It's all about adapting to local circumstances. The right clothing and gear and equipment can mitigate lots of things. And, if you read @Florence William's book, "The Nature Fix" -- you'll see she has lots of examples from places like Finland and Scotland -- not exactly known for easy weather. And, there are plenty of places where there are Forest Schools, usually preschools and kindergartens, where students and teachers are outside all day every day. Maine, Minnesota, Alaska. Finland. I actually think my biggest blind spots on the weather front are those places with HOT (and getting hotter) climates and little vegetation (i.e., the Middle East, the Sahel, etc). Those are places where creating indoor nature oases might be the best option. And, I will admit that I am not at all well versed in the open space and vegetation options in hot, full-desert areas. In general: when possible, outdoor nature time is best. If that's not possible -- due to weather or gang violence or any of a host of circumstances -- let's bring nature indoors to support learners and educators.
I honestly think places with lack of access to green spaces nearby (within human locomotion distance) schools are in a much harder position; those folks need to focus immediately on biophilic classroom design and as a society we all need to focus on nature-based learning design to ensure we're planning our cities and towns with nature-connected schools in mind.
I like it! It makes so much better sense than traditional classrooms. Becca - What about places that have consistently inclement weather?
It's all about adapting to local circumstances. The right clothing and gear and equipment can mitigate lots of things. And, if you read @Florence William's book, "The Nature Fix" -- you'll see she has lots of examples from places like Finland and Scotland -- not exactly known for easy weather. And, there are plenty of places where there are Forest Schools, usually preschools and kindergartens, where students and teachers are outside all day every day. Maine, Minnesota, Alaska. Finland. I actually think my biggest blind spots on the weather front are those places with HOT (and getting hotter) climates and little vegetation (i.e., the Middle East, the Sahel, etc). Those are places where creating indoor nature oases might be the best option. And, I will admit that I am not at all well versed in the open space and vegetation options in hot, full-desert areas. In general: when possible, outdoor nature time is best. If that's not possible -- due to weather or gang violence or any of a host of circumstances -- let's bring nature indoors to support learners and educators.
I honestly think places with lack of access to green spaces nearby (within human locomotion distance) schools are in a much harder position; those folks need to focus immediately on biophilic classroom design and as a society we all need to focus on nature-based learning design to ensure we're planning our cities and towns with nature-connected schools in mind.
I choose "door" number 2!
Yeah - go out that door! Also - some version of door number 2 is possible for educators anywhere. I know it.