There’s no doubt that children learn the best when they are exposed to their surroundings. It is also scientifically proven that it leaves a massive impact on their mental and emotional behaviour.
There’s a very famous proverb “ All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy “ which means that no time off work makes a person tired and the latter meaning of the proverb implies that without engaging the mind into a meaningful task, it does not aid in learning or retaining.
Education is all about a child’s overall development. We, at Meru International School, ensure to balance between active engagements both outdoors and indoors to develop & nurture your child’s body, mind and spirit.
Enhanced Communication and Socio-Emotional Skills
Outdoor education or outdoor activities call for team building, collaboration and better communication amongst children. They are often provided with tasks that develop them into an environmentally conscious student.
When students are allotted a task that demands them to work collectively, it helps them to forge friendships, become more mindful & sensible, support one another in solving problems, assist each other collaboratively to get to the root cause of the problem and build healthy relationships.
We, at Meru International school, encourage outdoor education through field trips as well. We believe that it helps students in manifold ways by making them more empathetic and tolerant. Such experiences solidify learning and support important academic concepts. It helps children to have their own space to explore, become more creative, think freely and discover the world around them, thus reducing the barrier of communication.
Improves Their Imagination
Encouraging creativity in children is through making them spend quality time in their surroundings and through field trips.
For instance, our IV grade students recently went on a trip to Al-Safa Dairy Milk and ice-cream factory. Through this, our students learned and had a real-life experience on topics such as blending of the mix ingredients, homogenisation, pasteurisation and all the different steps followed in the process.
Children grasp, understand and can weave questions through what they see and are exposed to. Outdoor learning through field trips gives children a uniquely rich context to frame their knowledge and also helps them to grab the attention of their surroundings.
However, spending time outdoors opens up a world of fresh stimuli, that will result in children making better connections with their learning and also improve the power of retention and recall.
Develops Them Into A Confident Child
When you take education outdoors, it makes the student independent in terms of learning, exploring, discovering and surveying their surroundings. It makes them ask questions, makes them more theoretical and practical.
Restricting students to only four walls of the classroom can hinder their ability to educate themselves the way they should. It makes them less confident and more dependent on their educators.
There’s no doubt that learning outdoors has a massive impact on their confidence, the information and discovery they have acquired all by themselves will always be embedded in their minds.
The confidence they build by outdoor exposure is not limited to just science; it provides enrichment in all areas of learning.
Weaving Stories Outdoors
Students who struggle with traditional classroom learning can gain the most through the outdoor learning experience.
Children love to hear stories and what better way to learn than turning those subjects into exciting and curious stories?
Take them outdoors and engage them into stories by asking relevant questions that will arouse their critical thinking skills and make them comprehend what is being taught. For instance, tell them about the ecosystem we live in and then ask questions related to it. You’ll be taken aback by the various types of responses you will receive from children.
Children are born with creative minds, and we must help them and guide them in making it more robust.
No matter how one chooses to implement outdoor learning, it must be held and organized to the same standards and principles as an educator would conduct lessons within the school building: with a plan and purpose.
We, At Meru international School, ensure that every child is allowed to learn, discover and get to expand their horizons of knowledge through outdoor activities such as field trips and excursions. We encourage the initiative of outdoor education for the best learning experiences for every student.
We also ensure to create enthusiasm and successful relationships between students and their educators through outdoor learning.
