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Outdoor Learning Spaces

Pavement near a storm drain painted to show the local watershed.
The pavilion at Stroud Water Research Center with learning stations.
A wooden wall near a lake with viewing windows and educational signs.
Tree stump seating painted with flowers and insects in an outdoor classroom.
A tree stump seat with a bright blue and green dragonfly painting.
An outdoor classroom with tree stump seats and benches.
People sitting on the edge of a brightly painted courtyard with chalk art.
An outdoor classroom with tree stump seats and benches and a chalkboard.
Outdoor classroom with wooden tables and kiosk.
Colorful painted tree stumps serve as seating in an outdoor classroom.

Welcome to Gateway to Green’s outdoor learning space resources library designed to help schools and school districts across Pennsylvania implement outdoor learning projects. Explore our resource library by topic and discover useful guides, videos, websites, articles, and more.

Do you have a resource that would be helpful to include in the library? Please send it to educationprograms@stroudcenter.org!

Designing, Building, and Maintaining Outdoor Learning Spaces

Getting Started

Schoolyard Infrastructure Start-Up Toolkit
Includes step-by-step resources you can use to begin thinking about outdoor learning options and create a campus plan to share and discuss with your school community. (Green Schoolyards America)

Design Tools

Schoolyard Design and Infrastructure
Ideas for establishing and managing outdoor classroom infrastructure and facilities to bring lessons and learning, meal service, and other school programs outdoors. (Green Schoolyards America)
Model My Watershed
Analyze mapped watershed data, visualize monitoring data, and run model simulations of human impacts on water quality.
  • Schoolyard Infrastructure Start-Up Toolkit: Outdoor Learning Diagram (Green Schoolyards America): Google Slides | PowerPoint | PDF

Build

Making a Green Schoolyard Out of Natural Building Materials
These California schools are utilizing natural building materials, such as milled lumber and bamboo, to give students a green schoolyard. (Mother Earth News)

Maintenance

Managing Outdoor Spaces
It is important to think about how your school will manage outdoor spaces as your team is creating plans for moving classes and programs outside. (Green Schoolyards America)
Asphalt to Ecosystems book cover image

Danks, S. G. (2010). Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation. New Village Press.

Amazon | IndieBound

Moving the Classroom Outdoors book cover

Broda, H. W. (2011). Moving the Classroom Outdoors: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning in Action. Stenhouse Publishers.

Amazon

Designing Outdoor Environments for Children book cover

Tai, L., Haque, M., McClellan, G., & Knight, E. (2006). Designing Outdoor Environments for Children: Landscaping School Yards, Gardens and Playgrounds. McGraw Hill.

Amazon | IndieBound

Nature Play at Home book cover

Triniste, N. (2019). Nature Play at Home: Creating Outdoor Spaces that Connect Children with the Natural World. Timber Press.

Amazon | IndieBound

Transforming Your Outdoor Earlyy Learning Environment book cover

Daly, L. (2022). Transforming Your Outdoor Early Learning Environment. Redleaf Press.

Amazon | IndieBound

Teach, Learn, Grow: The Value of Green Infrastructure in Schoolyards (U.S. EPA)
Creating Outdoor Spaces: The Infrastructure of Living Schoolyards (Green Schoolyards America)
Improving Schoolyards for Outdoor Environmental Education and Stewardship (Stroud Water Research Center)
  • Preschool Outdoor Play and Learning Environments: Best Practice Toolkit (Natural Learning Initiative)
  • Campus Assessment Tool for Outdoor Learning Infrastructure (Green Schoolyards America)
  • Outdoor Infrastructure Planning Strategies for Taking Learning Outside (Green Schoolyards America)
  • Transforming Philadelphia’s Schoolyards (Philadelphia Water Department)

Accessibility, Equity, and Inclusion

A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
It is important to understand the long-standing history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. (Native Governance Center)
Territory Acknowledgement
Territory acknowledgement is a way that people insert an awareness of Indigenous presence and land rights in everyday life. It can be a subtle way to recognize the history of colonialism and a need for change in settler colonial societies. (Native Land Digital)
Health Benefits and Guidance
Research overwhelmingly supports that being in and interacting with nature improves health and well-being. These benefits extend throughout the lifespan. (Green Schoolyards America)
Address Systemic Inequities in School Infrastructure
The vast disparity in school facility investment and maintenance is one of the most visible ways that systemic inequities are expressed in the United States. (Green Schoolyards America)
Inclusive Design for Outdoor Spaces
Students of all abilities attend public school. It is essential to consider students with special needs from the very beginning of the planning process to ensure a universal design results. (Green Schoolyards America)

Benefits: Learning, Health, and Wellbeing

Smiling children on a playground in India
Benefits of Nature
View 100+ resources, including articles and downloadables, relating to the benefits of nature. (Children and Nature Network)
Children planting trees.
Health and Wellbeing
View 50+ resources, including articles and downloadables, relating to children’s health and wellbeing. (Children and Nature Network)
Health Benefits and Guidance
Research overwhelmingly supports that being in and interacting with nature improves health and well-being. These benefits extend throughout the lifespan. (Green Schoolyards America)

Cover image of Schools That Heal: Design With Mental Health in Mind

Latané, C. (2021). Schools That Heal: Design With Mental Health in Mind. Island Press.

Amazon | IndieBound

Cover image of Balanced and Barefoot book.

Hanscom, A. J., & Louv, R. (2016). Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children. New Harbinger Publications.

Amazon | IndieBound

Nature as Therapy book cover image.

Roost, J. (2016). Nature as Therapy: Using the Great Outdoors as a Therapeutic and Educational Tool. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Amazon

Mindfulness & Nature-Based Therapeutic Techniques for Children cover image.

Fisher, C. (2019). Mindfulness & Nature-Based Therapeutic Techniques for Children: Creative Activities for Emotion Regulation, Resilience and Connectedness. Pesi Publishing & Media.

Amazon | IndieBound

Vitamin N book cover image.

Louv, R. (2016). Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life. Algonquin Books.

Amazon | IndieBound

Conservation

Plants

Regional Plant Lists for Children’s Outdoor Environments
Plant lists developed with children’s outdoor environments in mind, using plants adapted to regional climates. (Green Schoolyards America)
How to Plant a Small Containerized Seedling (Stroud Water Research Center)
  • 20 Ways to Protect Your Stream & Your Streamside Property (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection)

Soil

Soil Education
Soil-related educational resources for students. (Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Pennsylvania Soil Health Coalition
Promoting best management practices that improve soil health through communication, collaboration, and education.
Pa. Soil Health Coalition Resources
Explore videos, articles, downloads and other resources aggregated from our members. Farmer testimonial videos, educational resources and inspirational material are compiled in this collection.
  • Building Healthy Soils in Home Gardens (Stroud Water Research Center)

Water

WikiWatershed: Freshwater Stewardship Web Tools
Helping citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students advance freshwater knowledge and stewardship.
Living Schoolyards for Stormwater Management (California Stormwater Board)
Living Schoolyards as Stormwater Infrastructure: Presentation 1 (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission)
Living Schoolyards as Stormwater Infrastructure: Presentation 1 (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission)
  • Implementing Green Stormwater Infrastructure on Schoolyards (The Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange)
  • Guidelines for Maintaining Streams in Your Community (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection)
  • Green City, Clean Waters: Green Schoolyards for Stormwater Management (Philadelphia Water Department)
  • Guide to Green Stormwater Infrastructure (Brandywine Conservancy and Brandywine Red Clay Alliance)

Wildlife

Schoolyard Habitats Pathway
Schoolyard habitats are the perfect space for students to learn how to attract and support local wildlife while also improving our environment and overall health. (National Wildlife Federation)
Nature's Best Hope book cover

Tallamy, D. (2020). Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. Timber Press.

Amazon | IndieBound

Bringing Nature Home book cover

Tallamy, D. (2009). Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife With Native Plants. Timber Press.

Amazon | IndieBound

The Living Landscape book cover

Darke, R., & Tallamy, D. W. (2015). The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden. Timber Press.

Amazon | IndieBound

  • Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
  • Schoolyard Habitat Planning Guide (National Wildlife Federation)
  • Habitat Gardening for Wildlife (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
  • Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

Funding

Policy Guidance and Funding
Examples of school district and state agency policies and funding sources that promote outdoor learning spaces. (Green Schoolyards America)
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection logo
Environmental Education Grants
Each year, Pennsylvania invests in its schools, colleges and universities, county conservation districts, nonprofit organizations and businesses to improve environmental literacy among youth and adults. (Pa. Department of Environmental Protection)
Outdoor Classroom Challenge
Schools across the country can join the challenge to develop a meaningful outdoor classroom and learning space. A $10K Grand Prize will be awarded to enhance an existing space or build a new space. (Project Green Schools)
Schoolyard Greening Grants
Find out about public grants which fund schoolyard greening. (Green Schoolyards America)
Tips for Successful Grant Proposals (Stroud Water Research Center)
  • Outdoor Classroom Infrastructure Cost Calculator [EXCEL] (Green Schoolyards America)

Teaching Outdoors

Education Outdoors
You will need to prepare teachers to teach outside, provide curriculum support, and provide guidance on how to manage students in what can be a distracting space. (Green Schoolyards America)
Schoolyard Activities
A set of free, digital schoolyard Activity Guides, designed to provide a wide range of outdoor activity ideas for schools that work with children between the ages of 3 and 18 years old. (Green Schoolyards America)
Outdoor Classroom Challenge
Schools across the country can join the challenge to develop a meaningful outdoor classroom and learning space. A $10K Grand Prize will be awarded to enhance an existing space or build a new space. (Project Green Schools)
WikiWatershed Curricula
Find curriculum to help you use Model My Watershed and the Runoff Simulation with middle and high school students and college classes. (WikiWatershed)
Schoolyard Enhanced Learning book cover

Broda, H. W. (2006). Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning: Using the Outdoors as an Instructional Tool, K-8. Stenhouse Publishers.

Amazon | IndieBound

  • Best Practices for Teaching in the School Garden (Education Outside)
  • International School Grounds Month Activity Guide (International School Grounds Alliance)
  • Living Schoolyard Activity Guide (Green Schoolyards America)
  • Nature Play at Home: A Guide for Boosting Your Children’s Healthy Development and Creativity (National Wildlife Federation and Natural Learning Initiativ)

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