Educational Programs

Teaching Sustainability

START Metric #7:

Outdoor Learning Environments

Ideas & Resources

Outdoor learning environments offer unique opportunities for students to engage with the natural world while deepening their understanding of academic subjects. This START metric emphasizes providing access to outdoor areas that are readily accessible to classes, require minimal costs or time to use, and serve as effective spaces for integrating sustainability concepts into existing curricula. Examples include an on-campus garden, a neighborhood stream, or a local park, which can be easily incorporated into lessons in science, biology, art, or even literature.

By utilizing outdoor spaces as learning environments, schools enhance students’ connection to nature, improve focus and creativity, and provide hands-on experiences that reinforce classroom learning. These environments also promote environmental stewardship and a deeper understanding of sustainability challenges and solutions.

Strategies for Developing and Utilizing Outdoor Learning Environments

NOTE: This is not a prescriptive list; it just offers ideas to inspire action and can be tailored to fit the unique needs of each school.

  • Identify Existing Outdoor Spaces

    • Assess the school campus or nearby areas for potential learning environments, such as gardens, wooded areas, streams, or open fields.

    • Prioritize spaces that are safe, accessible, and easy to maintain.

  • Create On-Campus Gardens

    • Establish a school garden where students can learn about plant biology, ecosystems, and food systems.

    • Incorporate composting programs to teach about waste reduction and soil health.

  • Partner with Local Organizations

    • Collaborate with parks, nature reserves, or environmental groups to access nearby outdoor spaces.

    • Work with these partners to provide expertise, resources, or guided activities.

  • Designate Outdoor Classrooms

    • Set up simple outdoor seating areas, such as benches or picnic tables, to encourage teachers to bring lessons outside.

    • Use natural features like trees or shade structures to create comfortable and functional spaces.

  • Integrate Outdoor Learning into the Curriculum

    • Develop lesson plans that incorporate outdoor spaces into subjects like science, geography, or art.

    • Use real-world examples, such as observing wildlife or conducting water quality tests, to reinforce academic concepts.

  • Use Neighborhood Features

    • Incorporate nearby natural or urban features, like streams, parks, or community gardens, into lesson plans.

    • Teach students about local ecosystems, urban sustainability, or environmental challenges specific to the area.

  • Foster Hands-On Learning Opportunities

    • Engage students in activities like planting, building habitats, or conducting environmental monitoring.

    • Use these experiences to teach practical skills and connect theoretical concepts to real-world applications.

  • Provide Training for Teachers

    • Offer professional development on using outdoor spaces as teaching tools.

    • Share resources or ideas to help teachers feel confident in incorporating outdoor learning into their lessons.

  • Use Outdoor Spaces Across Subjects

    • Incorporate outdoor learning into less obvious subjects, such as writing poetry inspired by nature in English class or mapping ecosystems in math or geography.

    • Encourage interdisciplinary projects that connect multiple subjects through outdoor activities.

  • Promote Student Ownership

    • Involve students in designing, maintaining, or improving outdoor learning spaces.

    • Use their input to create spaces that reflect their interests and needs.

  • Highlight Sustainability Topics

    • Use outdoor spaces to teach about sustainability issues, such as biodiversity, climate change, or water conservation.

    • Incorporate local examples to make lessons relevant and engaging.

  • Track and Evaluate Impact

    • Monitor how often outdoor spaces are used and gather feedback from students and teachers.

    • Use this data to refine outdoor learning programs and demonstrate their value to stakeholders.

  • Organize Outdoor Events or Challenges

    • Plan events like nature walks, cleanups, or outdoor science fairs to showcase the potential of outdoor learning.

    • Use these events to encourage teachers and students to engage with outdoor spaces more regularly.

  • Leverage Technology

    • Use apps or digital tools to enhance outdoor learning, such as biodiversity tracking apps or virtual field guides.

    • Combine traditional outdoor experiences with technology to deepen engagement.

  • Ensure Accessibility

    • Design outdoor spaces to be inclusive and accessible for all students, including those with physical disabilities.

    • Provide pathways, seating, or other accommodations to ensure equitable access.

  • Celebrate Outdoor Learning Achievements

    • Recognize classes or teachers who effectively use outdoor spaces for learning through events or awards.

    • Share stories of outdoor learning successes in school newsletters or social media.

  • Involve Families and the Community

    • Host outdoor learning days where families can participate in activities or explore outdoor classrooms.

    • Use these events to build community connections and support for outdoor education initiatives.

‘How To’ Guides

  • Schoolyard Habitats Guide

    From NWS, a guide to planning, designing, building & maintaining a native schoolyard habitat.

  • How to Create a School Garden

    From the GSA, a guide to creating a school garden, from securing permission to location considerations, maintenance & student engagement.

  • A Guide for Creating School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms

    From Ecoliteracy, a guide to selecting & preparing a site for outdoor learning, design-considerations, fundraising & maintenance.

  • Living Schoolyard Guidelines

    From Oakland Unified School District (CA), these Guidelines outline the design principles, components, materials, and processes needed to plan, implement, and manage outdoor play and learning environments that foster climate resiliency, community cohesion, health, and nature connection.

  • Co-designing Places for Outdoor Learning Facilitation Guide

    From Learning in Places: Design engagements for families, students, teachers, and communities to reimagine schoolyards.

  • Ideas for Outdoor Learning Environment Projects

     The following ideas for Outdoor Learning Environment Projects were developed and shared by our friends and partners at Missouri Green Schools.

  • TED Talk: How we can eat our landscapes

    With energy and humor, Pam Warhurst tells at the TEDSalon the story of how she and a growing team of volunteers came together to turn plots of unused land into communal vegetable gardens, and to change the narrative of food in their community.

  • Regenerative Agriculture Quiz

    From EarthDay.org, is an online quizzes that help students explore regenerative agriculture.

  • PreK-5 'Learning in Places' Program

    Resources for field-based science education in outdoor places, including gardens, for children in pre-kindergarten to 5th grade (and beyond) and their families.

  • The Nature Conservancy: Nature Lab Lessons (Ages 5-11)

    "Nature Lab" by The Nature Conservancy, is a resource that offers engaging, hands-on lesson plans designed to teach elementary students about nature and the environment.

  • Native Plants Classroom Investigation Series

    From its three activities, students will learn the importance of native plants, how native plants are threatened, and some of the factors that go into land use decisions. 

  • The Edible Schoolyard Project

    Students discover what goes into a garden and plant growth by engaging in a project to plan their own garden. Various lessons guide their project, as they learn about all aspects of plant growth from biodiversity to soil health. 

  • Pequannock Valley Middle School (Morris County, NJ) Garden Design Project

    The students at Pequannock Valley Middle School are actively involved in the operation and maintenance of the garden by picking healthy foods they think will work best.

  • Holland Township Elementary School (Hunterdon County, NJ) Solar Growing Dome Project

    The growing dome is fully integrated into the school’s STEM education program for grades K-4, science program for grades 5-8, and environmental and greenhouse clubs. The dome was used as a place-based learning lab to incorporate horticultural therapy and mindfulness with students while achieving up to 75% of outdoor learning for the Healthy Living Eco-School pathway.

  • Experiential Outdoor Learning in the Schoolyard

    This toolkit from Green Schoolyards America includes a collection of 13 hands-on activities, blending poetry, art, performance, observation, and more. The activities are suitable for students in any country, from ages 3 to 18. 

  • A Guide to Greening School Grounds

    From Ontario EcoSchools, a guide to starting points, rain gardens, pollinator gardens & food gardens, with curriculum integration ideas.

  • Outdoor Learning Toolkit

    From the National Wildlife Federation, a toolkit to help you select a site, set up outdoor classroom infrastructure, & manage lessons & safety. Includes case studies.

Schools hold the key to a healthy, sustainable and regenerative future.

They are role-models and incubators that that nurture, educate and prepare each generation for adult life.

Schools have a unique opportunity and profound responsibility to become part the transition to a sustainable, regenerative future in which people and planet can thrive.

But how do we get there?

START: Sustainability Tracking, Analytics & Roadmap Tool was created by schools, for schools, to help them develop comprehensive programs for step-by-step progress towards sustainability, regenerative practice, and student empowerment.

START provides a Roadmap for School Sustainability:

It breaks down school sustainability into clear actions (‘metrics’), such as Minimizing Waste, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and supporting Sustainable Transportation options.

However, research shows it’s not enough for a school to simply reduce its environmental impact.

Students and staff also need to learn about sustainability, and practice it in day-to-day activities, because this impacts their attitudes and behaviors when they leave school. That’s why START includes metrics like Sustainability Events for Students, Sustainability Course Content, and Sustainable Purchasing Practices.

How sustainable is our school now?

Schools use START to measure how sustainable they are now. A school’s START team investigates how their school currently operates to find their ‘sustainability baseline’ for each metric. For example, is our school a beginner, intermediate or advanced in sustainable water use? START enables schools to benchmark, track and visualize their current sustainability levels, as well as hard data around their waste, water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Where should we go next, and do we collaborate for success? 

What do we need to do to ‘level up’ in each metric?  Once schools have their baselines, START helps them to set goals and plan for progress. START provides a central hub for school members to collaborate, document, and plan their school’s sustainability journey.

START is a subscription-based Whole School Sustainability dashboard.

It requires at least one adult school member to create a school’s START account, but it will need a team (students, teachers and staff) to grow a Whole School Sustainability program.

Interested schools can sign up for a demo or apply to set up an account.

Learn more about START here, and consider sharing the brochure with your school.

Let’s create a better future, one school at a time.

 Contact us at guides@greenschoolsalliance.org if you have a free resource to contribute or recommend that can help schools take action around this specific sustainability metric.