How to do Outdoor Learning Within the Neighborhood

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Luckily both my daughter and I are nature loving people! We love to be outside more than staying indoors. We are grateful to the almighty and what he has given us in this world to explore.

Outdoor learning is a general term for any organized educational activity that takes place outside. Outdoor learning may be but is not limited to environmental studies. However, we also consider outdoor learning to be any activity outdoors in which educational standards are taught. So whatever we explore outside the four walls with nature we call it outdoor learning.

I have a 2-year-old so you can imagine it’s really great to get connected with nature and to be outdoors rather than indoors. If you ask me which tool keeps us active outdoors, I would say the curiosity within me as well as my kid. When you kindle the curiosity factor within kids, they will love to learn from things available outdoors. So today I am here to share with you our routine we do to spend time and learn in the neighborhood.

My community is a gated one, and I would say it offers the best opportunities to spend outdoors within the neighborhood. We usually go for a nature walk on Fridays. While we go on the nature walk we love to explore. We carry a small bucket/basket with us to collect things while going on a nature walk.

We collect the stuff and bring them back to the observation table which is also outdoors. We discuss the collection for the day and speak about the texture, size, usage, etc. We enjoy our nature time and love to explore!

A Trip to the Pool

Usually, people go to the pool to swim. But we go to the pool to learn and do water play. We start with leaving our legs inside the pool by sitting on the edge. Later we do water play like transferring water from one cup to another and then pouring it back into the pool!

Sidewalk Chalk

This is one of the most used items for our outdoor learning. We love using sidewalk chalk to recreate things! We speak about what to work on. My child gives the ideas, and we try to create it. Alhamdulillah, this is one of the works we did recently with her friends.

One of the best gifts we can give our kids is to treat nature with respect and care. Kids also should appreciate nature. Outdoor learning gifts us with so many lessons and opportunities to learn, value and respect.

Bird Watching

We have a lake within our community where we can see Canadian geese and ducks. We try to feed them whenever we see them. Then we try to hear the voices of the birds and identify them with the list we have with us. Later we try to count the birds, name them, and then speak more about the birds.

Train Watching

Luckily we are near the railway track where the goods train uses the track. We love watching them. We love counting the goods train and trying to name the containers.

Not for a single moment in our lives have we worried even for a single moment in our life that we aren’t able to travel far to do outdoor learning. We use the objects available within the neighborhood to enjoy outdoor learning.

I encourage each and everyone to use the neighborhood to learn Outdoor Learning. Please do share with us what all you do enjoy within your neighborhood!

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Outdoor Learning: Bringing Education Outside One Lesson at a Time

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Salma Mehajabeen

Salma Mehajabeen is the mommy of Baby A and she is her world. Natural mamma who breastfeeds exclusively, does cloth diapering, babywearing with almighty’s grace. In general, she is following attachment parenting which is a culture of India. This was followed without theories and no teaching. With a decent amount of research trying her best to practise them. Basically, a bioengineer who worked until baby A was in this earth and now taken a break to take care of the baby. She is a mumma’s girl and daddy’s princess and gifted where she grew up with her loving sister and brother who stand with her even now. Maa shaa allah Married to Mr. F and now trying to settle down in the US to experience the western world with the grace of almighty!

Latest posts by Salma Mehajabeen (see all)

• Knock Knock! Ramadan is on its Way - May 6, 2019
• How to do Outdoor Learning Within the Neighborhood - April 12, 2019
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