What: Getting to natural spaces can be a major barrier, but the challenges are not all about proximity or location. Thinking about what it takes for classes to access spaces or equipment, and the policies that govern access, can help remove barriers and make access easier.
How: Consider what teachers need to do to get from their classroom to natural areas, what they need to do to get equipment to use outside, and the policies or guidelines that control those actions or processes.
Increase access to outdoor spaces:
- If there is not a lot of green or outdoor space on the school grounds, consider enhancing existing spaces or finding alternatives. Look for underused spots on the school ground that could be enhanced to provide more opportunities. Add garden boxes to blacktop, create mini-parks in parking spots, or line the sidewalk or building with plants. See Develop Outdoor Spaces for ideas. Look for a park or other green space near the school that students could walk to. See if it is possible in your district to have parents sign one permission form for repeated access to a specific nearby space rather than needing to get individual permission forms each time. If it is too far to go to all the time, make a plan to go once a week or every other week. If the nearby space is not ideal for learning, consider having students help plan ways to develop the space to make a park for the community. This can be a great focus for planning, communicating, and writing, and can be a meaningful way for students to engage with and contribute to their school neighborhood.
- If there are areas of the school yard that need to be fenced in and locked (a garden, a pond, etc.), consider having a key for each teacher/staff, or several keys in the main office that teachers can check out, or using a lock with a keypad instead of a physical key. Consider whether the lock is really necessary (for example, for students’ safety, or to keep deer out of the garden) or whether it could be replaced with a latch that would maintain the perimeter but increase access.
- Many schools have multiple doors, but safety-focused policies that limit when and how they can be used. If the school policy is that everyone must enter and exit through the main doors, it can mean that classes have to travel farther to get outside. If there are doors closer to outdoor spaces, discuss with staff/administration whether there is any flexibility in the policy that could increase access – could teachers have keys to exterior classroom doors? Could someone on the inside open a door to let a class back in? Could the class leave through a back door even if they need to return through the main door? Increasing direct access can reduce transition times and make it easier to get students outside.
- Consider the path each class takes to get from their classroom to outdoor spaces. If there are distractions or obstacles on the way (for example, walking past the cafeteria when other students are at lunch, or past the gym while other classes are playing exciting games), this can reduce students’ focus and increase the time it takes to transition outside. Consider whether there is another path through the school that could avoid the obstacle, or practice dealing with the obstacle as part of the class Routine (p. XX).
Increasing access to equipment:
- What do teachers need to do to get outdoor equipment? Are chairs/tables/playground equipment/pop-tents/etc. stored outdoors or do teachers need to bring them out each time they want to use them? Do teachers have independent access to equipment closets or sheds, or do they need to find the person with the key each time? If equipment needs to be locked up, consider giving each teacher a key or using a keypad lock to increase access. Have several smaller sheds/boxes for equipment spread around the schoolyard so classes can easily get equipment in several locations instead of carrying everything to and from a single large shed.
Policies to support access:
- What do teachers need to do before they take a class outside? Do they need to sign out or alert the main office? Allowing remote sign-out options instead of in-person can remove a step from the transition process and give teachers more options. Consider having teachers call the office, or a digital sign out form, or a paper sign out form at each of the available exits.
- What do teachers need to take when they go outside? Are they required to take a first aid kit or walkie-talkie? Reducing the amount of materials teachers must take for activities in the schoolyard, and having pre-packaged kits available to pick up at each exit or for each room, can help reduce the time and planning that is required to take students outside.
- Many schools have safety-focused policies about when students can or cannot go outside. For example, schools may decide that students can’t go outside when the temperature is below a cut- off, or not at the end of the day so a concussion observation protocol can be finished before busses leave if a student falls. These policies are important for student safety, but consider whether policies are simple cut-offs or can vary for different activities. During cold weather, perhaps students can go outside for a physically active team-building activity but not for activities where they sit still for an extended time. At the end of the day, perhaps students are not allowed to do activities with a higher risk of falls/concussions than typical indoor activities, but could go outside for independent reading in a sit-spot. Discuss with staff/administrators to find a reasonable balance between safety and opportunity.
When: Anytime
Who: Teachers, staff, administrators
Materials: Keys, sign-out options
Why: Even small barriers to access can prevent classes from going outside, especially when combined with other barriers. Making it easier for teachers to access outdoor spaces and equipment can help increase the time students spend outdoors.
Barriers Addressed: Develop Outdoor Spaces; Getting There; Medical Concerns; Policies; Transport; Weather