Memories of childhood!

A short news clip has been circulating around the outdoor education world showcasing a new school in Carpe, Ontario.  It is the first school in Canada that holds all of its classes outside – for real!  If you haven’t seen this clip yet, it’s worth checking out. There has been extensive research on learning environments, and while not wanting to generalize too much, the basic argument is that the learning environment can be just as important as the curriculum students are learning.  If you combine this with the positive outcomes that come from students spending time outside, it doesn’t take long to see the real benefits of students learning in an outdoor setting.  And while this school in Carpe is not the norm, it exists and in fact has a waiting list because of the belief that students can be educated effectively outside of a desk and four walls.

The conversations we continue to have with students are quite enlightening!  We were back at Bicentennial this morning to visit the P-6’s who were amazing.  Our favourite answer when asked what some of the not-so-great things about video games are was, “They make your brain turn to mush”.  The elementary teachers gave the students an extended recess this morning and activities ranged from skip rope to basketball to blowing bubbles to the giant parachute that I’m sure we all remember from our youth!  The schoolyard was relatively small, but students were out there being active, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the sun on a beautiful day.

We made our way over to Crichton Park Elementary this afternoon and met with all the students in the gym.  The month of March at this particular school has a focus on healthy active living and eating.  Today was crazy hair day and tomorrow is fruit and vegetable day!  There were some amazing haircuts and hair colours and hair accessories – super fun!