Students celebrated Outdoor Classroom Day

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play. On May 23, 2019, thousands of schools around the world took their lessons outdoors and prioritised playtime. 

Outdoor learning improves children’s health, engages them with learning and leads to a greater connection with nature. Play not only teaches critical life skills such as resilience, teamwork and creativity, but is central to children’s enjoyment of childhood. 

There are plenty of benefits when you teach children outside the classroom. For instance, an outdoor learning:

• Improves creative thinking.

• Helps with subject understanding.

• Promotes self-awareness and respect.

• Encourages social interactions and helps build healthy relationships.

• Encourages a healthy lifestyle.
  

  To commemorate Outdoor Classroom Day, our LEAF member Ramona Mercieca from Gozo, Malta, shared how they celebrated the day.
  
  ”Our LEAF students had an outdoor lesson in a public garden close to our school. Students carried out various activities among which they made cloud observations and recorded weather elements using Lab disc through the GLOBE program, sat quiet for a few minutes to listen to the sound of nature and also did a tree hugging exercise. Through these actions and related projects the students learnt how important trees are to our planet and hugging them has many benefits such as filling you with positive energy and boosting your mood,” said Ramona Mercieca, Eco-Schools/LEAF link teacher.

To get more news about LEAF Malta, we invite you to read this article “Learning made fun in the great outdoors”, from the Times Malta newspaper.

To know more and get involved in the next Outdoor Classroom Day, please have a look at Outdoor Classroom Day webpage.