My COVID-19 Inspired Garden Story
As the founder of Outdoor-Classrooms.com, my mission is to inspire teachers and parents to create outdoor classrooms and backyard teaching gardens on a shoestring budget. When COVID 19 hit, I went into...
View ArticleYou asked…I did it! Workshop BUNDLES are here!
Outdoor Classrooms Training and Development Programs “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Ben Franklin Outdoor Classrooms inspires early childhood teachers, out of...
View ArticleFREE! 100 Nature-Based Children’s Books
Did you have a favorite nature-based children’s book as a child? I remember reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and being completely mesmerized by the story and how a garden could be...
View Article5 Benefits to Garden Hideaways
Do you remember creating forts when you were a kid? Do you remember what you felt like inside your newly constructed hide-away? When I was a child, I remember turning my parent’s patio chairs over and...
View ArticleRegister Today! FREE 5 Day Nature Art Challenge
Interested in creating Nature-inspired Art? Check out this awesome FREE 5-Day Nature Art Challenge. It’s the perfect solution for releasing stress during this troubling time and reconnecting ourselves...
View Article3 Tips for Teaching Outdoors During a Pandemic
3 TIPS FOR TEACHING OUTDOORS DURING A PANDEMIC Are you a teacher who has chosen to open the schoolhouse doors to take your class of children outdoors? Are you excited about this idea; however, not...
View ArticleEasy STEAM Activities Inspired by Tree Stumps
Easy STEAM Nature Activities Inspired by Tree Stumps Do you get excited when you see stumps set up in a circle outdoors? Do you love the unique shape of each stump, how each stump tells a story, or...
View ArticlePlay to Re-CREATE: 16 Types of Play
PLAY to Re-CREATE: 16 Types of Play Are you an adult who has forgotten how to PLAY? Are you so busy that you find yourself pushing your own playtime to the bottom of the list? Or do you believe PLAY …
View ArticleWhat’s so great about jumping in puddles anyway? A Letter to Parents…
Dear Parent or Guardian, Are you reluctant to allow your child to jump in puddles? Do you find yourself saying “No” when it comes to your child getting messy, digging in the dirt, playing in the mud?...
View ArticleLittle Free Libraries are Seeds for Literacy
LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES ARE SEEDS for LITERACY ~ By Jan Plourde, MEd Successful communities grow when there are opportunities for growth just like successful gardens grow when they are nurtured. These...
View Article5 Easy Steps to Creating Your Own Mud Kitchen
5 Easy Steps to Creating Your Own Mud Kitchen In a time of beautifully curated social media pictures and piles of “pins” that seem unachievable, it can seem daunting to start a new project such as a...
View Article4 Tips for Transitioning Children Outdoors
4 Tips for Transitioning Children Outdoors If you are an educator, homeschooler, parent, or caregiver you have likely earned the “transitions are tough” badge. It’s one that we wear with the plethora...
View Article3 TIPS FOR NATURE SCAVENGER HUNTS THAT ENHANCE THE CHILD’S ABSORBENT MIND
3 TIPS FOR NATURE SCAVENGER HUNTS THAT ENHANCE THE CHILD’S ABSORBENT MIND Have you ever heard your child say something and think to yourself “where did they learn that!?” Children take in everything....
View ArticleFour Must-Read Nature-Based Books
Four Must-Read Nature-Based Children’s Books “Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the...
View ArticleMy 7 Favorite Gardening Tools for Children
My 7 Favorite Gardening Tools for Children Gardening is a wonderful opportunity to get your children involved in outdoor work that is fun, productive, and educational with a splash of whimsy. One of...
View ArticleOutdoor Classrooms to the Rescue (Again)
This summer we launched THE CIRCLE: Our Outdoor Classrooms Membership Community! With monthly Outdoor Classrooms Tour & Talks, LIVE Teaching & Learning Round Table discussions, access to our...
View Article4 Things You Need to Know to Teach Outdoors
So in all my years of helping educators start outdoor classrooms… One of the BIGGEST insecurities that almost every educator has is the feeling like they can’t transition their classroom outdoors and...
View ArticleHow Can I bring More Wildlife to Our Outdoor Classroom?
How Can I Bring More Wildlife To Our Outdoor Classroom/Backyard Learning Garden? Are you struggling with how to attract birds, butterflies, and interesting bugs for children to explore in your outdoor...
View Article10 Nature-Based Children’s Books inspired by The Gardens That Attract Wildlife
What if you could find inspiration for the design and curricula of your outdoor classroom from nature-based children’s books? What if you could be intentional about choosing books that connect both...
View ArticleNovember 2022 Gratitude Project
Have you ever read about the benefits of a gratitude practice that uses a gratitude journal? Have you ever felt the effects of a random act of kindness? Has anyone ever told you the secret to happiness...
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