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Outdoor Classroom

We all know the importance of fresh air and exercise. But for children, there’s an additional bonus. Not only do they experience a healthy lifestyle by the simple act of being, but they learn about and experience nature the way it was meant to be experienced. Directly. And for students at our Walnut Creek location, we offer a unique program.

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Our outdoor classroom is based on recent research findings which stress the importance of a child engaging all facets of their development throughout the day—physically and emotionally as well as mentally. Because children are fundamentally complex, these aspects of their development need to be emphasized in a balanced and fully integrated fashion. Our outdoor classroom program stresses both play and exercise while still focusing on academic learning, in a setting which allows them to appreciate the diversity of nature. It evolves from their very real needs and addresses developmental activities necessary for healthy and well-rounded children.

Why Our Outdoor Classroom Program?

​While we do stress a wide array of hands on activities, we’ve also found many activities can be performed outdoors as well as indoors. In fact, some activities are best and can only occur outdoors. Our outdoors program provides a full range of activities for children to participate in, including academics, physical exercise and social skills. There’s not only a balance of areas for physically active and less active play, but children have the opportunity to initiate their own learning experiences and activities with full support from our teachers. Our outdoor curriculum evolves with children’s changing needs and allows them to experience nature in as many ways as possible.

Benefits of the Outdoor Classroom

  • Increases physical development, capability, and activity

  • Helps build stronger language, problem-solving, and communication skills through projects and group activity

  • Fosters learning through control and personal responsibility

  • Helps create higher, more positive self-esteem

  • Creates an effective relationship building in a cooperative, non-competitive environment

  • Builds a healthy and balanced internal psychology from time spent alone

  • Children can develop a greater appreciation of nature with a wider, more expansive view of how the world works

  • Helps promote wider environmental awareness

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