Teaching your students outdoors is not edgy pedagogy, or an attempt to launch a rebellion, it is only perceived as a good practice.

The concept of teaching outdoors is not new. Humans, as a species, have gradually evolved to study nature and learn outdoors. For hundreds and thousands of years, humans have actively derived knowledge from experience alongside nature. Not long ago in the path of our evolution, children were expected to learn within the four walls of a room, under fluorescent lights. Here are five ways you can make learning outside the classroom more exciting for your students.

Make geometry fun and interesting.

Ask your students to step out of their classrooms and allow them to identify various geometric shapes and ask them to measure angles in all the corners of the school. Make them draw their geometric discoveries and ask them to label their creations accordingly.

Make them walk barefoot on the grass.

Before you ask your students to sit down, make them remove their shoes and walk barefoot on the grass for about two to three minutes. This technique helps reduce stress and eliminates negativity. The electrons present on earth get transferred to the body, and in turn, the negative ones are absorbed by the earth, and also get neutralized, leaving the minds of your students open for imagination.

Teach them to identify compass directions

Teach your young students ways to identify cardinal directions. You can split them into groups and make each group walk up to a certain point within the school boundaries and your eyesight, and ask them to chalk out the correct compass direction on the ground – North, South, East, or West. You can also make the activity a little difficult by adding North East, South East, South West, and North West.

Encourage them to make nature journal entries.

Have your students sit outside and observe whatever they like - birds, ants, butterflies, or caterpillars and ask them to write a creative story about everything they observe. You must instruct them to use their own imagination and positional words while recording their journal entries. If a particular student prefers sketching to writing, ask them to draw whatever caught their attention. This teaching tool outside the classroom can be a brilliant idea, especially if you have students who love poetry, art, or nature.

Teach gardening

Begin a garden patch with your students by collaborating with a local gardening or nature club. Teach your students about the dos and don’ts of gardening, the life cycle of plants, and how they can make the planet greener.

Children love nature. So, do give this cool teaching method a shot!