Educators struggle with prioritizing working on discreet academic skills and letting children be and play. The ability to know and articulate the benefits of academic and play will help find the balance and boost educator agency (in my opinion). Often, outdoor educators describe how the students in their class are better regulated and have an increased capacity to focus on their class work after time outside. However, I have had others tell me that going outside, especially to just play, is a waste of time. Therefore, it is important to be able to articulate what happens when students have the opportunity to go outside and why it is important to learning outcomes.
Based on my own observations going outside leads to stunning improvements in writing ability and class participation, but my own observations are not necessarily enough of a reason for me to spend the amount of time that I do outside teaching kids to play. There is lots of literature into the benefits of free play, and this post will focus on the literature around sensory integration..
Sensory integration involves coordinated communication between sensory systems. Each system takes in information from our environment to help us plan and accomplish tasks (Sensory Integration Education, n.d.). Two of these systems, vestibular (located in the inner ear) and proprioceptor (located in the muscles and tendons), are developed through movement. The vestibular system is developed through rolling, spinning, rocking, sliding, and swinging (Jensen, 1998; https://www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/pages/what-is-si). The vestibular system is involved with balance, stabilizes our bodies and eyes, and reduces anxiety. The proprioceptor system processes information through touch, tells us where we are in space, assists balance, and keeps us calm and focused. Practical implications of it's development include and are not limited to telling us where to sit, how tight to hold a pencil, and how to use our eyes to track our writing. It is developed and regulated through pushing, pulling, stretching, and lifting. (Again, see videos from https://www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/pages/what-is-si for more information). The take home message here is that the systems that help us actively participate in the classroom are developed through activities that require gross motor involvement, not just sitting at a table perfecting a pencil grasp.
As I stated above, I have observed that students' writing skills improve along with their coordination faster when I go outside on a regular basis. I attribute this to increased sensory integration (the two sensory systems listed above working together). I estimate that it only takes approximately 3-4 weeks (six-eight trips) of regular trips outside for students to begin to be calmer, less likely to run into each other, fall off benches, or trip while standing in line. This is most likely because increased movement causes physical changes in the brain and helps the development of smoother movement of information along neural pathways according to neuroscientists Norman Doige (2008) and Eric Jensen (1998). Conversely, a lack of movement negatively impacts proprioceptor and vestibular development, which in turn contributes to frustration with tasks such as reading, writing, listening, organizing behaviours, and emotional regulation (Beyer et al., 2019, pp. 2-10; Doige, 2008, Jensen, 1998, Sensory Integration Education, n.d.)
Much of the rolling, swinging, pushing, pulling, climbing, and uneven walking that is shown in the videos from Sensory Integration Education and recommended in the book Teaching With the Brain in Mind (Jensen, 1998) can be done outside. We as educators can take advantage of the affordances of an outdoor space by encouraging children to move and play. An adult's sense of adventure and a child's group of peers goes a long way to encourage students who do not normally opt to go outside to explore and try. Outside educators have the creative opportunity to use imagination to make activities more exciting. For example, walking together down a log can be a trip to the top of the trees where the birds live, or can be a way to get past the trolls. Adults role modelling how to interact with an outdoor environment encourages participation from students who are hesitant and unsure of how to engage with this new learning space. Be sure to take advantage of the health benefits of walking on logs and sliding down hills for yourself!
I would encourage you to watch the Edutopia video on sensory rooms, as you will notice hitting, bouncing, and heavy work (https://youtu.be/T9j6rQ4rtQY). These are gorgeous, but expensive and lack the benefit of 'vitamin nature'. In rural areas it is easy to find sticks to hit a tree with, objects to lift, willows to bounce and swing on, and uneven trails. Urban spaces are more challenging as cities like to clean up fallen branches in parks; however, there are examples of outdoor play spaces (such as Anjiplay) that have "loose parts" for children to build their own "sensory room" (http://www.anjiplay.com/guide; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV0JIjxisUc; https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Loose-Parts-Play-web.pdf)
In fact, light play, texture, and all of the usual elements found in a sensory room (except perhaps the rice and plastic beads) can also be found outside. Again, a sense of adventure and some role modelling can convince even the most hesitant student to engage in messy tactile play. (Remember: play is voluntary and chosen by the child!) Understanding the role that the vestibular and proprioceptive systems play in our ability to learn and regulate provides justification and a rationale to encourage us to prioritize play and movement in our already busy days.
Please note: The activities listed here are within the scope of what is considered normal play for children, and not sensory diet activities. I am not diagnosing sensory integration issues or saying outdoor play is a cure-all. As educators, we are not trained to recognize or diagnose sensory processing issues. It is important to have an occupational therapist come up with specific programs for students who need extra help with sensory integration because "for many people, small adjustments to their environment or to the way they are allowed to move at school or at work can make a huge difference to how they manage their day-to-day life" (https://www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/pages/what-is-si)
Sensory diet definition: "A sensory diet is a group of activities that are specifically scheduled into a child’s day to assist with attention, arousal and adaptive responses…proprioceptive, tactile, visual auditory, vestibular, gustatory, and oral motor [tasks] are introduced during various times of the day and assist the brain in regulating….[and] cause a release of neuro-chemicals that can last up to two hours….for improved learning. A sensory diet is prescribed only by an Occupational Therapist or a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and is monitored by them." (https://www.ssdmo.org/cool_tools/inclusive/Resources/trying_to_make_sense_resources.pdf, emphasis mine)
Based on my own observations going outside leads to stunning improvements in writing ability and class participation, but my own observations are not necessarily enough of a reason for me to spend the amount of time that I do outside teaching kids to play. There is lots of literature into the benefits of free play, and this post will focus on the literature around sensory integration..
Sensory integration involves coordinated communication between sensory systems. Each system takes in information from our environment to help us plan and accomplish tasks (Sensory Integration Education, n.d.). Two of these systems, vestibular (located in the inner ear) and proprioceptor (located in the muscles and tendons), are developed through movement. The vestibular system is developed through rolling, spinning, rocking, sliding, and swinging (Jensen, 1998; https://www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/pages/what-is-si). The vestibular system is involved with balance, stabilizes our bodies and eyes, and reduces anxiety. The proprioceptor system processes information through touch, tells us where we are in space, assists balance, and keeps us calm and focused. Practical implications of it's development include and are not limited to telling us where to sit, how tight to hold a pencil, and how to use our eyes to track our writing. It is developed and regulated through pushing, pulling, stretching, and lifting. (Again, see videos from https://www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/pages/what-is-si for more information). The take home message here is that the systems that help us actively participate in the classroom are developed through activities that require gross motor involvement, not just sitting at a table perfecting a pencil grasp.
As I stated above, I have observed that students' writing skills improve along with their coordination faster when I go outside on a regular basis. I attribute this to increased sensory integration (the two sensory systems listed above working together). I estimate that it only takes approximately 3-4 weeks (six-eight trips) of regular trips outside for students to begin to be calmer, less likely to run into each other, fall off benches, or trip while standing in line. This is most likely because increased movement causes physical changes in the brain and helps the development of smoother movement of information along neural pathways according to neuroscientists Norman Doige (2008) and Eric Jensen (1998). Conversely, a lack of movement negatively impacts proprioceptor and vestibular development, which in turn contributes to frustration with tasks such as reading, writing, listening, organizing behaviours, and emotional regulation (Beyer et al., 2019, pp. 2-10; Doige, 2008, Jensen, 1998, Sensory Integration Education, n.d.)
Much of the rolling, swinging, pushing, pulling, climbing, and uneven walking that is shown in the videos from Sensory Integration Education and recommended in the book Teaching With the Brain in Mind (Jensen, 1998) can be done outside. We as educators can take advantage of the affordances of an outdoor space by encouraging children to move and play. An adult's sense of adventure and a child's group of peers goes a long way to encourage students who do not normally opt to go outside to explore and try. Outside educators have the creative opportunity to use imagination to make activities more exciting. For example, walking together down a log can be a trip to the top of the trees where the birds live, or can be a way to get past the trolls. Adults role modelling how to interact with an outdoor environment encourages participation from students who are hesitant and unsure of how to engage with this new learning space. Be sure to take advantage of the health benefits of walking on logs and sliding down hills for yourself!
I would encourage you to watch the Edutopia video on sensory rooms, as you will notice hitting, bouncing, and heavy work (https://youtu.be/T9j6rQ4rtQY). These are gorgeous, but expensive and lack the benefit of 'vitamin nature'. In rural areas it is easy to find sticks to hit a tree with, objects to lift, willows to bounce and swing on, and uneven trails. Urban spaces are more challenging as cities like to clean up fallen branches in parks; however, there are examples of outdoor play spaces (such as Anjiplay) that have "loose parts" for children to build their own "sensory room" (http://www.anjiplay.com/guide; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV0JIjxisUc; https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Loose-Parts-Play-web.pdf)
In fact, light play, texture, and all of the usual elements found in a sensory room (except perhaps the rice and plastic beads) can also be found outside. Again, a sense of adventure and some role modelling can convince even the most hesitant student to engage in messy tactile play. (Remember: play is voluntary and chosen by the child!) Understanding the role that the vestibular and proprioceptive systems play in our ability to learn and regulate provides justification and a rationale to encourage us to prioritize play and movement in our already busy days.
Please note: The activities listed here are within the scope of what is considered normal play for children, and not sensory diet activities. I am not diagnosing sensory integration issues or saying outdoor play is a cure-all. As educators, we are not trained to recognize or diagnose sensory processing issues. It is important to have an occupational therapist come up with specific programs for students who need extra help with sensory integration because "for many people, small adjustments to their environment or to the way they are allowed to move at school or at work can make a huge difference to how they manage their day-to-day life" (https://www.sensoryintegrationeducation.com/pages/what-is-si)
Sensory diet definition: "A sensory diet is a group of activities that are specifically scheduled into a child’s day to assist with attention, arousal and adaptive responses…proprioceptive, tactile, visual auditory, vestibular, gustatory, and oral motor [tasks] are introduced during various times of the day and assist the brain in regulating….[and] cause a release of neuro-chemicals that can last up to two hours….for improved learning. A sensory diet is prescribed only by an Occupational Therapist or a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and is monitored by them." (https://www.ssdmo.org/cool_tools/inclusive/Resources/trying_to_make_sense_resources.pdf, emphasis mine)