Outdoor Time: Learning Beyond Walls

Outdoor time is so important for children of any age. It promotes wellbeing- even if it is only done for a little bit! Whether it's playing in the backyard or going for a group walk- the benefits are immense.

At Forward Leap, we understand the importance of providing enrolled children with opportunities to connect with the outdoors. In this post, I will be discussing all about outdoor time and how Forward Leap will be incorporating it into the day.

Advantages of Outdoor Time

Outdoor time has various advantages and benefits for children. Here are some of them:

• Physical health: Getting outdoors promotes movement of all types. This leads to improvements in physical fitness, gross motor movements and overall health.

• Cognitive development: Exploring the outdoors helps with cognitive development as the children get creative with their environment and think critically in order to have fun.

• Social skills: Just as with indoors, children develop social skills when they are outdoors. They do this by practicing teamwork, communication and conflict resolution.

• Mental health: There have been studies done that show the outdoors can help children's mental health. It does this by reducing stress, easing anxiety and improving moods.

Potential Challenges and Solutions

While the benefits are great, there are some challenges when it comes to outdoor time at Forward Leap. They are as follows:

• Small space- The learning community is in our home which means the backyard is the daily outdoor space. Unfortunately, the play space is small due to only part of it being flat.

• Not a lot of equipment- Because we don't have a lot of space and money is tight- we don't have a lot of large play equipment available.

• Not close to a big park- Our home is not located near one of the nice parks in Rochester. Therefore we are unable to walk to one for our outdoor time.

Here are some solutions to these challenges:

• Get creative- We will get creative with how we use the backyard for fun such as coming up with a Roblox obby! Here are some other activities we might do.

• Short breaks outside throughout the day- Instead of doing a full hour in the backyard, we might switch to doing short sessions throughout the day. In doing this, the children might have less of a chance of being bored.

• Learning outdoors- We will do some learning activities outside which will make things more fun, engaging and healthy (because we are getting fresh air)!

Real Life Examples

Here are some real life examples of outdoor things that we did in my home daycare program (which we will do in the Forward Leap program):

• Wrote down words describing what we saw outside (the five year olds)

• Discussed the types of birds that we saw

• Saw squirrels and discussed all about them

• Painted a bunch of rocks and put them around the landscaping

• Painted and decorated blank CDS and hung them under the deck

• Took a field trip to a farm and Quarry Hill

Our first field trip will be either at Quarry Hill or Franconia Sculpture Park (definitely will do both, though). They are great outdoor options as both are really fun and educational.

In Conclusion

Spending time outdoors is not just a leisure activity but a crucial aspect of our overall well-being. At Forward Leap, we understand the significance of connecting with nature and the outdoors. It provides us with a sense of freedom, tranquility, and rejuvenation that is essential for our mental and physical health. By incorporating outdoor time into our daily routine, we aim to promote a holistic approach to personal development and growth.

If you are interested in the Forward Leap learning community for your homeschooler, don't hesitate to contact us. We have nine spots available starting in 2025!

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