Creating an Outdoor Classroom

Our Sand and Water Wall

A couple of years ago, I decided that it was time to really put some time and effort into transforming our outdoor play area into an outdoor classroom.  Honestly, it is not as hard, expensive, or time intensive as you may think. Small changes make a HUGE difference in the opportunity you provide for children to learn and grow.  I was able to gather so much inspiration from around the web, that I was able to create wonderful learning spaces for our children.

Our Outdoor Music Area

One of the first areas we worked on is our outdoor music area. We made a giant drum out of a tractor tire, and we created xylophones/chimes on our fence. We also made a banging station with lids from pots and pans and added a (garbage can) thunder drum! This area is continually evolving- and is utilized nearly every day... even in the winter snow!

Our Mud Pie Kitchen

Another area we have added to our play space is a mud pie kitchen. The children LOVE to make mud pies when the ground is not covered with snow. When the winter weather hits, they opt to make snow cakes instead! Our space was put together with a couple of shelves, a wooden spool for a table and a bunch of wooden dishes and metal pans. The spice shelf was found for free at a yard sale! We collect all kinds of things to add to the kitchen like grasses, pine cones, acorns, shells, etc. (You can read more about our mud pie kitchen on our blog.)

An Easel on the Fence

Adding a piece of painted plywood to the fence is an easy way to create your own outdoor easel. This piece is connected to the fence with hinges and has a piece of 2x4 connected to the bottom in order to have it hang at an angle.

We use the easel for painting, but decided to add a coat of homemade chalkboard paint to give us an outdoor writing area.

We also added the chalkboard paint to many of the horizontal strips on our fence.

Our Outdoor Stage

We also added a portable stage. This was created by using shower curtains and a portable clothes rack! Simple and inexpensive with HOURS of fun!

One of the VERY first things we did to transform our space was to add a giant sandbox.... 19 tons of sand! The sand was the most expensive piece of our transformation- but has been by far the very best investment we made!

We make mountains and volcanoes

And we investigate the mud!

Our play area is also filled with all kinds of loose parts! The children love to move the tires around. They create ramps with pieces of lumber... and obstacle courses are often being created!

Sometimes, they even put them all together to make forts...

Our outdoor space still has some of the traditional play space areas- a basketball hoop, bikes, swings and a slide, a playhouse.... but the children tend to migrate towards the engaging spaces we have created for extended educational play! If you are looking for additional outdoor inspiration, you can visit the Outdoor Inspiration page on my blog! 

Do you have an engaging outdoor space?  

I'd love for you to link it on up!!!!

The linky rules are simple...
The post much include a description of your outdoor learning space or a segment of it!
AND
Adding our button to your post would be greatly appreciated!

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 More About Amy

Amy Ahola is the owner/operator of Child Central Station, group home daycare and educational toy store in Marquette, Michigan.  She has been running her own business since 2005. Prior to that time, Amy worked in a childcare center and public school. In addition to her childcare business, Amy also provides educational training sessions. Amy earned a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Northern Michigan University and a M.S. in Training, Development, and Performance Improvement.  For more information about any of her programs, please visit Child Central Station or Find her on Facebook!