Queensland schools ramp up outdoor learning amid pandemic

The number of schools and early childhood centres teaching outside the classroom has sky-rocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic with the benefits about more than reducing the risk of transmission.

QUEENSLAND schools are being encouraged to hold classrooms outside in a bid to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools, with outdoor lessons spiking already, experts say.

Nature Play Queensland, the peak not-for-profit organisation who train educators in administering outdoor classes said learning outside could help ease pressure on staff and allay community fears around the transmission of coronavirus in schools.

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Nature Play’s education program coordinator Rebecca Burch said the number of schools and early childhood centres that have contacted the service to access support for teaching the curriculum outdoors has doubled compared with the same period last year, due to COVID-19.

“We have registered a significant increase in requests for outdoor learning training as schools consider new ways to structure lessons to support the needs of students and staff during the pandemic,” Ms Burch said.

She said every aspect of the curriculum could be taught outside “whether it’s english, math, and geography” and research shows it helps improve learning outcomes.

Julienne Almasi and Olivia Moore at one of Berrinba East State School’s outdoor learning area. Picture: Richard Walker

Berrinba East State School recently received training from Nature Play QLD to start outdoor classrooms.

Principal Steve Kanowski said that COVID-19 had motivated them to accelerate their outdoor programs with once out-of-bounds areas now repurposed for learning and play such as converting an unused cricket patch into a vegetable garden and chicken coup.

Olivia Moore, 6, said she and her friend Julienne Almasi loved learning outside.

“I like doing classrooms outside, because it’s fun outside ... we were in the fairy forest, building teepees,” she said.