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.
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.
