Get Back to Nature

Get Back to Nature

With summer vacation just around the corner, finish up the school year by escaping the stuffy classroom and bringing learning outdoors. Get a hands-on start to fun in the sun by changing up your surroundings and getting in touch with nature. Be inspired to create an outdoor classroom with these free activities and adventurous ideas.

Be Hands-On with Nature

Learn about the power of wind with a home-made weather vane. Build your own weather vane using materials found in everyday classrooms. Take your creation outside and test it in the elements. Find out the direction the wind is blowing and how often it changes. Study the different kinds of rocks and see how many you can find. Go outside and look for as many different rocks as possible. Compare them to the ones in the list below. Explain where each rock was found and what type it is.

Click an image to see a free worksheet, or click the cover image to see more from this ready-made resource.

              

Witness the Power of Nature

Examine the effect that light and air has on green plants. Conduct an experiment that shows the difference between plants exposed to sunlight with plants kept in the dark. Continue the experiment over several weeks, marking the changes between the two plants, finally leading up to transpiration. Head outdoors and make tree rubbings of bark. Take a walk around the neighborhood and note the different colors of trees. See how many different patterns and textures are found in nature.

Click an image to see a free worksheet, or click the cover image to see more from this ready-made resource.

              

Check out our pinterest board for more great ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/ccpinteractive/outdoor-classroom/