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Journal Critique #1
“Learning in the Outdoor Environment: A Missed Opportunity?”
Abby Schwendeman
EDUC130—Introduction to Early Childhood
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The effects of outdoor learning on elementary-aged students are investigated in Trisha
Maynard and Jane Waters’s article “Learning in the Outdoor Environment: A Missed
Opportunity?” featured in Early Years, in October of 2007. Maynard and Waters argue that the
outdoor environment helps encourage students’ imaginations, pique their curiosity, and can teach
more developed problem solving skills. Unfortunately, many schools in Wales are not allowing
adequate unstructured playtime outdoors for students, and classroom lessons are rarely
incorporated outdoors. The Foundation Phase is a newly implemented program in Wales that
will help encourage outdoor learning in students aged three to seven and will advocate for more
play-based learning opportunities. This program is currently piloted in forty-two settings, and
will be a country-wide program by the year 2010.
After observing four school environments participating in the program, it was discovered
that “there are limitations to the highly managed and essentially risk-free play often found in
school yards… and that additional benefits may be derived by play in natural outdoor
environments” (Maynard & Waters, 2007). Blacktop surfaces and playground equipment do not
offer the same creative opportunities for students as natural environments do. One school
participating in the study, while allowing students to have free-time outdoors, also planned trips
to the local beach in cooperation with parent volunteers. This helped students to experience
genuine natural environments and not just the synthetic, human-made parks and playgrounds.
The authors of this article stress the importance of natural environments and unstructured play in
the outdoor setting:
The rich, sensory, natural environment not only supports children’s own investigations
but also provides an ideal contest for group activities in which the development of
knowledge, concepts, and skills from across the ‘curriculum’ are embedded within
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authentic, purposeful and often real life tasks—examples include building dens, creating
a pond area, clearing a path through undergrowth and growing food crops.
Proponents of the Foundation Phase program hope that more similar programs will start
sprouting up around the United Kingdom, as well as globally.
I feel that programs such as the Foundation Phase program would be beneficial in the
United States. Students’ time outdoors is being severely limited—both by school and by
technology and television. It seems ludicrous that recess and playtime is being taken away from
students and that they are expected to focus all day in closed-in classrooms. I feel that if students
were allowed to go outside to natural environments, or if classes were taken outside for class
activities/lessons, that students would be less-stressed and more “childlike.” When in nature,
children are able to be themselves and are not forced to conform to harsh regulations that schools
often impose in classrooms.
After reading this article, I feel that it will be imperative for me to allow my elementaryaged students to explore the great outdoors. It not only is a great stress reliever and lets students
run off their excess energy, but students also can learn valuable lessons from nature. I plan on
not only allowing outdoor recesses (if the weather and school permits) but also incorporating
lessons into my curriculum that allow students to get outside and get some fresh air. The
outdoors can be a great teaching tool and I feel that more teachers need to utilize it in their
curriculum.
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References
Maynard, T., & Waters, J. (2007, October). Learning in the outdoor environment: a missed
opportunity?. Early Years: Journal of International Research & Development, 27(3),
255-265. Retrieved March 1, 2009, doi:10.1080/09575140701594400