How Learning Blooms in Outdoor Spaces

by room2learn

For those of us in New England, mid-April means welcoming back picnic weather, tulips in bloom, and swashes of green on our morning commutes. This week, the return of Spring has inspired us to spotlight green spaces for learning across the country, and explore how spending time outdoors leads to positive learning outcomes.

It’s no secret that the return of warmer weather often leads to general feelings of happiness, especially if you just toughed out a long winter. For those of you in climates that boast warmer weather throughout the year, lucky you! There is now scientific proof that sunshine induces good moods.

Last year, researchers in Spain, Norway, and the U.S. conducted and published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, proposing that exposure to green spaces at school positively impacts learning. The study of over 2,000 students suggested that children who had more greenery around their schools, regardless of socioeconomic status, showed increases in working memory and attention.

The study also suggested that green spaces provide added benefits like filtering out air pollutants, acting as shields against noise, and even reducing stress by providing space for exercise.

While outdoor landscapes can lead to positive learning outcomes, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a study and found that access to greenery while indoors is important too. They concluded that students with views of trees from their classroom were able to refocus and alleviate stress quicker than students who had no windows or no greenery in their line of site.

So there are some clear benefits to greenery at school. We even touched on the stress-relieving qualities of outdoor spaces in our previous post on mindfulness. While some regions of the world are lucky to have a wealth of trees and wide open lawns all year long, you don’t need a rainforest to experience the benefits of an outdoor space.

Let’s explore some creative green spaces around the country!

Gardening 101

This outdoor garden at the Da Vinci Innovation Academy Garden is a perfect example of an outdoor space that provides two benefits — greenery and expeditionary learning. Here, students can learn about photosynthesis and plant life cycles in the flesh! (Or rather, cellulose.) Plus, tending to plants can increase students’ focus, memory, and general well-being. DVIA has the luxury of Los Angeles warmth year-round, but your students can benefit just as much from indoor growing. We’ll get back to indoor gardening later in this post.

Green Spaces in High Places

For those of you teaching in urban centers, you know that outdoor space comes at a premium. Which means, it’s time to get creative! This school in Brooklyn transformed their rooftop into a thriving urban garden, where students can experience the benefits of greenery while engaging in authentic learning experiences in agriculture, botany, and urban planning.

Lions, Tigers, and Play — Oh My!

At Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles, imagination and play reign supreme. The team at ICA livened up their green space by combining native plants with handmade, playful elements like this fun ceramic tiger. These touches inspire students to explore their imaginations while outside, while actively engaging with their landscape.

It’s Easy Being Green

To experience the benefits of plants all-year long, try creatively incorporating them indoors. In this hallway at Brightworks, a hanging wall planter with succulents adds a low-maintenance pop of green. You can even DIY this project by using old bags, towels, or anything else that will hold soil and plants. Also, if there are any novice plant parents out there, fear not! Here are some easy plants to grow indoors, and check out this teaching resource for indoor gardening.

How do you incorporate greenery into your students’ learning? We want to hear about it! Share with fellow edu-innovators on www.room2learn.org and Tweet us at @HackClassrooms!