What is Outdoor Classroom Day?
Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to inspire and celebrate outdoor play and learning, at home and at school. On Outdoor Classroom Day itself, which has two dates each year, teachers celebrate with a special day outdoors for their class.
Children are spending less time outdoors than ever before and this is affecting their health, wellbeing and development. Time outdoors – on Outdoor Classroom Day and every day – will make children happier and healthier, as well as equipping them with the skills they need for life.
The movement looks a bit different in response to the pandemic coronavirus crisis. See our latest statement on Outdoor Classroom Day and coronavirus.
Join the movement today!
Benefits include
- 1. Develops key skills for life
-
2.
Gives better understanding
of the environment -
3.
Enhances engagement
with learning -
4.
Increases physical and
mental health
Our campaign goals
Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to inspire and celebrate outdoor learning and play. By getting involved in the days of action, you help send a message to the world that time outdoors every day is important for every child. You also help us achieve these longer-term shared goals:
1. Outdoor learning is part of every school day
2. A consistent minimum target for recess / playtime
3. Schools to advocate for more time outdoors
Impact to date
Thank you to Unilever’s Dirt is Good and OMO/Persil/Breeze teams for sponsoring Outdoor Classroom Day from 2016 to 2020 and helping the movement grow from 500,000 children to over 10 million globally.
-
35 million extra hours
outdoors -
63% of children now have more playtime
-
66% of children have more outdoor lessons
-
5 governments support the movement
Who is behind Outdoor Classroom Day?
The global Outdoor Classroom Day movement is led by Learning through Landscapes, the UK’s leading outdoor learning and play charity. Learning through Landscapes work with respected environmental and educational NGOs around the world to deliver locally relevant campaigns, including: Nature Play WA (Australia), United Way Colombia (Colombia), E-Spiral (Cono Sur), Ulko-opet ry (Finland), ACE Trust (India), Movimento Bloom (Portugal), Symphonia for South Africa (South Africa) and Aktif Yaşam Derneği (Turkey).
The campaign's history
In 2011, at the launch of Tim Gill’s Sowing the Seeds report, a group of educators and environmentalists discussed how schools in particular could address the issues that stop children getting outdoors. Their solution was a new campaign they called Empty Classroom Day.
In 2012 a handful of schools in London, England, got involved. By 2015, over 600 schools in 15 countries were involved. As the campaign grew, the volunteers who were running it recognised the need for dedicated investment. So, from 2016-2020, ActionFunder partnered with Unilever’s Dirt is Good brands Persil/OMO who sponsored the movement to take it global.
Following consultation with school leaders, play experts and NGOs around the world, Empty Classroom Day became Outdoor Classroom Day. Schools in over 170 countries have now been involved and over 10 million children have taken part.
“Academic research shows that active play is the natural and primary way that children learn”Sir Ken Robinson (1950-2020), expert in education, creativity and human development.
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