walk alongside my boys. For reluctant walkers, I've even heard of natural teachers using a drum or puppet to help lead the group. Make the journey there part of the fun. Encourage children as they are able to "help" by carrying something or perhaps simply carrying an empty basket to gather natural treasures along the way. And when it comes to those big hills and strollers, some older children might even enjoy the opportunity to help push it up the hill rather than being the weight inside of it that threatens to pull you both back down!

Now let's take a peek at some Nature-on-the-Go Kits and how we've used them:

In addition to considering what you pack and how you get it there, also plan in advance how and where you will station and set up when you do get there. Picnic tables are great if you have access. If not, a large blanket or tablecloth can be spread on the ground. If wind might be an issue, have some heavier items available to weigh down lighter ones or even your tablecloth/blanket. In a real pinch, I've found large rocks to be helpful! Additionally, keeping items not in use in bins with lids can prevent things from blowing away and keep it a bit more organized while you're not actively teaching.

Speaking of bins with lids, I LOVE them for travel sensory play. Here's a file sized bin being used for exploring (and storing) parts of trees...

And here's one being used for a collection of river rocks...

We love our DIY Color Scavenger Hunt Cards--made from laminated paint samples we acquired for free at the hardware store, these are a great way to turn a nature walk into fun color scavenger hunt. You'd be amazed at how many hues and shades of colors can be found outdoors all year round.

Art outdoors can go vertical with the use of tabletop easels. They fold, they're cheap, they're portable and lightweight. 

Even more budget friendly and easily portable are clipboards! These are great to take on the go and offer on site. Just add paper and a writing/drawing utensil...

Nature Journals can be purchased in the form of a notebook or sketch book (even recycled from school supplies that weren't used or fully used) and/or made at home. Our nature based playgroup kicked off our new year creating these simple stick bound nature journals from paper, a stick and a rubber band. I will post instructions in the future (or you can look it up on Pinterest as well, this is a popular activity in book making!). 

These nature looms are easily made from recycled cardboard and rubber bands. They are a simple and beautiful way for little ones (and grown ups, too!) to collect and display items found from nature. In the Autumn, they can hold colorful leaves and seed pods and pine cones. In the Spring, they might collect wildflowers in many colors. Come summer, and they become a fragrant display of cut herbs from your kitchen garden. Even in the winter, sprigs of evergreen trees and berries add a bit of life and greenery to a drearier season of the year.

My playgroup loves meeting up at local sprinkler and water parks in the summer. The best part of a park that is abundant in water supply is not having to haul that with you. Rather, our Nature-on-the-Go kits contain activities that require only the addition of water--such as watercolor art, empty bins with toys for water play (especially great for babies and young toddlers not yet able to use a sprinkler park independently) or even seed planting activities. Just add water!

In an effort to encourage outdoor play in all types of weather, we bring activities that give enjoyment and a splash of color to all types of weather--even windy weather. And the weather conditions on this day did not disappoint! The children (and adults) loved making ribbon kites using colorful strands of ribbon and shower curtain rings. It's so cheap (all dollar store purchases), so simple and yet so much fun.

My list of water play toys is certainly unconventional at best, but it's inexpensive, always popular and easy to replace if some random kid at the sprinkler park really falls in love with your sponge brush and you don't have the heart to grab it back before you leave...not that this has ever happened to me!

Nature-based Literacy on the Go kits are a great way to keep everyone reading when school is out. Why should summer reading restrict you to a couch or chair indoors? Grab a book (or two or three), some puppets or toys, costumes or props for story telling and have a good read together outside. 

• Starting Up Your Own Nature-Based Play Group: If creating an outdoor classroom with no walls or roof has the same appeal to you as it did to me, you might be ready to start your own meetup group! I will be the first to admit that I am a bit introverted and sometimes even shy. Putting myself out there when I'm out there is not totally within my comfort zone. Nature is my comfort zone, so that definitely increases my confidence a bit, but reaching out in that way--even among friends--is a stretch for me. I love it, nonetheless. We've had activities that were successes, activities that were flops and everything in between. We've had meetups with a huge turn out and one with only one other family--they have all been equally valuable and amazing. My initial vision and what I am actually doing are not in 100% alignment and I've tweaked and changed my vision quite often. I hope it will continue to grow and evolve just as our garden does. 

If starting up your own group sounds like something you'd like to pursue, here are a few things to consider:

• Who is your target audience? Who are you looking to reach? Your friends and family? A local school? Only children or children with adults? Is your group open to children of all ages or geared toward a specific age range? Will it be by invite/word of mouth or open to the public? In the event it is by invite only, be mindful of your space/location and any potential needs to reserve space in advance.
• What is your mission? Setting an intention for your group can help shape your approach. Are you looking to socialize? Are you wanting to teach? Are you aiming to inspire others to get outside more often? Your mission and intentions may change and evolve often and that is OK--it's a great idea to assess your program as you build and run it and to address areas in which it might grow or change. It is also important to make sure that your mission is a reflection of your own values as well as the interests and values of your group.
• Where will you meet? I utilize public locations like parks, playgrounds and even nature spaces behind local libraries. Will your group always meet in the same place? Or will you park hop like we do? Will you be meeting in locations that require payment (like private gardens or botanical garden centers, museums or U-pick farms) and if so, how will you handle this? 
• Cost and Money Matters: I feel strongly about the outdoors being accessible to all and that includes financial accessibility. I choose not to meet up in places with a cover charge and I also choose not to implement a cover charge for my events. As such, I use what I have on hand for activities or when we do need supplies, I ask for families who wish to and are able to contribute (such as seeds for a seed exchange). Delegating leadership in your group can also help divide some of the costs. Someone who has a lot of experience with rock painting might have all the supplies on hand at home and be happy to lead the activity. Because parks and playgrounds are free and open to the public, they are the perfect "outdoor classroom" for taking the show on the road. Also consider inquiring in public schools that are off during the summer (and might even love the help with their own garden maintenance), community gardens, farmers' markets, local farms and nature spaces at other public venues like libraries and museums (many museums have outdoor spaces that are accessible and open to the public even if their indoor exhibits cost money).
• Accessibility in General: Nature is a space that can and should be accessible to all. When I plan my events, I try to keep in mind families who may need accommodations for any number of reasons. Some of the things I've had to think about for my own family and/or others are:
•  allergy and food safety (this includes strictly kosher diets and extreme food allergies/allergies to certain seeds and plants as well as animals)
• mobility challenges for infants/toddlers or other reasons--is your location stroller/wheelchair accessible
• sensory differences and meeting in spaces where there is support for families with children who may struggle with related issues
• concerns of elopement or children who frequently run off--is your location securely gated and if not, can you work with other adults to ensure safety and a set of eyes in a variety of locations
• activities that are accessible to all ages and stages--this means I include a blanket with floor activities for younger ones and engaging activities for older children and even adults
• awareness and sensitivity to those who may need service animals--this is an issue I have had crop up in my groups whether it's a group member or just a visitor at a park. As a group leader, I absolutely allow and support those using service dogs to attend and I also explain and expose my children to their purpose. My older son is quite fearful of dogs, so it has been a process to be in parks in general, but this is a great opportunity for exposure in a sensitive environment.
• childhood fears and anxieties (and adult ones, too!) We've made it through the intense fear of public toilets flushing and hand dryers here so we can finally go back to that one park... But in all seriousness, there are fears and anxieties that crop up outdoors and everyone has different comfort levels. Children and their adults have different comfort levels with getting dirty, playing with sticks, being exposed to the elements, and proximity to one another while we're out there. I never push. I offer. I expose. I don't force. 
• When in doubt, ask! Overall, when it comes to meeting group needs and making it accessible to all, I just ask. If you're not sure what a child with multiple allergies can safely be around, ask! If you're not sure a member traveling with a service animal feels welcomed and included, ask what you can do to assist? If a group member is uncomfortable with something or concerned, ask! I've yet to offend someone by asking (at least I think) but I'm sure there are occasions in my life where I did offend someone by assuming.
• Frequency of Meetups and Leadership: Will you meet on a regular basis or schedule (like I do) more sporadically? How will you advertise? Social media? Word of mouth? Phone/invitation? Will your meetups be weather dependent (mine are) or will you go outside no matter what (#lifegoals) and risk the old no one shows up thing? Will you tend to all the leadership duties on your own or delegate roles to others? You might even consider a more co-op style meetup and rotate leadership and location that way...
• What will your teaching style be? I initially envisioned giving a formal group discussion with parents on topics of outdoor play and learning and directing activities with the kids. I chickened out after the first group. Turns out, I still don't like talking to grown ups in a formal way. I also didn't feel I could focus on direct instruction in this way while also being present with the children (particularly my own) in an open, outdoor space. What I do like and find that works for me and for my diverse group of families and children of all ages is having the activity open and set out and being intermittently available to my own kids, others' kids and to the other adults to talk about nature based topics as they crop up or any topic at all for that matter. My own kids often are more excited to play with other kids than to do the activity (which many times, they've already done at home). Sometimes an activity goes untouched and that's OK. Sometimes one is so popular I store it in the vault for a repeat session! I've also infiltrated less "direct" ways of teaching as well. I now tow along a "Little Traveling Nature Library" that includes books for all ages and some hands-on materials and resources associated with our activity theme. This is a great way to bring literacy, science and other learning areas on the go with you. I also provide access to information I think is interesting and relevant on my group's Facebook page. I've thought about doing more age-targeted groups in the future, outdoor story times, themed master classes, etc. It's OK for your goals to be more in the long term--a garden grows at its own pace!

I hope this series has been a helpful one as you plan or revisit the use of your own outdoor space and nature based learning. I'll continue to post on our nature based activities in our "Get Outside And..." series and surely we will be sharing our own garden journey this season. You might be a seasoned outdoor teacher already. You might be in the stages of just sowing the seeds. Or perhaps you're not even there yet and you're just perusing those proverbial seed catalogs and dreaming up your future garden. Whatever stage you're at, I encourage you to step outside. Inspiration will follow and the rest really will fall into place. Until then....

Happy Playing!

Creating an Outdoor Classroom Part 2: Working With a Small Budget and Small Space

Welcome to the second part of my three part series on Creating an Outdoor Classroom! (In case you missed it, here's Part 1.) The prospect of extending your learning space outdoors--whether at a school or home--can be daunting at first, especially if you're working with a particularly small space and within a small budget. A couple of years ago a friend of mine remarked at how you could look at my photos of our outdoor space and you'd be surprised to see in person how small it actually is. We live in a townhouse style apartment complex. We have access to a small front and backyard space, both of which are public and shared with neighbors on either side. I feel so fortunate to have any outdoor space at all and I've honestly never felt inhibited by its size. I might be more overwhelmed if it were bigger! Small children don't need to have large spaces to be able to play, learn and explore. In fact, more size-appropriate spaces can sometimes be beneficial and less intimidating. Additionally, while our outdoor space has evolved over the years, when I first began our journey toward extending our family play and learning outdoors, we were on a real shoestring budget. Encouraging a reverence for nature and ecology should also include a sense of respect for your wallet and sustainability. So today, I'm inviting you to join me in implementing some practical tips to save on space and money as you venture toward setting up or revamping your outdoor classroom...

Money $aving Tips

Let's address foremost some ways to spare your budget as you venture forward:

• Start off small: You may be really excited to implement a lot of the ideas I shared in our first post as well as others of your own or that you've seen in other websites or books. There is a whole world out there to explore and indeed a whole lot of ways to explore it, but you do not need to have everything ready and set up to do so from the get go. Beyond that, introducing an altogether new learning environment with a ton of stuff all at once will likely be overstimulating and ineffective. Decide on two or three things you'd like to start with. Perhaps create a list of immediate, short term and long term goals for items you'd like to include and implement. Set a reasonable budget for purchases and stick to it. Here are some things to consider:

• What are your immediate necessities? Adequate outerwear/protection from the elements might be a number one item on this list. Making sure that everyone is comfortable and safe outdoors can go a long way in getting you all out there and keeping everyone satisfied once you get there.
• Shelf Life: Our first year of having an outdoor play space, I had a few plastic gardening toys, shovels, pails and sand toys, a plastic bin with a lid for sand/sensory play, sidewalk chalk, some bubble tubes and zip ties to hang them from our railing and some larger digging tools and hula hoops purchased from the dollar store or big box store. These lasted one summer season. It was what I could afford that year and they served their purpose, but we had to start pretty much from scratch next season. As I began thinking more in the long term of what would last and survive the elements, I gradually began to incorporate real gardening tools, make our own bubbles and store it in a jug with a spigot, and implement toys and accessories made from stronger materials than cheap plastic. We have a bit of both and sometimes acquiring the more quality items has involved waiting for and seeking sales, putting things on birthday wish-lists or hitting up secondhand shops and consignment sales. I am not rigid here, but it's helpful to consider shelf life as you build and extend your outdoor space.
  
• Recycle, Reduce, Reuse: What a beautiful and pertinent lesson to extend outdoors as you set up and use your outdoor classroom! One of my most popular nature-based playgroup activities last year was a recycled robot art invitation. I showed up at the park with bags of our recyclables, a smattering of arts and crafts materials from home and let the kids (and adults) have at it. The artwork was amazing, but do you know what was even more amazing? When I observed some kids taking a collection of recycled plastic cups and containers to the water table to play. There was a collection of leftover party cups that reflected the sunlight so beautifully as the children played and filled and poured. Recycled cherry tomato containers became a fought over commodity as water was filled from one end and sprinkled out of holes in the bottom. In a disposable world such as ours, single use plastics are a constant concern and battle. At least when we can't avoid purchasing them and using them, we can give them a second (or third) run...
  
• Hit up your own recycling bin: cleaned, empty containers make great outdoor toys for sand, mud and water play. They can also be used to make bird feeders, garden art, watering cans, bubble blowers, rain gauges, storage containers and so much more. Even the plastic pots many starter plants come in can be recycled and reused in play by your young botanists.
  
• Hit up commercial recycling bins: I am not the most outgoing dumpster diver in my neighborhood, but I have connections who are! Local stores have a lot of waste and one person's trash is another one's treasure. If this is your strong suit, ask away! If not, delegate the job to someone else. One of our very favorite "toys" here is a set of hard cardboard tubes a good friend rescued from Costco and donated to the boys (as well as her own preschool). And don't stop at just the standard "garbage" either. Florists and nurseries sometimes dispose of less than perfect flowers and plants--these are still perfect for use in a mud kitchen, science center or nature table!
• Hit up your friends and family for items they may be getting rid of or hoarding in their attics and basements. This can be especially useful in acquiring accessories for a mud kitchen or baskets for storage.
• It's already there! One of the very best things about setting up a classroom outdoors is that everything you need is essentially already there and in abundance. Nature is full of loose parts for play and exploration. Even if you don't have a lot of access to rocks, pine cones, seeds, acorns, chestnuts, leaves, sticks, branches and so forth on your property, these are items that can be scavenged on your next nature walk. Do be mindful not to harm anything living and not to take anything from a preserved land space or private property. But there's no need to buy math manipulatives when you can count acorns. And a sturdy stick makes a perfect tool for mixing up a mud cake or using as a magic wand. Fallen branches can become a beautiful set of tree blocks and larger cross sections of tree trunks make a wonderful stool or garden table. Even paint can be made from natural materials like mud or various flowers and produce; brushes can be made from leaves, sticks and flowers...
• Saving Green--Both In Your Wallet and The Environment: Purchasing or acquiring items secondhand is good for your budget and for the environment. Thrift stores and consignment shops are great places to acquire gently used gardening tools, outerwear, toys and outdoor materials, art supplies, learning materials, nature based books and field guides, baskets, storage containers, picnic blankets and more. And don't forget library sales when building onto your nature based library. We found some incredible field guides, children's books and gardening books at our botanical garden library for sale last year super cheap! Even old gardening magazines can be rescued from someone's recycling bin (or cheaply purchased to support your local library) and used for crafts and play. 
• Put it Out There! If you're in the market to collect and acquire something for your outdoor classroom, it can help to put it out there. Let your friends, family and neighbors know that you're looking to collect old dishes for your mud kitchen or recycled containers for planting. Let a friend with a compost pile know if you need compost for your garden (speaking of which, anyone need garden compost??). If you are teaching or working for a center or agency, let parents and families know what you're after and create a wish list. You'd be surprised what may come of it! My favorite gift ever of all time to this day is still a large tree stump donated by a family. (I honestly miss my stump; I left it behind when I stopped teaching for the next teacher to use...) 

I'm not so big on fundraising personally, but it is a great way to support a program you're building. And when you grow and harvest a garden, you have on hand some very useful forms of currency. Consider a seed swap or "farmers' market" with your garden harvest to build up funds for future years. And swapping in general is a great way to share the wealth when you have it. Got lots of tomato plants? Swap them with a friend who has a lot of pepper seedlings! Have an abundant herb garden? Clip some sprigs and set them in a recycled can of water to share with a friend or sell/swap. Generosity begets more generosity and the garden is truly a place of abundance.

• Use What You Have on Hand: You don't need to buy separate art and writing supplies, learning materials and toys when setting up your outdoor classroom. You'll find much of what you have and use indoors can be brought outdoors for use as well. Before you even make a list of things you want to purchase, check up with what you already have inside. In our final post, we'll talk more about making items transportable both for ease of travel and storage/space. But there's no reason an outdoor construction site needs a separate collection of toy cars and trucks or that a dinosaur jungle needs all new toy dinosaurs. Most things can be washed and used again indoors. Think outside the box a bit...or rather, just think outside--you don't even need the box!

Space Saving Tips

I will go into depth in my final post on how to create and manage an outdoor classroom on no designated space (say you are a traveling show like my playgroup), but what if you do have an outdoor space but just not much of it? No room? No problem!

• Keep It Simple and Short in Stature: Small people don't need large spaces. You also don't need large objects in spaces for small people. Smaller people sit in smaller chairs, stand at smaller tables, use smaller tools... Catch my drift? Child sized equipment makes sense here. And it doesn't need to be fancy and elaborate. Our mud kitchen is a small water table my older son got for his 2nd birthday and a secondhand toy barbecue I found for $5 at the thrift store. Our only outdoor "furniture" is a rescued tree stump. 
• Consider All of Your "Surfaces:" When it comes to set up and storage outdoors, we think about the ground space, but consider all of your options. In our space we hang paper for art work with magnetic clips on our front or back doors, which happen to be magnetic. We store some things at ground level in baskets, but other things we store on plant hooks or shower curtain rings from our porch railing.

• Swap and Rotate: Just like we swap and rotate toys and materials inside our homes and classrooms, so, too, can we do this outdoors (and I'd venture to say it's a good thing)! Perhaps you have some favorites that are always out and available, but some items are changed and/or rotated with the seasons, with particular themes or as interest strikes. The mud kitchen is always a favorite space, but once in a while it might become a mad scientist's laboratory or an outdoor dinosaur washing station or a potting shed... Small world play might include a set of construction toys and trucks and then be swapped out for toy dinosaurs or a collection of small fairies and dollhouse furniture. Change is good! 
  
• Portability: Again, this is a topic I will go more into depth on later, but having items that are portable and easily stored and taken indoors can be helpful. I love our "I Wonder" station as it is merely a plant hook from which a basket, bag or sign can be hung from indoors. Our portable tabletop easels were $5 on a sale at a craft supply store last summer. They are just perfect for setting up outdoors or inside. Since we don't have room outdoors for lawn furniture, collapsible camping chairs are great. Setting up a nature-on-the-go kit and accessible storage near outdoor exits from inside can be really helpful in keeping organized and prepared to use your outdoor classroom.
• Space versus Stuff: When it comes to outdoor learning, the space is more valuable than the stuff in it. Repeat after me: What I have is enough, what I have is enough, what I have is enough. This one is so challenging for me. I have ideas. A lot of ideas. Enough ideas. I don't need all of the stuff that are in my ideas and I don't need it all at once. I have two kids. They can share and take turns. Even if I had more kids, they can share and take turns. Not everyone needs their own item at the same time. Certain things, yes, they do--everyone has their own rain boots and rain coats. Everyone has their own water clothes for sprinkler play. But we don't need sets of tools and toys for everyone. Each of my boys has only two hands and two feet. What we have is enough.
• Filling in the Gaps: With small or shared spaces comes particular challenges. One of our greatest challenges in our space is not having a water hookup outside. I'd love to have access to a sprinkler and garden hose and we don't. We haul water in watering cans from inside and to fill in the gap, I bought a plastic jug with a spigot we fill and haul for water access. This year I'm coming up with a way to MacGyver it into a rain barrel so we can collect from nature's abundance and make use of it in our garden. We can't practically have a three bin compost setup but we can have a kitchen compost pail and a small enclosed rotating composter outside. We can't directly sow a huge garden in our space and have an area for the boys to play and trample, so we container garden and are budgeting in a raised bed table this year. Filling in the gaps when you're short on space means not having everything you might want all at once, but there are creative (and budget/environmentally friendly ways) to incorporate the things that feel most important. Decide for yourself what those elements are and how you might implement them. When in doubt, there are great ideas online and I am always happy to have my brain picked as well.

I hope that this has been helpful as

you venture forward in your own outdoor classroom this season. We will be back once more exploring ways to take this all on the go with you, whether you have no designated outdoor space at all or just want to make your nature based learning more portable. Until then...

Happy Playing!

Creating An Outdoor "Classroom": Part 1

My very last day of preschool teaching just about three years ago was preschool graduation day. I like to think that it was the day I graduated to being a play at home mom. I was accurately quoted during the graduation ceremony that day by a parent as having said "this is the perfect classroom" on our school field trip to the local botanical garden center here. That was a moment I began to gain the inkling that I had perhaps outgrown the walls of a traditional classroom. The next leg of my journey began with a tearful and short drive home during which I mourned the loss of "my office." (I never had an office, but I guess it felt like I did.) Then I got home to a chubby cheeked very mischievous little toddler who had just tried his hand at coloring on the wall with marker for the first time. Yup, I was ready to be a stay at home mom. Eeek. So we both headed outside and began the process of planting our first family garden...

Over the months and years that followed, our garden has expanded and so has our family. The outdoors has indeed become an extension of our family life and learning, both at home and around town. Just over a year ago I founded and launched a community nature based meetup group for families and professionals/caregivers who work with children. We meet from late winter through early fall at local parks, playgrounds and nature spaces where I bring along nature based activities to inspire play and learning while outdoors. It is my long term goal that this will be a year round endeavor rather than just in the more "popular" seasons. I've delved into literature, self-study and online conferences and training to learn more about being a natural teacher and one of my greatest passions in the experience has been evolving our own home and outdoor space into one for learning and play.

Whether you are a traditional classroom teacher looking to expand lessons into your outdoor space, a parent looking to revamp your own outdoor space before summer break hits or you have no particular designated outdoor space at all but want to bring some nature based learning on-the-go, I've got you covered here in this three part post series on creating an outdoor "classroom." I am handling the word classroom rather delicately because I fear that the word itself gives forth an image of sitting sedentary at a desk with a pencil and paper at hand. I truly believe some of the most valuable learning experiences come from an opportunity to move, explore, discover, and create. Nature is a fabulous place for this to occur! Perhaps one day our indoor learning spaces will catch up to that concept and we will see these opportunities reflected inside the early childhood classroom.

Go outside and play! I don't think there was a single sentence I heard more frequently as a child during the warmer months of school vacation. And play, I did! For hours on many days. But don't get me wrong--there was plenty of learning happening there as well, and you, too, can inspire children to learn in a natural environment. In this first part of my series, I'll introduce my seven subtopics of building an outdoor classroom:

• Plant, Tend & Grow a Garden
• Literacy Outside
• Math Outside
• Science Outside
• Play Outside
• Art Outside
• Bringing It Inside

In Part 2 of the series, I will talk more specifically about doing this on a small budget, in a small space. In Part 3, I will talk about doing this in no space at all and creating nature-on-the-go kits for your family, friends and/or community.

1. Plant, Tend & Grow a Garden: Whether you've gardened before or have a brown thumb, whether you have a huge yard or a small pot, I encourage you to plant, tend and grow something with your children. Gardens are a place where the six other areas of learning I've targeted happen all at once, without specific planning. Through gardening, we learn about the process and miracle of a tiny seed growing into a plant, a flower, a fruit or a vegetable, perhaps even a tree. We meet our "neighbors" in many forms. We experience the farm to table journey whether or not we have the farm. We dig in dirt, we expose ourselves to a vast microbiome of organisms both visible and invisible to the naked eye. We have the opportunity to fail in the safety of the garden--to experience our hand in a process that is so very out of our hands. This is a beautiful mirror to life and through the garden, it is made accessible to hands of all ages. I often wonder at how anyone could love to garden and not be completely fascinated by a weed. Whereas a rose bush is so finicky even the thought of the pH changing in your soil might send it wilting away to its early demise, a dandelion finds itself a crack in the sidewalk and thrives. Gardens are truly a place of wonder and fascination. A few things to consider as you set out to plant, tend, and grow your garden:

• What should I plant? When it comes to planting with children, you should plant whatever you want! Don't be afraid to fail--it can and it will happen, even to an experienced gardener. I would recommend starting off simply and not biting off more than you can chew. Consider planting flowers that attract helpful pollinators and support native species in your area.  Maybe you'd like to plant a food garden with vegetables, herbs and fruits. Perhaps you might pick a few favorites or try a new variety. I would recommend against planting something you don't like to eat. If you end up with an abundance and more than you can use, sharing among neighbors and friends is a great way to build community. Also consider planting things that can be explored and enjoyed with all of the senses--plants that can be touched (succulents hold up well), plants with a unique smell (herbs are fabulous), plants in a variety of colors and textures and heights to be visually appealing (think giant mammoth sunflowers or a rainbow of flowers and veggies), plants that taste amazing picked right off the vine (like cherry tomatoes or strawberries), and plants that can add an element of sound (like a dried out gourd or the sound of birds and bees flocking to pollinate your native wildflowers).

2. Literacy Outside: Reading and writing tend to be indoor activities, but they don't have to be restricted to a location with 4 walls and a roof. Here are some ways to encourage reading and writing outdoors in your yard and beyond:

• Garden signs for a print rich environment: Using signage in your garden and yard is a great way to expose your little learners to literacy through printed word. Even pre-readers can appreciate labels and signs in print, especially if they include pictures as well. There are many creative ways to make your own garden signs, whether it's to label your plants, different learning areas or even as an art installment.
  
  

• Chalk is a great medium for outdoor writing/drawing. I keep a tightly sealing tin stocked with chalk in a variety of sizes and colors at the ready for outdoor play. It can be used on pavement, walls, fences and sidewalks and will wash away at the next rain!

• Letter and word rocks and/or manipulatives: One great way to bring letters and literacy outdoors on a shoestring budget is to write letters and/or words (even draw pictures) on rocks with acrylic paint pen. One of my favorite first ways to introduce this is with the letters in your children's names. From there, you can work a whole alphabet, word rocks for building sentences, stories or poetry and even illustrated story rocks for accompanying a good book or creating your own outdoor story. Letter manipulatives from indoors can also be brought outside, like alphabet magnets or blocks. These are great for outdoor letter/word scavenger hunts!

• Bring a book! Whether it's a field guide, a favorite nature themed children's book or just some of your usual favorites, there's no reason you can't bring books outside. We love reading outdoors, whether it's on cozy picnic blanket, in some lawn chairs or even at the park. Consider setting up a cozy outdoor area especially for reading if you have a covered and shady location and the space/budget to include some cozy places to sit and read.

• Nature journals and clipboards are great ways to bring literacy outdoors and on the go. I'll touch on this more in the last post of our series.

• Create a Garden Observation Station for recording weather, garden, wildlife or other nature updates and news using a dry erase board or chalk board. Markers or chalk can be stored in an airtight container. If you wish to create a permanent sign/label on it you can do so with acrylic paint pen and a spray of acrylic adhesive to preserve it. Ideally, this will do best long term in an area with some overhead coverage/protection from the elements. Chalk boards and dry erase boards can often be found inexpensively at secondhand stores or on discount at big box stores. This is a great way to infuse other areas of learning with literacy as well!
  

we used a ruler and chalk to measure and record
the height of our mammoth sunflowers last
summer--they grew taller than the tallest
member of our family!

3. Math Outside is more natural than you'd think! Nature is abundant in loose parts and manipulatives for counting, grouping, weighing, measuring, creating geometric shapes and more. Opportunities for measurement, sorting/comparison, estimation, math operations, fractions, patterns and more are everywhere you look in nature--and you needn't look far. Bringing out some tools from indoors can also enrich mathematical thinking and learning outside. Plastic rulers and tape measures can be made available for measuring plant growth, circumference of a tree trunk, area of a garden bed... A balance scale can be brought out to compare weights of different produce. (How many cherry tomatoes does it take to equal the weight of one large tomato?) Planting seeds encourages counting by twos. Designing flower gardens can encourage pattern recognition. Can you sort a collection of pine cones by size from small to large? Can you use a stick as a tool of measurement and measure how tall your friend is? Can you use sticks or rocks to trace shapes drawn in chalk?

4. Science Outside: This one seems almost self explanatory. Nature and the garden are full of scientific discoveries waiting to be made by scientists young and old alike. You could create an entire year's worth of science curriculum by planting, growing, harvesting and seed saving/preserving your garden harvest or observing seasonal changes in trees or animal behavior. Some creative and simple additions to your outdoor space can also encourage scientific discovery and observation.

• Create a weather station to explore wind, rain accumulation, temperature and weather patterns. You can document what you see in your nature journal or at your garden observation station board, or simply bring it into natural conversation. Outdoor thermometers and rain gauges are often available at dollar stores in the Spring and you can also peruse Pinterest for ways to make your own rain gauge, rain barrels or even pinwheels. And one way to learn about and appreciate different types of weather in all seasons is to get outside in different types of weather in all seasons. "There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."

• Follow their lead and run with it! Children ask a billion questions outdoors. Don't be afraid to say you don't know--but don't stop there either. If your little one stumps you with a question about tree stumps, make it into a journey for the answers. Start outside and venture on to the library or the internet to learn more. If your child has a particular interest, infuse your outdoor experience with books, learning opportunities and maybe even some local field trips to explore the topic further.
•  Sensory experiences are so important to early learning and nature is indeed a fabulous place to explore them. While many outdoor experiences might be plagued by warnings to keep off the grass or not touch the plants, your outdoor space can be one that encourages a hands (nose, mouth, ears and eyes) on experience. I do think it is important and necessary for children to learn to respect natural spaces, leaving living things that are still growing intact when necessary and being mindful of keeping the environment safe for all who inhabit it. But consider planting a succulent garden children can touch to explore textures. Or allowing for a small plot or large planter where they are the master gardener with your help, not the other way around. You might even create your own snipping garden as we have, with a selection of small/inexpensive plants, flowers or herbs that are OK to be cut and harvested for mud pies, fairy potions and other important uses.

Scissors are made ready and available. In a world of
"no's" I like to get to the "yes's" and a space where cutting
is OK helps to preserve the ones where it isn't.

• The right tools to encourage scientific observation can also enhance your outdoor learning. Magnifying glasses, prism lenses, binoculars, field guides, opportunities and spaces to write, draw and record, tools for measurement and weighing and containers for collecting natural treasures both nonliving and living (temporarily) are a great addition to make over time to your outdoor space. Consider how you might store these to be ready to take on-the-go or whether you will have items that can be stored and remain outdoors ready for access.

5. Play outdoors: It seems almost not even worth mention, but I do give honorary mention to the topic of play outdoors because it does seem an area that is underdeveloped in many young children these days and increasingly less offered in traditional school settings and even playgrounds. I value and love the whole playground experience, don't get me wrong. Children have a lot of fun on playground equipment and it supports a lot of developmental areas as well. However, I also think that playground equipment and traditional outdoor toys often replace the wonder and curiosity of the outdoors in its natural state. Just observe a child in an outdoor space without a swing-set, slide and colorful plastic toys to see that incredible acts of play occur with a stick, some rocks and pine cones and perhaps a bit of mud. And since I am not an all-or-nothing type of gal, I encourage you to blend the use of both these types of items in your nature space. Creating an outdoor space that sparks wonder does not need to break your back or your budget. You might consider some of the following ideas:

• MUD PLAY--just add water! I am a huge fan of dirt in all forms, especially mud. Whether you set up a formal mud kitchen as we have or just supply some pots, pans and spoons for mixing a nice pile of dirt and a water source, you have an instant recipe for wonder and play that you simply can't go wrong with. Your kids may come in covered from head to toe, but research points increasingly to the many health benefits--both physical and emotional--of playing in dirt and mud! I try to step back from this and be as much an outsider as possible, allowing for creative and imaginative play to happen in our garden on its own time frame. I, of course, graciously accept any mud cakes and coffee and stone soup that are offered, but I allow for this muddy world of creation and imagination to be their own and not one I dictate for them. In addition to mud, consider adding elements of foliage, rocks and pebbles, pine cones and seeds, pods and chunks of wood, petals and flowers and of course, plenty of sticks!

• Small world play with natural and manufactured loose parts is a great way to spark wonder in the garden. Tiny toys and people and animals brought from indoors can ignite the imagination of little ones playing outdoors. Fairy gardens and fairy houses can be created with thought and intention or on the go after a yard or neighborhood scavenger hunt to collect materials.

• Create an "I Wonder" Station: Don't be overwhelmed or alarmed if your children don't naturally take to playing and exploring independently outdoors. Creating an "I Wonder" Station (ours is merely a plant hook with a sign attached) can make your outdoor classroom a real destination! Add on a basket with a book and activity, an intriguing question or idea, some silks and fabrics for building forts or making costumes, some puppets for an outdoor puppet show, some little fairies and dollhouse furniture to add to small world play... You will see that when play is nurtured, similarly to a young seedling, it strengthens and develops and will become more independently sustainable.
• Dramatic play outdoors can be set up just as it would indoors. You may need to take into consideration toys and tools that can be left in the elements versus ones that need to be sheltered inside. A mud kitchen could become a restaurant--children could even write/draw menus and recipe books to be laminated and used. An outdoor table could also turn into a mad scientist's lab with containers for mixing colorful water and baking soda/vinegar potions or a tool bench for young woodworkers to build or a potting shed with recycled pots, gardening tools and artificial flowers or fruits/vegetables for growing, harvesting and potting. I like to hold to the motto here (and in all areas of learning) that anything you can do inside can be brought outside. It simply requires some extra planning and creativity.

6. Art Outside is all around us. Inspiration has been found outdoors for as long as time itself. Art can be in the form of painting, sculpture, loose parts arrangement, photography and more. You can create art that is permanent and brought indoors to display or displayed outdoors in your yard or garden. From still life to wildlife, the options are as vast as the imagination and expansion of nature itself. I'd also encourage you to expose your little learners to nature inspired art around town, in other gardens and museums as well. I'd also encourage allowing for young nature-inspired artists to use real art materials as they create--such as quality watercolors, chalks, pastels, potters clay, pencils/charcoals, quality paper and so forth. 

• Consider different working surfaces and environments such as portable easels for vertical work, clipboards and sketch books for art on the go and even how working in different spaces and at different times of day can encourage a different artistic experience. Lastly, I encourage you to join in! You don't have to be "artistic" to create art. Seeing adults engaged and participating allows children to maintain their natural sense of artistic inspiration without being plagued by the sense of perfectionism that led to our own adult inhibitions.
• BIG Art and Messy Art projects are perfect for outdoors! You're likely to have more space outside for large scale art projects and it's also a great space for messier art projects. Think foot painting instead of fingerpainting. Or "paint" balloon tossing. Or "fly swatter splat painting."  Just be mindful to clean up anything that could be harmful to the environment.
• Art with natural materials can be a great way to create outdoors. Sure, nature provides an incredible muse for capturing beauty on paper (or canvas)--but what about ditching the paint brushes for some nature-made "brushes" using cut flowers, pine cones or interesting leaves and branches...

7. Bringing it INSIDE: Sure, many of us would like to stay outside forever, but eventually we do need to go inside. Here are a few ways you might consider bringing a bit of the outdoors in with you:

• Nature inspired activities inside can bring actual objects from nature indoors or natural concepts into learning and play. Perhaps you set up an indoor still life or set out a basket of tree "blocks" and natural loose parts for building and designing. Maybe you plant and grow an indoor fairy garden, terrarium or kitchen herb garden in your kitchen window.

• Set up a Nature Table that includes items both found outdoors in nature and nature-inspired ones created or found indoors. Change out your Nature Table through the seasons and year to capture changes outside and important family celebrations or traditions.

• Head to the kitchen to cook, bake or create with your garden harvest! From homemade breads, jams, cookies, build your own salad or pizza nights and even homemade playdough--you can use elements collected from your garden and even (carefully) foraged to create recipes to eat or play with. You might even mix up a batch of something to bring back outside such as a delicious picnic lunch or even a jar of homemade bubbles.

• Nature based field trips are another category I include in "bringing it inside." Visiting the garden nursery, the library, the farmer's market or produce stand, even local farms, museums and public gardens are all ways you can bring nature based learning with you after it's time to come inside.

Well, if you've made it this far, you are well on your way to creating or enhancing your own outdoor classroom. The idea of creating an outdoor classroom is similar to that of creating a garden--you want a space that with your nurturing care and attention can be sustainable and maintain growth. Like an indoor classroom, you will need to adapt and make changes over time. Like a garden, you will need to give it love, light and attention. You and your children will harvest and reap the benefits well beyond the healthy doses of vitamin D. Join us for the next (shorter, I promise) installments of this series as we explore making some of these installments on a small budget in a small space and how to take it completely mobile with no designated space at all. Until then, get outside and...

Happy Playing!

Get Outside And Read: Don and Audrey Wood's "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR"

There is nothing quite like biting into a red, ripe strawberry. Especially biting into a red, ripe strawberry freshly plucked from the plant it grew on! Growing his own feast of red berries was one of S's favorite memories from our garden last summer and has, indeed, been at the forefront of his ambitious plans for this season's garden. So when Y and I were out picking up some pansies last week and I saw a rack of young strawberry plants for sale, I plucked two off the shelf right away. One even had a red, ripe strawberry already on it! Our plant from last year still has a few green leaves and I am eagerly waiting to see if any of the berries that went to seed last season yield us some new, tasty fruits this year. And even though it's early yet and it wasn't even Spring when I hung this basket at our "I Wonder..." Station, I knew the boys would have a great time reading one of our very favorite strawberry themed children's books and replanting their own strawberry plants.

Does a freshly picked strawberry make a sound?
I don't know, but it sounds delicious to me!

Nobody loves a red, ripe strawberry like THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR in Don and Audrey Wood's "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR." What is a little mouse with a red ripe strawberry to do? Heeding his friend's warning, little mouse tries a number of creative tactics to protect his beloved strawberry--but in the end, there is only one way to truly keep THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR away from this red ripe strawberry. Well, all I can say is that it is a good thing neither the mice nor the bear have had to contend with my strawberry loving boys. There truly is no love greater than that of a boy and his freshly picked berry, as seen in this photo from early last summer.


Indeed, growing your own produce can be a delightful way to introduce your little ones to the concept of farm to table--even without the farm. Some garden with children purely for the love of the art and others have an agenda to expose young pallets to new flavors. I would not say that growing our own edible garden has necessarily expanded my pickier eater's pallet and my equal opportunity eater is happy to indulge in any number of foods grown in our own yard, down the street or across the country. Either way, growing something in your garden that everyone loves is a great way to share in the beauty and benefits of gardening together.

When the boys arrived at our "I Wonder" Station, that one berry on the plant was quickly discovered. Y, a little bit overeager to explore the red ripe strawberry may have inadvertently plucked it to an early demise. We took the berry inside, washed it off and somehow managed to share that tiny thing between two hungry bears. Then it was time to dig into our book and activity--transplanting our young strawberry plants (sans the single berry).

The boys' first interest was planting. Y got very involved in digging and scooping potting mix into the pot (and even his brother's pot, who was feeling less inclined initially to get his hands dirty in the soil).

 Our "I Wonder..." Station is designed to spark the boys' curiosity and interest. I don't require that they do anything I've set out or even that they use the materials in a particular order. Y was content to help with the planting, even delicately sprinkling some soil around the edges once I helped him to position his seedling in the center of his pot. Then he wanted to go inside and help my husband make dinner in the kitchen. Meanwhile, S joined me to pour soil into his pot, help position his plant and decide with me where to put them to grow. He wanted to water the plants right away and decided upon using the watering can I keep on our mailbox out front. I offered him to fill it inside if he wanted to, but he preferred to use the water from our spigot jug.

He problem solved getting the jug and watering can to just the right position so he could fill his watering can without it tipping over and spilling out. This process may have involved some troubleshooting and unplanned puddles along the way; gardening is certainly a journey!

Alas, the watering can was full (and heavy!) as he carried it to our thirsty little berry plants. He watered generously and gave our pansies a drink as well. He even watered the lawn! (You're welcome, apartment landscaping team.) Oh, if only those plants were bursting with berries right now! But if we have to wait, we might as well enjoy a good book while we do and indeed, S requested to read through it outside together three times in a row! He especially likes when I put on my deep BIG HUNGRY BEAR voice...

That night we were hit by an unexpected frost that covered our front yard and berry plants in a sparkly layer of ice the next morning. Time will tell how our little plants fared and S already knows from last summer that gardening involves hard work, patience and a huge element of doubt. Sometimes the hard work pays off. Sometimes you can work hard and nature has other plans. Gardens are a great space for practicing success and failure--they are a space where it is OK to try your best and still not succeed. They are a space where it is OK to get dirty, encouraged to question and impossible not to wonder--whether you are a seasoned gardener or lending a green thumb for the very first time like Y will this year. And best of all, having a garden to tend to ensures that we will get outside often whether we are there to weed or read!

Happy Playing!