Math
Numbers:
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Count trees, leaves, bricks on the school wall, cars in the parking lot,
anything outdoors instead of manipulatives indoors.
Count the number of insects or dandelions found in a hula-hoop thrown on
the lawn.
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Identify types of leaves, most types, biggest, smallest, compare
Identify types of trees, most, biggest, smallest, compare, characteristics
Identify types of trees that stay green in the winter
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Count number of types of trees, types of birds, etc.
Count pinecones, sticks, bugs, worms
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Sort leaves, seeds, animals based on family characteristics (fish,
mammals, birds, reptiles, etc)
Sort sticks or rocks from the parking lot into groups by size, color, etc.
Data gathering
Counting
Sorting
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Collect and graph data
 Weather: temperature/cloud cover/precipitation
 Identify types of tree species in an area (tree survey)
 Identify types of animal species in an area (wildlife survey)
 Collect data from birds at the bird feeder, number of seeds in a sunflower
or pumpkin, etc. Use this info to find averages by mean, median, mode,
and how they (birds) vary by seasons
 Measure the average distance students can throw a beanbag. Measure the
shadow of a meter stick or the teacher, and graph how it changes weekly
during the year.
 Record temperature, rainfall, wind direction, snow depth. Compare
seasonal changes.
 Make graphs on outdoor courtyards, sidewalks, or brick walls, using
colored chalk, rather then drawing them on paper
Geometry
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Use a compass to make a 3600 circle
Find different shapes in nature
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Calculate height of trees using triangle method
Calculate the height of a tree whose top is out of reach. There are several
ways to do it using triangles. Compare like triangles with shadows of
person compared to tree, use protractor to find 45’ angle and distance from
base, count pencils heights at distance, etc.
Compare different units of volume and weight using snow, water, sand,
etc.
Measurement
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Measure stump or tree to find circumference, radius, diameter
Measure area of a portion of land
Estimating activities – distance, height, weight, volume
Measure windows, doorways, sidewalk blocks, bricks, parking spaces,
playground, etc, as well as trees, plants, and animal tracks.
Find length, width, height, area, perimeter, temperature
Measure amount of board feet in a tree and cost per board foot
Measure size of prairie, forest or wetland plot
Measure velocity of water in a stream (time/distance of a floating stick), a
person (or ball) down the slide, or a student running.
Estimate distances across and around a schoolyard by pacing, then
measure with tape measure
Compare different units of volume and weight using snow, water, sand,
etc.
Language Arts
Language
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Develop a language bank to increase student‘s nature vocabulary by
identifying things in nature
Play the alphabet game outside, looking for things that start with the letter
a, b, c… Or look for adjectives that describe trees, rocks, etc.
Read and write different forms of poetry based upon an outdoor topic.
Read and write biographies of environmental leaders. There are many lists
of children’s environmental literature by grade level. Every topic can be
matched with a fiction or non-fiction book.
Reading
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Read a book about nature or have students read outside
Read for information using field guides
Non-fiction - information about plants, animals, ecosystems, etc.
Fiction and non-fiction poetry and prose about nature
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Parts of Speech
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Noun Hunt-walk through an area and find nouns (verbs, adjectives,
adverbs, etc.)
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Writing: use descriptive writing to describe “things” in nature
Poetry: conduct a poetry lesson or have students create poems in journals
Inquiry: writing questions about things you want to know about.
Informational writing: learn about something and write what about what
has been discovered; interpretive signs to describe places in the nature
area.
Perspective: write from the viewpoint of an ant, a flower, a squirrel, etc.
Writing
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Science
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Simply study the many wonders of nature through observation.
Examples: weather, rocks, insects, water, soil, erosion, land forms, pond
studies etc.
Social Studies
History:
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Develop a history of area
Find out what kind of trees are in your schoolyard and investigate the history
of their use by people. (Logging, maple syrup, paper production, baseball bats,
pencils? Also, investigate what natural resources caused your community to
be founded at that site. (Waterways, farmland, stone quarry, landforms?)
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Investigate the economic concepts of supply and demand, producers and
consumers, scarcity, want vs. needs, competition and choice as they relate to
the lives of a squirrel or birds at the feeder. Compare them to a person.
Make a Venn diagram showing the similarities and differences.
Economics:
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Geography
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Create maps of various outdoor areas
Map the geography of the land
Find an follow a butterfly and map where it goes in the winter
Study landforms and determine how they have changed over time by natural
and human causes
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Civics:
 Investigate the social organization (government) of an anthill or bee hive.
 Compare the roles and responsibilities to human communities (families,
towns, states, etc.)
Physical Education
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Hiking in the woods or area around school
Snowshoeing, cross country skiing, hiking
Adaptive Physical Education in the Outdoor Classroom
Most of the games, exercises, tests, etc. that are done in the gym or
classroom can be done outdoors in most weather conditions.
Hold an “IKIDerod” dogsled race. Organize teams, get some plastic
toboggans, measure a course, hitch up the “dogs” and hit the trail.
Art
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Draw, paint, sketch natural objects
Make sculptures using natural objects
Make mosaics/collages using natural objects
Use digital cameras and video cameras to photograph nature
Organize the principles of art around grade level environmental topics,
such as kindergarten - trees, Grade 1 – insects, etc.
Observation of nature can be prerequisite for many art topics.
Study artists who were inspired by nature.
Design and build (temporary or permanent) outdoor art in school gardens,
courtyards, sidewalks, murals, etc.
Music
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Listen for sounds made by various “song birds”
Record birds songs from the feeders. Duplicate them with musical
instruments.
Compose a “Rockin’ Robin” concert using Orff instruments to represent
different birdcalls.
Make instruments from natural materials (rocks, sticks, water in
containers). The same can be done with frog calls (MN frog sounds
available online) or rainstorms.
Hold an environmental concert outdoors
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Special Education
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Recognize that outdoor learning engages more senses than indoor learning
in a classroom. This will keep ADHD students more involved and on task.
Unstructured play in the outdoors can be used not only as a reward, but as
a defusing mechanism for students with special needs. Set simple
guidelines (including safety and adult supervision), but allow as much
freedom as possible for exercise, mental stimulation and private time
without the pressure and constraints of social interaction.
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