Out is In! How Outdoor Play Environments Bring Learning Outdoors, by Jennie Sumrell and Beth Wise

This session is sponsored by BigToys, PlayCore and The InvestiGator Club by Robert-Leslie Publishing.

Outdoor play environments are the ideal place to reinforce learning in new and exciting ways. Explore ways to help children develop skills through hands-on learning experiences outdoors.

The evidence is quite clear that play equals learning across developmental domains. Learning occurs in many places besides the classroom and well-designed outdoor play environments can provide young children unique experiences that can be authentic, experiential, and relevant. Providing a balance of facilitated and free play opportunities along a developmentally appropriate continuum is important for children as they engage in healthy risk-taking, explore their environments, and interact with the world around them. Educators often overlook the playground as an extension of the classroom and as a place that can reinforce learning in new and exciting ways. Early childhood playgrounds can be intentionally designed and programmed so that children develop skills such as concentration, cooperation, persistence, goal-setting, and problem-solving through hands-on learning experiences that use play as the catalyst for developing physical, social/emotional, cognitive, sensory, and communication skills. Children will benefit from the meaningful play experiences they have outdoors and the opportunities to make powerful connections between important academic concepts and their everyday lives. Attendees will leave with new and creative ideas and resources to utilize their outdoor play space to promote imagination, discovery, physical activity, and address the overall development of their students. All participants will be given the opportunity to learn about and apply for a playground enhancement contest designed to bring learning outdoors.

Learning objectives:

1)Discuss research-based strategies for creating quality outdoor play environments that provide unique hands-on learning experiences that support creativity, imagination, and learning outdoors

2)Summarize developmentally appropriate play elements and design best practices that align with early childhood accreditations and requirements for outdoor play and learning environments

3) Outline a variety of resources and ideas to extend classroom learning outdoors in areas such as creative arts, circle time, math, dramatic play, science, literacy & language, music, sensory-motor, sand & water, and social and motor skills

All sessions are 1.5 hours long, and include a brief announcement from our sponsor. 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Eastern Time. All of the webinars are recorded. To view the recording, simply register now and you will receive an email with a link to the recording when it is ready to be viewed. You can still download the certificate by watching the recording to the end when the certificate link is announced and displayed on the screen. *Please be advised that you will only be eligible for the great door prizes if you participate in the live session. See the schedule of upcoming webinars.