Taking your English Classroom Outdoors!

Students love to explore – they are instinctive scientists. They observe better than most and outdoor learning can be one of the most fun ways to teach your class. When you step outside your classroom there are endless learning possibilities. Here are 6 different ways you can move your class to the great outdoors!

1. Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt

Give students a vocabulary list for your new unit and have students look for items on their list as they walk your school grounds. Inspire students to be creative in finding the items on their list. For example, they might take a picture of a classmate with hair blowing in the breeze to illustrate the word “windy.”

2. Story Writing Time

When writing a story sometimes the best way to inspire students is to take them to the setting. Have your students sit under a tree or on a rock or on the school oval and let nature help them with explaining what they can see, hear, smell and feel in the great outdoors.

Whatever they write, it will likely be one of your most memorable class periods of the entire year.

3. Outside Reading 

Books are portable and that means that you can read them anywhere! So why not get your class together, grab out their book to read and head out to read in the fresh air.

4. Quiz Baseball

It’s like baseball – but better!

Get ready to have a great time! First get your questions ready – you need a lot! Split into two teams. 

Team 1 "pitches" a question to the batter for them to answer.

If the batter gets the question right, they go to first base. You can also rank the questions in terms of difficulty, you could have singles, doubles, triples and home runs!

If the batter gets the question wrong, they "strike out". 

You can keep score and have a great time! 

5. I Spy! 

An oldie but a goodie. Go for a walk and give the first letter of something you can see.

6. Photo Scavenger Hunt

Give students a list of things you want to be photographed outside and let them go. 

Teaching outside can really open your students up to a world of creativity. If you have any other ideas for teaching outside pop them up in the Mighty Minds Teacher group  – we would love to hear from you!