About Outdoor Classroom Day
When teachers take learning outdoors they report some powerful impacts: Children’s behaviour improves, whole classes are excited to learn, and individuals who feel inhibited by the curriculum often thrive in an outdoor environment. When adults think back to their own happiest memories of childhood, they frequently recall the joy of playing outdoors. Play is not only central to children’s enjoyment of childhood, but teaches critical life skills such as problem solving, teamwork and creativity.
Sign up here to join in this campaign.
Why Playtime Matters Report. May 2019
This report brings together both previous research and new findings that make the case for playtimes being a key part of the school day. It shows that outdoor play at school helps develop healthy, curious and active kids who are better connected to their environment. It brings together evidence that shows that time outdoors is particularly important for
children’s mental health – reducing stress, giving a sense of calm and simply making them happier.
Playtime length at primary schools worldwide varies from just 15 minutes to over two hours, in school days that vary from 3.5 hours to over ten. The types of playgrounds children have varied worldwide, from hard courts to landscaped parks. Teachers work in different atmospheres when it comes to playtime, with most thankfully in schools where colleagues value playtime, but still far too many are in schools where their peers think it is a waste of time.
A third (32%) of the schools that responded to our survey say they have now increased playtime since getting involved in the Outdoor Classroom Day campaign. We hope this report will give more schools and those that manage schools the evidence they need to make playtime a key part of the school day.
Download the Transcript of the Debate of Motion S5M-14384 Outdoor Classroom Day below
“25% of all the schools across Scotland are signed up to say THEY
believe in outdoor learning and play in 2018”
Sedentary behaviour is amongst the biggest killer here in Scotland
Among 11-15 year-olds, only 21% of boys and 15% of girls got at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity of at least moderate intensity, the Scottish, UK, and international recommendation.
This puts Scotland at the bottom of a ranked table of 40 other nations compared by The Global Matrix 3.0 On Physical Activity For Children And Youth.
You can download the full briefing paper below:
Research
From Muddy hands and dirty faces … to higher grades and happy places
You can download the research report below:
Project Dirt – The impact of outdoor learning and playtime at school – and beyond
Project Dirt asked teachers who have taken part in Outdoor Classroom Day about the impact of taking children outdoors.
The results are encouraging as they show that there is a fast-growing number of schools worldwide that recognise how important outdoor learning and play is for children, teachers and whole schools, as well as parents and the wider community.
Key findings include:
- 68% of teachers want more time for children to play outdoors
- 87% of teachers want more time to take lessons outside
- One fifth (22%) of teachers told us that they have increased playtime since taking part in the campaign, and two fifths (44%) have increased time for outdoor lessons
- 97% of teachers worldwide believe that outdoor playtime throughout the school day is critical for children to reach their full potential
- 65% of primary schools globally get less than one hour of playtime (recess) a day and 12% get less than 30 minutes
- 88% of teachers globally said that children are happier after playing outdoors, and 89% said the same when they learn outdoors
- 79% of teachers globally said that the weather stops children playing outdoors
- 1 in 7 of respondents worldwide said that nothing prevents children from playing outdoors.
“Children need room to learn … four walls don’t help … they feel trapped. As soon as we take our learning outside it is less stress for them and they actually focus more!”
Teacher
“We usually ignore wet playtime and put our waterproofs on and get outside. I give up my break time to supervise this. Midges can be pretty brutal at times, however we still go outside”
Teacher
“Happy hearts and happy faces, happy play in grassy places –
That was how, in ancient ages, children grew to kings and sages”R L Stevenson
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