How-To: Teaching Outdoors

Tips & Tools for Nature-Based & Outdoor Learning

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How to get outdoors

Design & Infrastructure

Planning and implementing an outdoor classroom

Inclusive Design for a Range of Abilities

Understanding considerations for students with disabilities

Supplies & Storage

The general and specialized supplies needed to teach outdoors

School Garden Start-Up Guide

Build a new school garden

Build Your Own Easel

Visual guide to construct an easel

What to do outdoors

Activity Guide

131 activities across ages and subject levels

Structuring an Outdoor Lesson

A framework for outdoor lessons

Experiential Outdoor Learning

Thirteen hands-on activities for ages 3-18.

Outdoor Biology Instruction

97 outdoor activities for environmental awareness

Example Schedule

Elementary school schedule sample

Outdoor Learning by Subject

How to bring each subject outdoors

Outdoor Writers Workshop

Use an outdoor classroom to support writing instruction

Sample Outside Teaching Plans

Sample teaching plans from Maine educators

Outdoor Classroom Management

How to develop routines, set expectations, and adapt to needs

Tips for Teaching about the Wabanaki

Use accurate language and information to teach about Indigenous people

Garden Lessons & Activities

What and how to teach in the school garden

Safety & Risk Management

Avoiding Ticks

How to prevent and treat tick bites

Balancing Risks and Benefits

Includes a Risk Benefit Assessment form

Maintenance Checklist

Keep up the function and safety of your outdoor classroom

Risk Management Webinar

UMaine video about managing outdoor learning risks

Winter Outdoor Learning

Adapting outdoor learning to cold-weather months