Outdoor Learning Areas and Ideas

When my daughter was really young, she went to an at-home daycare with a great backyard full of fun things for the kids to do. They had water tables and a sand area, birdfeeders and a place to do sidewalk chalk and ride scooters and there were fun stumps and flowers and dogs.

I know not every school (or home for that matter) is set up so there can be an outdoor classroom, but I think it’s a great goal to have some kind of outdoor space you can use for learning and exploring. I kind of want to set some of these things up at my house now, never mind my daughter is 14!

The outdoor music station from And Next Comes L is made with upcycled materials, and I’m sure you could find lots of things at home (or if you’re building it for a classroom, have parents donate) that would make fun sounds. If you don’t have a stand readily available you could still hang some wind chimes and have a box of musical instruments (upcycled or otherwise) to be used outdoors.

For a much more elaborate version, check out the music wall at Pre K and Sharing.

Water tables and sand tables are classics for little kids and outdoor play, but if you have an old water table that’s not getting used (or maybe it’s damaged so it doesn’t hold water anymore) you can turn it into a fairy garden like this one from Twitchetts. You could also turn a water table into a planter for small plants like herbs of flowers the kids can tend.

Speaking of planting, try making a pole bean teepee like this one from How We Learn. It’s a fun space to read under or use for other activities when it’s hot out.

Stumps or cut down pieces of old trees can provide all sorts of creative fun in a yard or outdoor classroom. They can become an obstacle course, display areas for goodies from a nature walk, or a place to sit, as with this natural table and chairs from Little Eco Footprints.

Paint some flat pavers in bright colors and number them and you’ll always be ready for hopscotch or other games, even if you don’t have a sidewalk. This idea is from Happiness is Homemade.

Set up an outdoor weather station and have kids observe the weather each day.

Of course outside is a great place to do art, too. I love this easy art station from Where Imagination Grows, and I want to make a natural weaving frame like this one from Mother Natured for myself (my daughter would actually love that one, too).

Do you take learning outside when the weather is good? I’d love to hear about it!

Outdoor Activities for Summer Fun

Tons of Outdoor Learning Ideas for Kids

8 Outdoor Activities To Keep Your Kids Busy This Summer

Fall is a great time to learn about and observe the birds in your area, but you can do this any time of year. Whether you’re watching from a backyard or a playground, you’re sure to find a few birds and can learn about the birds that are native to your region in any case.

If you do see birds at home or where your classroom is, the Merlin app is a great one (if your school allows phones). If you don’t already know it, it listens to the sounds around you and can identify birds based on their calls. Very cool and a reason for kids to be quiet while you’re observing nature. Having an old fashioned paper guidebook to the birds where you live is also a great idea because kids can use it to look up birds and it’s just fun to have in the science center.

The specific birds involved in your learning will vary depending on where you live, but here are some bird activities you can do with your kids at home or in the classroom.

Natural Beach Living set up a simple bird nature study center that includes bird books and feathers in front of a big window. There are also some printables you’ll find links to in this post including three part cards and bird observation charts for birds local to them and a bird unit study with lots of great printables (this is a paid resource).

Adventure in a Box has a printable birds of the world bingo game, which might inspire you to learn more about some of the 48 different birds included, from emu to snowy owl, grackle to Atlantic puffin.

If you’re American you’ll enjoy these state bird coloring pages from Flanders Family Home Life. If I can count, only 48 states are listed (which I wouldn’t have noticed except Arkansas isn’t there; it’s one of many whose state bird is the mockingbird). Print out all of them or just your home state, or give each child a bird to research and color to do a presentation in the classroom.

And you can learn more about the different types of bird nests and see if you can observe any of them on a nature walk with this guide to bird nests from Fun Mom Printables on Etsy. It includes information about eight types of nests with drawings and three part cards.

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