National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative
Welcome to the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative’s free library of ideas and resources designed to support you in using the outdoors for learning during the pandemic and beyond. The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative was co-founded by Green Schoolyards America; the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley; San Mateo County Office of Education; and Ten Strands. The extensive National Outdoor Learning Library below was written by hundreds of subject matter experts from around the country, from many different fields, who volunteered thousands of hours in 2020-2021 to create guidance for education stakeholders as they consider options for safely returning students to in-person schooling. Please see more information at the bottom of this page about this collaborative national effort.
We hope you will help us share this information widely. We also invite you to join us by participating in our free, bi-weekly Community of Practice meetings for schools and districts across the country that are working to take learning outdoors this year. Some of these meetings are recorded and are available on the Community of Practice page.
National Outdoor Learning Library
Practical Resources for Taking School Outside
During the Pandemic and Beyond
The items below are chapters in our free online resource library, designed to help schools and districts move their classes and programs outside as a way to address the COVID-19 pandemic — and as an investment in the future of a richer educational environment for children of all ages.
We invite you to click on the photographs or titles of each chapter below to access a wealth of information on each topic. To view the library’s Table of Contents, click the button to the right.
Access Chapters
© THOMAS KUOH PHOTOGRAPHY, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
INTRODUCTION
If this is your first visit to our webpage or you are looking for materials to share the overall idea with colleagues, this is a great place to start reading. This chapter includes the overall rationale for taking learning outside, strategies for “getting to yes” to begin the work, and ideas to engage the community. It also provides background about our National Initiative, our equity statement, and partners.
© Annette Huddle, San Francisco Botanical Garden
HEALTH GUIDANCE
Most health-related guidance during the pandemic has focused on indoor spaces. This chapter addresses how to reduce virus transmission using outdoor environments for learning and play, with specific attention to promoting health and educational equity. It also explores how to create healthier school environments and introduces the health benefits of nature and being outdoors.
© DEREK PIERCE, CASCO BAY HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
CASE STUDIES
What does it look like to reopen outside? Some schools and districts across the country reopened in summer and fall 2020, using outdoor learning to create effective academic environments that improve health and well-being for students and teachers. The case studies in this chapter share examples from a wide variety of climates around the country and include exemplars at the state, county, district, and school scales.
© Yasaman Sohrabi, Golestan Education
CREATING OUTDOOR SPACES
School classes and programs can move learning outdoors into the fresh air on school grounds and in local parks and other public spaces. This extensive chapter provides detailed site design and planning frameworks for outdoor infrastructure, cost estimating and visualization tools, strategies for managing variable weather, information about our design volunteer program, regional plant guides, and many other comprehensive resources.
© Paige green
EDUCATION OUTDOORS
Need more information, ideas, and strategies for teaching outside? The outdoor learning, green schoolyard, and school garden fields have decades of experience to share. This chapter explores planning strategies and resources related to setting up and managing successful outdoor learning initiatives. Information in this section includes staffing, scheduling, teaching, learning, meals, recess, school gardens, and other programs.
© MARIA DURANA, SAN FRANCISCO RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT
POLICY GUIDANCE AND FUNDING
Across the United States, government agencies, public health authorities, and educational institutions are publishing guidance about how to reopen schools during the pandemic. This chapter contains a collection of policy examples from around the country that include recommendations to move classes and programs outside during the pandemic, as well as other school district and state agency policies and funding sources that promote long-term, system adoption of green schoolyards and outdoor learning.
Get Involved
© DREW KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY
OUTDOOR LEARNING IN THE NEWS
We have been tracking articles published about outdoor learning as a COVID-19 response since June 2020. This section of our library focuses on the wide range of stories, perspectives, and reopening strategies being used in the United States and abroad. It also includes references for media coverage the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative has received.
© Thomas Kuoh Photography
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE Moving learning outside is a collaborative undertaking, best accomplished with a team of colleagues! We would like to invite you to participate in our free bi-weekly Zoom meeting for schools and districts across the country that are working to take learning outdoors this year. Every other Tuesday at 11:00 am PST, we convene a Community of Practice that is an open discussion forum for schools, school districts, and county and state education departments from around the country that would like to share information with one another as they move forward with their outdoor learning plans. Click here for more information and recorded presentations.
© Lauren Ford, Arlington, Virginia
WE INVITE YOU TO SHARE YOUR WORK!
Is your school or district going outside this year? We would love to hear more about it. Please use this link to tell us more about your work. (Coming soon!)
WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HELP?
The National Initiative’s Emergency Schoolyard Design Volunteers program provides pro bono landscape planning assistance designed to help schools and districts consider their outdoor infrastructure needs and create initial site diagrams to build consensus.
National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative
The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative supports schools and districts around the country in their efforts to reopen safely and equitably using outdoor spaces as strategic, cost-effective tools to increase physical distancing capacity onsite and provide access to abundant fresh air. The Initiative seeks to equitably improve learning, mental and physical health, and happiness for children and adults using an affordable, time-tested outdoor approach to keeping schools open during a pandemic.
The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative was co-founded by Green Schoolyards America; the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley; San Mateo County Office of Education; and Ten Strands. The extensive National Outdoor Learning Library above was written by hundreds of subject matter experts from around the country, from many different fields, who volunteered thousands of hours in 2020-2021 to create guidance for education stakeholders as they consider options for safely returning students to in-person schooling.
We are focusing on outdoor learning because we know that distance learning massively exacerbates the inequities in our education system. Almost a year into the pandemic, there are still too many students who do not have access to computers and reliable broadband and who live in settings that are not conducive to remote learning. For these students in particular, and all students in general, we are asking school district and site leaders to consider using—or continue using—their outdoor spaces for learning, because outdoor environments have much lower virus transmission rates than indoor spaces. Repurposing outdoor spaces is also a cost-effective way to reduce the burden on indoor classrooms while providing fresh air, hands-on learning opportunities, and the health benefits associated with increased access to nature.
For more information about the National Initiative, please see our library’s Introduction chapter, above.