Teaching students about nature is becoming more important at
schools in Ottawa, Canada, as many educators are setting up outdoor classrooms to allow children to participate in
natural play. The Metro reports the Heritage Academy of Learning Excellence, a private school for students with learning disabilities, is the latest area school to jump on board.
According to the source, Derek Rhodenizer, the school's vice principal, recalls being asked by a student a few years back where pickles came from. His response was to bring in cucumber seeds which the students grew in the yard and then made into pickles. Rhodenizer's hands-on approach has continued at the school ever since. During the summer vacation, faculty members will be setting up the outdoor classroom that all classes will use in their curriculum.
"You get science classes dissecting the plants and looking at their root systems, geography classes taking soil samples and English classes writing poems by the vegetable patch," Rhodenizer told the publication.
Being outside also boasts other benefits for
healthy kids, including keeping them physically active. Parents can ensure their youngsters are getting in 60 minutes of daily exercise as recommended by the Let's Move! initiative by taking them to the park to use
commercial playground equipment or by going for family walks.