Lesson 2: Designing an Outdoor Early Learning Environment

Lesson Outcomes: By the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
1. discuss the DAP guidelines on designing/setting up outdoor environment for early
childhood;
3. determine areas of development for various learning centers; and
4. design an outdoor environment set-up.

Activate
Imagine that you are already a kindergarten teacher, how will you design your outdoor learning
environment? Draw your answer in the space provided.
 Acquire
The Outdoor Environment: Designing for Learning
There are many benefits to children and youth playing outside. Outside, children and youth can
release energy, use loud voices, play vigorously, and engage in messy projects. In addition,
children can experience the plants and animals in their local ecosystem (Greenman, 2007).
Research has helped us identify many other benefits to playing outdoors (Children and Nature
Network, 2012), such as:
 Better physical health
 Numerous opportunities to strengthen motor skills
 Stress relief
 Greater visual-motor integration (or the ability to control hand or body movement guided
by vision)
 Greater creativity
 Stronger verbal and social skills
 Production of Vitamin D (an essential vitamin for bone health) through exposure to
sunlight
 Increased attention and cognitive abilities (Wells, 2000)

The links at the end of the “Learn” section provide more information on the benefits of
outdoor play for children and youth. In addition, playing outdoors and opportunities to connect
with nature may be particularly beneficial for some children with special needs. For example, in
a study of 7- to 12-year-olds with attention deficit disorder (ADD), children displayed less severe
ADD symptoms after they spent time in “green” settings, and the greener the outdoor
environment, with more grass and trees, the better the effect (Taylor, Kuo & Sullivan, 2001).

We also know that the quality of the outdoor environment matters. Children are more likely
to enjoy and engage with environments that are flexible, where equipment can function in
multiple ways (e.g., balls, sandboxes, self-constructed “forts”), and where more active play is
supported (Walsh, 1993). In fact, playground design can impact children’s creative thinking and
imaginative play (Susa & Benedict, 1994), and school-age children’s motor skill development
and competence (Barbour, 1999).

Outdoor environments will look different from program to program. Some might have a
wide-open green space, wooded areas, and gardens; whereas others may mostly utilize a
paved area. Depending on your school-age program, the outdoor environment may include a
dedicated outdoor play space at your program location, or you may use nearby outdoor spaces
such as a local park. Some may have permanent climbing and gross-motor equipment, while
others have equipment carts that are brought out during outdoor time. It is important to
understand the strengths and constraints of the outdoor spaces available to you, so you can
proactively consider design ideas and materials that make the most of your outdoor
environment.

The purpose of an outdoor environment is to encourage children to be active, to give them

a break from being indoors, and to support learning in a variety of environments. Similar to an
indoor learning environment, your outdoor space should be safe and organized and include
planned activities as well as free time.
The Standards for After School and Youth Development (Council on Accreditation) for outdoor
environments include:
1. The outdoor space is suitable for a wide variety of activities, active and quiet
2. There are regular opportunities to participate in outdoor activities (e.g., at least 30 minutes
of every three-hour block of time at the program)
3. Children and youth can easily access a variety of outdoor equipment and games
4. Any permanent equipment is suitable for the ages, sizes, and abilities of the children and
youth in the program

When designing a school-age outdoor space, it is important to consider the following:

1. Adequate space for play for the children and youth in your program (large programs may
need staggered outdoor times to keep it from being overcrowded)
2. Sheltered space that provides shade and protection from the weather
3. Easy access to a source of drinking water
4. Close proximity to a bathroom (to ensure staff maintain staff-child ratios and adequate
supervision)
5. Easy access to indoor space (in the event of inclement weather)
6. Accessible storage for outdoor play equipment

Safe Outdoor Spaces

Evaluate your outdoor learning environments by making sure the equipment is safe and the
environment is free from preventable risks. You must consider fall zones, surfacing, access to
shade, and the conditions of materials and equipment.
Look for these items and correct them before children and youth are permitted to play:
1. Missing or broken parts
2. Protrusion of nuts and bolts
3. Rust and chipping or peeling paint
4. Sharp edges, splinters, and rough surfaces
5. Unstable handholds
6. Visible cracks
 7. Unstable non-anchored large play equipment (e.g., playhouses, climbers)
8. Wear and deterioration
9. Broken or worn electrical fixtures or cords

Many programs utilize outdoor spaces and playgrounds that are used by the community in the
evenings; perhaps your program shares a community park. Even if your playground is protected
by a fence, it is still possible that hazardous materials could find their way onto the playground.
Before you take children and youth outside, you must be vigilant about inspecting the outdoor
space each day. Look for:
1. Debris: glass, cigarette butts, litter, building supplies
2. Animal excrement and other foreign material
3. Mulch that is spread too thin
4. Standing water, ice, or snow
5. Surfaces that are too hot or cold for children to touch safely
6. Natural objects that might cause harm: sharp rocks, stumps, roots, branches
7. Unsafe insects: anthills, beehives, or wasp nests
8. Ditches, holes, wells, traps
9. Exposed power lines or utility equipment

Remember to check the temperature of play surfaces. Metal or plastic slides, benches, and
poured concrete surfaces can get very hot and very cold. Inspect surfaces for cracks caused by
temperature changes or water damage. Follow your program’s safety guidelines to ensure all
equipment is in compliance with safety standards. Be sure to use the checklists from the Safety
course to monitor and check the safety and security of your program’s outdoor space.

Design and Materials

Make the most of the space you have. Not all outdoor spaces are ideal, but that doesn’t
mean you have to settle for a playground with only metal play structures and asphalt. Get
creative! Your local home improvement store can be a great resource. Consider filling plastic
rain gutters with dirt and letting children and youth use them as planters. Ask for volunteers to
install bird feeders or raised garden beds.
Your outdoor play space will foster creative play if you include “loose parts,” or open-
ended play materials, that children and youth can use for construction, such as recycled
cardboard boxes, crates, PVC pipes, and milk cartons. Enclosed spaces (e.g., playhouses,
forts) that are a fixed part of the playground—or, even better that have been constructed by
children and youth themselves—tend to foster pretend play. Just make sure you have good
visibility into these spaces.
It is also important to include equipment that will help children and youth work on their gross-
motor skills. Gross-motor skills involve large muscle movements of the body and include
running, jumping, throwing, and maintaining balance. Fixed playground equipment is not
necessary for children and youth to experience high levels of physical activity outside. In fact,
children are often most physically active when they play with portable equipment such as balls,
bicycles, Hula-hoops, and so on.

Accessibility
Just like indoors, outdoor spaces must be organized for independence, easy use, and
learning. Children and youth must be able to easily access materials and equipment. Outdoor
paths, walkways, and stairs should be clearly marked and free of obstructions. It is important to
make sure gross-motor play can happen safely in one area without disrupting play in another
area. For example, a bicycle or skating path should not go right through an area where children
and youth are drawing with chalk or playing hopscotch. You also want to separate the quiet
activities (art, writing, and reading) from the loud and active activities (ball play, bikes, and
running).

Regarding gross-motor equipment, the size and level of equipment must be

developmentally appropriate for the children and youth in your classroom. Body size and skill of
children can vary greatly for school-age programs in particular, so you will need a variety of
different balls, bats, bikes, helmets, and so on. There should also be enough gross-motor
equipment (e.g., bikes) that children and youth can use the equipment without a long wait.
Outdoor toys such as balls and art or writing materials can be placed in easy access bins,
buckets, containers, or baskets. This will also make it easy for children to help clean up when it
is time to go back inside.

Consider the needs of individual children. Some children and youth, especially those
with disabilities or special needs, may have difficulties in the outdoor environment. You can
make adaptations for these children and youth just like you would in the classroom. You can
adjust the materials and spaces (install a wheelchair-accessible swing, install railings, lower or
raise gardening plots) to best fit their needs. As discussed in the indoor environment lesson, talk
with children’s families and your trainer, coach, or supervisor, to know what modifications may
be necessary. Also, as outdoor play can be a place for “letting loose” and for children to use
their louder voices, make sure you have calming spaces available outside also, perhaps even
with an accompanying bin of soothing materials. For more information see the Learners
Included Together (KIT) materials (https://www.kit.org/who-we-are/our-work/).

Outdoor Learning Areas

Carefully design outdoor learning areas to support the full range of children’s play and
activities. You can create activity areas, much like you do for your indoor space. These areas
may include: quiet, manipulative, physical, nature, social, dramatic, and art. Many of the same
materials you provide indoors can be used to promote engagement outdoors.

A quiet outdoor interest area, for example, could consist of baskets of books in the shade under
a tree. A dramatic play outdoor area could incorporate props such as blankets, picnic baskets,
plastic dishes and utensils, which might appeal to younger school-age children, but you could
also bring theater-relevant elements out for older children (e.g., copies of simple plays, relevant
props, and costumes). You can also incorporate traditional outdoor toys into these interest
areas. For example, you could create an art or writing outdoor interest area with sidewalk chalk,
or even work with the children and youth to make and use sidewalk chalk paint (there are many
recipes online). Another idea would be to set up an outdoor science and discovery center in
which children can investigate materials found outdoors (e.g., different rocks, leaves, sticks,
seed pods) using magnifying glasses, scissors, etc. You can also offer resource books that
would help children classify the different plant life they find or identify where the plant is in its
growing cycle. Found natural materials could be used in an outdoor art area in which children
can trace, draw, make rubbings of, or collages with these materials.

When possible, there are certain elements that should be incorporated into an outdoor
environment to create a well-rounded learning experience.

Examples of these areas are:

Outdoor Learning Area Activities and Materials

Painting, reading, blankets to create a
Quiet area:
comfortable space for lounging
Passive activities or materials that allow
children to transition to their outdoor
space

Manipulative area: Construction tools, building materials, writing

materials, pottery
Activities or materials that allow children
 
to work on their fine-motor skills
For older children and youth, you could offer
sewing, woodworking, or jewelry making,
perhaps incorporating natural materials.
Physical area: Playground equipment, balls, hoops, nets, jump
ropes, bicycles and sports activities, group
Activities or materials to strengthen
games (tag, field-day activities), obstacle
gross-motor skills
courses
 
Remember that with the proper safety gear,
older children and youth may also enjoy in-line
skating or skateboarding

Nature area: Leaves, bark, seeds, fossils

 
Activities or materials found in nature;
You can offer opportunities to examine and
perfect spot for a garden or discovery
explore items or create and tend a garden.
area

Picnic table with benches, chairs situated

Social area:
away from noise and play
Activities or an area that offers a quiet
spot for children to talk and interact with
each other and staff members

Play house, sand and tools, bubbles,

Dramatic area:
wheeled toys, other items that promote
Activities or materials that offer an imaginative and interactive play (for
outdoor version of a dramatic play space young children); theater, dance, or music
props, for example for a musical concert
or talent show (for older children)
Water table, sprinkler, sand box, digging
Sensory area:
tools (for younger children); creating
Activities or materials that allow children items to test in different contexts and
to explore and discover through their environment, for example, boats out of
senses recycled materials to test in the water
table (for older children)
Planning Outdoor Activities
The outdoor learning environment should be an extension of the indoor environment.
Learning time in your outdoor space provides limitless options. You can enhance your activities
by bringing them outdoors and using natural elements to teach concepts. The following are
examples of how to enhance learning by utilizing your outdoor environment:

Science Use your surroundings to discuss scientific concepts, such as the water
cycle, plant species or solar power. Discuss hydropower by using
miniature tools to harness the power of water at the water table.

Math Use the environment and measure cups of dirt or diameters of tree
trunks. Discuss patterns by using those found in nature. You can also
use tools to measure field or playing space for different sports.

Language Arts Take children outdoors for story time—especially when reading a story
that discusses wind, sunshine, or other natural elements. Provide books
that help children and youth identify wildlife in your outdoor space. If you
plant a garden, ask them to create labels for the different flowers, herbs,
or vegetables.

Creative Writing Use the outdoors as a prompt for creative-writing topics. For example,
have school-age children go outside and spend time watching the
clouds. They can write a story about the images they find there.
Apply
Discuss the DAP guidelines on designing outdoor environment that are being observed not
observed in the pictures. Use the matrix to answer the following.

A B
What are the DAP guidelines that are
being observed in the picture?
Everyone knows that the outdoor play
environment has the potential to help children
develop physically, emotionally, socially, and
intellectually. However, children develop at
different rates, and the outdoor area should
not be a "one size fits all" space. In order to
maximize the developmental benefit, the play
area should carefully plan for developmentally
appropriate outdoor learning environments. As
what I’ve observed in the picture above, there
is no doubt that it follows the essential
guidelines for effective teaching in DAP. A
well-designed play area creates a caring
community for learners. This includes making
the outdoor environment a safe space for
children to express themselves, ask questions,
and try out ideas. Next, an appropriately
designed play area should enhance
development and learning. This includes
What are the DAP guidelines that
are being observed in the picture?
The picture above look
unstructured and unorganized. Childre
have a huge possibility that their lives wi
be at risk. The materials and equipmen
seen in the outdoor environment can b
harmful as they explore their curiosity
This should not be implemented becaus
it doesn’t follow the DAP guidelines. As
future teacher, we have a big role to pla
in designing our outdoor play. One o
them is to follow the program’s safet
guidelines to ensure all equipment is i
compliance with safety standards. B
sure to monitor and check the safety an
security of the outdoor space
Furthermore, we should also make sur
that the equipment is safe and th
environment is free from preventabl
risks.  Just as in the classroom, teacher
acknowledging each student's strengths and
challenges and helping to support them.
Parents and teachers can help nurture a
positive outdoor environment by observing
children as they play and encouraging each
child as they explore and try new skills.
must ensure the outdoor environment i
organized for independence, easy use
and learning. Children must be able t
easily access materials and equipmen
that will foster holistic development.

Assess
Determine areas of development for various learning centers, aside from the areas of
development mentioned above. You can do research or you can express it using your own
words. (Cite references)

Outdoor Learning Areas of Development

Center
Children who use their imagination and "play pretend" in
safe and quiet environments are able to learn about their
Quiet area: emotions, what interests them, and how to adapt to
situations. It gives the child a special space just for them,
which may help with self-esteem and building inner
confidence.
The manipulatives center supports learning across all
Manipulative strands. In particular, manipulative play supports
area: communication, where children are encouraged to have
self-talk discussion, and language development. It also
supports spatial awareness, where children develop
working theories about spatial understandings and where
they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking and
reasoning.
Physical play helps to develop a child’s fine and gross
motor skills, socialization, personal awareness, language,
Physical area: creativity and problem solving are improved. Furthermore,
ideal physical play incorporates play with social
interactions and problem solving.
Nature play stimulates creativity and problem solving skills
Nature area: integral to executive function development. Children who
 play and spend time in nature have increased
concentration and cognitive skills. It also offers unrivaled
opportunities for early learners to classify, observe,
explore, and interpret the phenomena around them.
Social play develops social skills that involve turn taking
and following the rules. Besides having fun, children learn
Social area: social skills that include communication, cooperation,
problem-solving, and perspective-taking. Research shows
that social skills help children succeed in school and in life,
too.
The dramatic play area teaches and promotes practical
Dramatic skills such as socio-emotional, physical, cognitive, and
area: language development. When children engage in dramatic
play, they deepen their understanding of the world and
develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

Sensory play encourages learning through exploration,

curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It helps to build
Sensory area: nerve connections in the brain. This leads to a child’s
ability to complete more complex learning tasks and
supports cognitive growth, language development, gross
motor skills, social interaction and problem solving skills.