Rain or Shine: Exploring the Benefits of Outdoor Education

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, September/October 2024 Issue

By Carolyn Gruske

Blue skies, green grass, and fresh air don’t usually come to mind when describing the features of a typical classroom, but that’s exactly what outdoor education offers—even if snow-covered fields sometimes substitute for lush lawns.

“We live in Winnipeg, and it’s really, really cold…. Our school division has policies that say that any temperature colder than –28 Celsius and we are not allowed to be outside,” says Shannon Siemens, a Grade 1/2 teacher at Brooklands School, but still, she found a way to make outdoor education work.

Ease Into It

Siemens, who is also a certified trail guide, and her colleague Mara Le Clair, a Grade 1/2 teacher and a trained play therapist, began taking their students outdoors and teaching lessons outside ten years ago. Now, the entire K–5 school participates in what they call “outdoor school” for at least six weeks, starting around mid-May and stretching until the end of the school year.

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Carolyn Gruske is an award-winning reporter and magazine editor. She often writes about the intersection of business, technology, and the law, but she also has a deep interest in educational topics.

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Carolyn Gruske
Carolyn Gruske
Carolyn Gruske is an award-winning reporter and magazine editor. She often writes about the intersection of business, technology, and the law, but she also has a deep interest in educational topics.

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