Outdoor Play What can children learn outdoors? Adapted from The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, 2010

Outdoor Learning Promotes…  Social-Emotional  Motor  Language & Literacy  Cognitive

Creating the Environment  Hang bird feeders  Grow plants  Have balls of different sizes  Have bubble solution and a variety of wands  A parachute  Use chalk outside  Paint on an easel or paint with water on the building  Plastic pies and elbows for water and sand play  Create crates for special activities such as a camping crate, building crate, painting crate, digging crate

 Climbing  Ball skills -throw, kick, catch, bounce  Obstacle course  Invite a friend to work or play together  Sharing  Following safety rules Social Emotional & Motor

Language & Literacy  Listen to the outside sounds and imitate them  Names of insects, birds plants, vehicles, play toys  Look for signs  Descriptors like fuzzy, dirty, sticky, wet, shiny, fast, slow, hard  Ask questions, talk about how to do something

 Find bugs, leaves, pine cones, seeds  Watch bubbles floating, plants growing and the seasons changing  Observe weather and seasonal changes  Use a magnifying glass to look more closely at what is outside. Cognitive

Teaching staff roles  Introduce new vocabulary, model correct grammar, and encourage conversation  Talk about and demonstrate concepts such as size, color, location, and sequence  Use open-ended questions to prompt children to name, describe, and explain  Scaffold interactions between children to support sharing, turn-taking, negotiation, and problem-solving  Teach specific skills when needed