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As you may already know, creative play is a way children use their own creativity/imagination with familiar objects in different ways. There are many benefits to creative play and some of those include: emotional development, intellectual development, physical development, and social development.

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The Integration of Games in the Curriculum

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The Integration of Games in the Curriculum

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This link supports the idea of including games in the classroom. Not only does it support the idea, but it allows multiple ways for teachers to learn how to use different games for different lessons. This article explains ways to test and learn knowledge, learning in disguise, how to bring students together, and more by using games. These aspects are important across the curriculum because it allows children to have fun and change up their routines from time to time.

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What happens when a gorilla goes into a battle with a brown hyena in an Australian rain forest?

Tanya Buxton's high school biology students could find out as they embark on March Mammal Madness (MMM), a virtual game modeled after the annual NCAA basketball championship that aims to educate U.S. students about the importance of biodiversity and endangered species.

This is the second year in a row that Buxton has enrolled her Atherton, California, students in the tournament to deepen their understanding of global ecosystems while building community and camaraderie among peers.

Gameplay in school isn't just about having fun though, say Buxton and other teachers, who are increasingly using games and gaming principles to enhance instruction. From Minecraft to the Game of Life and Werewolf, effective games like March Mammal Madness link content with low-stakes competition and can provide a more collaborative, engaging classroom experience-especially for students who may struggle to focus or find their niche in learning. During the pandemic, games have also provided an important outlet that keeps kids connected and motivated remotely.

These claims aren't just anecdotal. According to research, using games in teaching can help increase student participation, foster social and emotional learning, and motivate students to take risks. One study of the popular multiple-choice quiz game Kahoot found that it improved students' attitudes toward learning and boosted their academic scores. In addition, studies have found that virtual games can improve focus and attention for students with ADHD and help students with dyslexia improve spatial and temporal attention, which can translate into improved reading.

But games aren't substitutes for other forms of learning. Like any educational tool, they need to be well-planned and integrated only when they're relevant to the learning objectives.

Think of games not as Band-Aids to fix what's broken in the classroom but as "a pedagogical approach that might help people think differently about what's possible... limited only by a player's imagination and by what a gaming set of rules allows," says Antero Garcia, an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education who studies the impact of technology and gaming on youth literacy and civic identities.

Want to integrate well-developed games or just a few gaming principles into your lessons? Here are some approaches to consider to make games a valuable teaching tool.

Test and Learn

In many games, players encounter scenarios that involve making in-the-moment decisions that let them quickly see the impact of their choices in a low-risk setting and then try (and try again) if they falter-skills that are valuable as they go through life, says Garcia.
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Teachers, for example, can use role-playing games in the classroom to help students inhabit different perspectives and understand them as part of larger, holistic systems of thought, explains Matthew Farber, a former teacher and assistant professor at the University of Northern Colorado who studies the intersection of game-based learning and SEL. This system of thinking can become a good entry point for students to learn about their own agency as they weigh possibilities and consider alternate plans of action.

Because games are interactive-unlike books or movies that involve more passive consumption-they may also encourage students to explore new topics and approaches to learning that they otherwise would not consider, he says.

In the virtual game Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, for example, players launch mini-missions where they discover and protect species of endangered animals. Though students might not consider themselves adventurers or conservationists when they play the game, the low-risk setting can get them thinking about larger-scale impacts they could have in the real world, adds Farber. As a follow-up activity, students could conduct further research on animals they encountered or even take local nature walks to identify smaller ecosystems of local wildlife.

Even if teachers aren't using a fully developed game in their class, they can use a process known as gamification, or weaving components of games such as points, leaderboards, and badges into lessons to boost students' motivation. Because students get excited about the competition from earning badges or embarking on a quest, they tend to take more risks-and, in turn, learn from their mistakes, says Manju Banerjee, an associate professor and vice president of educational research and innovation at Landmark College in Putney, Vermont.

When students are researching a topic and conducting a literature analysis, teachers can design curricula to send them on a quest-instead of framing it as a typical assignment-or rethink assessment and "tell a student that he is at a 'novice' level rather than a grade of C-" to reduce academic pressure and encourage participation," says Banerjee.

Learning in Disguise

Though it's not the only reason to play games, the fun of gameplay is a critical part of why they are so successful with children, according to educators, who say that games can help disguise the learning of essential but challenging skills that kids might otherwise resist.
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Teachers Joe Dillon and Marina Lombardo, for instance, created a poem-writing activity using Minecraft: Education Edition, in which students move through a maze and visit rooms to learn how to make their writing more descriptive. This game, inspired by Georgia Heard's Six-Room-Poem activity, guides students through specific writing prompts, such as describing an object by focusing on the ambience of its surroundings.

Many games involve a compelling storyline that can quickly hook kids, which is what makes teaching with them so effective, explains Kendra Cameron-Jarvis, an instructional technologist for Buncombe County Schools in western North Carolina. In a game she designed called Discovering the Ancient Pyramids Adventure, sixth-grade students use Google Maps Treks-which provide a 360-degree view of the ancient structures-to go on a quest inside the Great Pyramid and solve a mystery while they explore. The game reinforces what they're learning in class about ancient Egypt, she says.

"It's kind of sneaky-they don't realize they're learning," she says. "Kids are going to have a really good time, and they're going to learn along the way."

Teachers are also increasingly using apps and interactive game platforms like Kahoot and Quizizz -Kahoot says that more than 6 million teachers in 200 countries use its app to date-as fun formative assessment tools to ensure that students are on track with their learning, especially during the pandemic. Cameron-Jarvis says teachers are reporting that the platforms are so engaging, students frequently request to play them as part of their learning.

To increase the likelihood of all students participating, teachers can scaffold the difficulty levels of a game, calibrated to the current ability of the student. For students with special needs in particular, games can be beneficial because they disrupt traditional learning approaches and introduce opportunities for them to succeed where they have often struggled, says Banerjee, who has more than 29 years of experience in the field of learning disabilities.

Banerjee recommends that teachers use a myriad of low-stakes leaderboards-scoreboards that show the names and scores of participants-to highlight often-overlooked activities or skills in a way that recognizes contributions from students who typically do not perform well on traditional assignments. Teachers can give credit to the student with "the most creative calculation error" in a math class, for example, which not only makes learning more entertaining but acknowledges that all students can contribute meaningfully within a classroom.

Bringing Students Together

Though students can play games alone, most education games encourage players to collaborate effectively in teams-a building block for creating strong relationships and skills like cooperation that will be valuable as they progress through school and life, studies show.

These social interactions have been crucial during distance learning, according to Douglas Kiang, a high school computer science teacher at the Menlo School. Since schools went virtual last spring, Kiang has used Minecraft to give students a chance to interact with each other while learning social skills such as teamwork, negotiation, and respect for others. He also plays Among Us with his advisory group of about 10 students.

"I think games are useful in that respect for bonding and for allowing kids to socialize and communicate with each other," says Kiang, who is a nationally recognized expert on game-based learning and technology integration.

Integrating more community-building elements into your classroom doesn't always require playing a multiplayer video game, though, says Cameron-Jarvis. She suggests posting questions in the stream of popular tools like Google Classroom, Flipgrid, and Nearpod, and letting students respond, interact, and debate ideas. Other teachers have used Google tools to make their own versions of traditional games like Connect Four or Tic Tac Toe so that students get a brain break from academic learning.

The important part of using games in the classroom is trying not to gamify everything and to start small, using games with rules that students understand, says Cameron-Jarvis. The mix of games also matters, adds Farber, who says teachers should aim for variety. If you do let kids play games in class, he says, "think about the emotions those games evoke besides strategy and procedure."

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How to Use Gameplay to Enhance Classroom Learning

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Research shows that using games in teaching can help increase student participation, foster social and emotional learning, and motivate students to take risks.

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This website is helpful for teachers of school-aged children because it shows the many different benefits of outdoor play. Outdoor play is good for children and adults equally. This link not only shows the benefits outdoor play, but also it gives question to brainstorm on how to integrate outdoor play and tips on what teachers could do as well.

Outdoor experiences can help a child's learning by allowing them a break from the same four walls they see everyday. Brain breaks are essential for all types of learners and taking advantage of the outdoors always works wonders. Some other benefits of outdoor play include: learning science, social interaction/collaboration, promoting physical health, allows for new contexts for learning, better sleeping habits, chances to take risks, better learning outcomes, supports STEM skills, and it allows children to embrace the real world.

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Coteachers Marissa and Kate are out for a walk around the block with a small group of 18- to 30-month-olds. The sky is a brilliant blue and there are bright green grass shoots and spring leaves to touch and smell. Two-and-a-half-year-old Aisha approaches Marissa, eyes shining, clutching a treasured object in her hand. She uncurls her fingers to reveal an acorn. "Look!" she says. "What dis?"

"Wow! That's an acorn. It fell from the tree last fall," Marissa answers. "If you plant it in the ground, it will grow into a big tree."

Aisha discovers two more acorns and shares them with Brady, who is 2 years old. Kate offers Aisha and Brady small bags they can use to collect more acorns and other interesting objects they find during the walk. The group's progress around the block is slow as the children find twigs, old brown leaves, new green leaves, and more acorns to bring back to the center.

It can be challenging to take young children outside-from naps to mealtimes and sunscreen to mittens, a trip outdoors might feel like too much hassle. Additionally, play outside may seem unruly, overwhelming, or lacking in learning opportunities. But outdoor play is worth the time and effort.

What are the benefits of outdoor play?

1. It invites children to learn science

As seen in the opening vignette, you don't have to plan for science lessons when you take young children outside. Children are natural explorers and discoverers, and you can bring whatever interests them back to your early childhood setting for further exploration. By turning their questions into group inquiry projects, you'll soon have several starting points for emergent curriculum. An acorn won't grow quickly enough to satisfy a curious child-it takes two months for the first shoots to appear! But there are faster-growing seeds (peas, green beans, corn) perfect for classroom experiments. Picture books like The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss, and Growing Vegetable Soup, by Lois Ehlert, add early literacy to the mix while building children's vocabulary and knowledge.

2. It creates opportunities for social interaction and collaboration

One-on-one interactions, like the conversation between Aisha and Marissa in the vignette, help build a foundation for future teacher relationships that will occur when children enter school. Marissa's interest and delight in Aisha's discovery reinforce Aisha's knowledge that she's important and her ideas matter. Outdoor play also provides a chance to practice social and emotional skills with other children, including problem solving, turn taking, encouragement, self-control, safe risk taking, and following the rules of a game. And outdoor play provides opportunities to develop empathy; for example, imagine one child encouraging another to try the slide or a child comforting another who has fallen down while running.

3. It promotes physical health

The obesity rate for US children ages 2 to 5 is 14 percent, and it rises to over 40 percent for middle-aged adults, leading to an increased risk of health problems like diabetes and heart disease (Hales et al. 2017). That's one reason why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a "prescription for play" at every well-child visit through age 2 (Yogman et al. 2018, 10) and Nemours Health and Prevention Services recommends daily, supervised outdoor time for children from birth to age 5 (Hughes 2009). Specifically, Nemours calls for toddlers to have at least 30 minutes of structured (adult-led) physical activity and at least 60 minutes of unstructured (child-led) physical activity each day. Outdoor play is a great way to model the joy of physical activity. When children run, jump, climb, throw and kick balls, and ride toys that require balance, they also build gross motor skills and start developing a habit of being active.

4. It invites new contexts for learning

You can use outdoor spaces to create intentional learning activities that are difficult to execute inside. There's great value in looking at books about nature in the shade of a tree, pouring (and splashing!) water at an outdoor water table, building extra large structures in the sandbox or mud, collecting leaves, watching a parade of ants, and playing pretend on a playground structure. To make the most of your outdoor time, think about creative, joyful, engaging activities that capitalize on children's need to move and enthusiasm for doing so, while also achieving other curricular goals. For example, you might create a sorting game in which children have to find all the yellow balls and all the red balls hidden on the playground, then sort them into two groups.

5. It promotes better sleep

A study of 2- to 5-year-olds showed that children who play outdoors sleep better at night (Deziel 2017). This may be due to the physical activity, stress reduction, and exposure to natural light that come with playing outdoors (Coyle 2011). You may want to share this information with families-a tired, happy child is one who sleeps well!

6. It gives children a chance to take appropriate risks

Toddlers are all about challenging themselves to do new and difficult things-pet a dog, climb some stairs, venture a little farther away from a caregiver and then return. Playing outside provides opportunities to run faster, climb higher, jump farther, and more-all under the watchful eye of a caring adult.

7. It may lead to better learning outcomes once children return to other activities

Research shows that older children are more attentive and productive in the classroom when recess-indoors or outdoors-is part of the school day (Council on School Health 2013). If older children need a brain break, it follows that younger ones do too.

8. It supports STEM skills

Remember making mud pies and forts when you were a child? The outdoors is the perfect place for big (and messy) projects that support STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills, such as building, sand and water play, and investigations of the natural world. Almost any indoor activity can be brought outside for further exploration.

9. It anchors children to the real world

Talking with a child about an illustration of a bird in a picture book is good, but sharing the book and the experience in the real world is even better: "I wonder what that robin is looking for in the grass? Oh, look! It got a worm!" Children develop more comprehensive knowledge about their world when they have a chance to watch, observe, predict, and learn in the moment.

Conclusion

Playing outdoors has benefits for both young children and educators. It's a refreshing pause in the day's schedule-time set aside to look and listen, explore and observe, move and let loose. Time spent outside can lead to better physical and mental health, improved sleep, and cognitive, social, and emotional gains for young children. Ensuring that outdoor play is an integral part of your child care and education setting's daily schedule supports early learning across all domains and unleashes a whole lot of joy-for you and for children!

Think about it

Reflect on your feelings about being outside. What do you enjoy or dislike about being outdoors?

What are your goals for outdoor play? (These can differ from day to day, depending on children's needs, the season, and the spaces and materials you have access to for structured versus unstructured activities.)

What routines can you create that will assist you in getting children outdoors? (Some programs have outdoor time at the beginning and end of every day so they don't have to deal with coats and hats in the middle of the day.)

What classroom/programmatic roadblocks exist that may make it harder to get children outdoors? How might you tackle them?

How can you share children's outdoor activities and accomplishments with their families?

Mix it up: provide a balance of structured play (in which you choose the goals and initiate activities that will meet them) and unstructured play.

When the weather outside is frightful . . . dress appropriately and make it part of the adventure! For example, observe the sound and smell of rain, the splashes boots make in puddles, and the way rainwater collects on leaves. (If possible, have some extra outdoor gear on hand for children who are not adequately dressed for the conditions.)

The world is your canvas! Try drawing on the sidewalk with chalk, or use rollers or big brushes to paint with water.

Start a collection: have children collect specific objects-leaves, pinecones, rocks, or whatever interests them. Use these items for sorting activities when you return to the classroom. Items can be organized by shape, color, or texture.

Document discoveries: snap photos or take video of children's discoveries and experiments in the outdoor "classroom." Post photos or videos in a place where children and their families can see them. Create a classroom book that shows what children are doing and learning outside.

References

Council on School Health. 2013. "The Crucial Role of Recess in School." Policy statement. Pediatrics 131 (1). http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/183.

Coyle, K.J. 2011. Green Time for Sleep Time: Three Ways Nature and Outdoor Time Improve Your Child's Sleep: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers. Reston, VA: National Wildlife Federation. www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/BeOutThere_GreenTimeforSleepTi....

Deziel, S. 2017. "5 Reasons Why Every Kid Should Play Outside." Today's Parent. www.todaysparent.com/kids/kids-health/unexpected-benefits-of-outdoor-play/.

Hales, C.M., M.D. Carroll, C.D. Fryar, & C.L. Ogden. 2017. "Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults and Youth: United States, 2015-2016." NCHS Data Brief #288. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db288.pdf.

Hughes, D. 2009. Best Practices for Physical Activity: A Guide to Help Children Grow Up Healthy for Organizations Serving Children and Youth. Newark, DE: Nemours Health and Prevention Services. www.nemours.org/content/dam/nemours/www/filebox/service/preventive/nhps/paguidelines.pdf.

Yogman, M., A. Garner, J. Hutchinson, K. Hirsh-Pasek, & R.M. Golinkoff. 2018. "The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development." Clinical Report. Pediatrics 142 (3): 1-18. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/142/3/e20182058....

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Rocking and Rolling. Fresh Air, Fun, and Exploration: Why Outdoor Play Is Essential for Healthy Development

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Ensuring that outdoor play is an integral part of your child care and education setting's daily schedule supports early learning across all domains and unleashes a whole lot of joy-for you and for children!

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The outdoors allows the opportunity for healthy development. This article tells the importance of outdoor learning and the need to take a break from technology. As technology advances, it allows more resources into our classrooms, but sometimes, there are some things that can not be taught from the internet. Open-ended thinking and the ability to use the imagination can only be used so far within indoor/technology based learning.

This article tells us the importance of outdoor learning, but it also tells us the considerations that need to be made while exploring outdoor learning. One big factor that comes from that would be Covid-19. While Covid was at its peak, outdoor learning was still an option to an extent. This is a good article for teachers who want to use outdoor learning in their classrooms so they can be fully educated on all the benefits it brings to their students.

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The quote by Brooke Hampton, "Children still need a childhood with dirt, mud, puddles, trees, sticks and tadpoles" is more apt than ever in today's digital age.

Our fledgling generation is exposed to a digital era and 'plug-in' entertainment in their circumambient environment. It is incontrovertible that the new age or information age that we live in has a multitude of exceptional benefits and having access to these digital resources is an advantage. However, as impressive as the advantages are, it has led to the detriment of children's holistic development; that which is provided through outdoor learning as highlighted by Marais (2021), who purports that playing in nature supports children's holistic development and benefits their physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Friedman et al (2022), concurs that outdoor play is essential for healthy development, especially in children's early years as being energetic outside, provides children with invaluable experiences that can directly influence their physical and emotional development, social skills, creativity and even their intelligences.Poppell & Monroe (2017), firmly state that decreased interactions with nature can harm children's physical health and cognitive development and create a gap between children and their environment. According to Wyver (2019), there is converging evidence that repetitive exposure to high quality, amorphous outdoor play opportunities have a positive impact on social and cognitive development.

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Learning outside and the impact of technologies

Generation Alpha is the generation following Generation Z and currently includes all children born in or after 2010 which is the same year that the iPad was released. This is the first generation of children who will never be exposed to a time when social media did not exist and they are far more technically perspicacious than any preceding generation, which is a dynamic tool that can change civilisation in innumerable progressive ways (Cottrell, 2022). With all things considered, as technological devices are becoming increasingly accessible, the amount of time that children spend outside actively playing has decreased significantly. Hence, modern-day children spend extensively less time outside than did children in preceding generations (Anderson-McNamee & Bailey, 2010).

Impact of COVID-19 on Outdoor Play

Another key point is that Generation Alpha are some of the first generation born into the COVID-19 pandemic, hence they will be more diverse than any other generation (Cottrell, 2022). The COVID‑19 pandemic flabbergasted the world and it was with incredulity that every part of life even the mundane was disrupted on a national and global scale, as it unnerved the fabric of human existence as we knew it. As multiple challenges were being faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was further compounded by the closure of schools, which had a ripple effect in health, social and the holistic well-being of children internationally. The novel virus impacted Early Childhood Education outcomes and Care (ECEC) and Hobbs & Bernard (2021), correspondingly state that it impacted pre-school children in several ways, including cognitive development, social, emotional and behavioural development and mental health, primary school readiness (communication and language development; personal, social and emotional development; and literacy) and physical development.

To manage the unprecedented time of COVID-19, in terms of education outcomes, the shift to online learning was implemented and this was not apposite for learners in the early years as this method of teaching and learning is not adequate for their stage of development. Parents, guardians and caregivers precipitously assumed the role of educators. Consequently, as most of them are not teachers, and many are unfamiliar with the educational programmes' content and pedagogical tools, this further disadvantaged children during lockdown [ OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19) 2020].

As stated by Hobbs & Bernard (2021), concerns were raised by academics about the minimal opportunities for children to play and participate in physical activity due to pandemic restrictions. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the unequal access to green spaces by diverse populations and the percentage of families with no access to gardens or communal spaces and parental time constraints coupled with the fact that parents also made the transference to working online.

Outdoor learning in Home Environments

Outdoor play may not be feasible in the home environment for a myriad of reasons. Bento & Dias (2017), elaborate those opportunities for outdoor play are waning, due to globalisation, technology expansion, urban growth and by considering the domicile of the children in terms of urban and rural areas. A mounting culture of fear about the possible accidents that might happen affect parent's and professionals' approach towards outdoor play. Given these points, children tend to be kept inside, engaged in structured activities, and controlled by adults. Due to the latter, playing outdoors in the early childhood environment is possibly the only prospect that children have to play spontaneously in a secure setting (Bento & Dias, 2017).

Risk and the Outdoor Learning Environment

The importance of taking risks is further elucidated by Marais (2021), who states that challenging natural spaces promote risk assessment skills while building confidence and proficiency and developing resilience. Warden (2020) is synchronised with Marais (2021), view in that young children need challenge and risk within a framework of security and safety. Children need to set and meet their own challenges, become aware of their limits and push their abilities (at their own pace). As a results, children will learn through trial and error and experience the gratification of feeling capable and competent and like a butterfly their wings will unfold. The following quote is felicitous in this respect, 'If you want a butterfly world, don't step on the caterpillar' (The Metaphor of Metamorphosis, 2021).

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Outdoor Play and the Primary School Curriculum

According to Zarco (n.d), UNESCO defines the formal curriculum as "the planned programme of objectives, content, learning experiences, resources and assessment offered by a school." The outdoor space and curriculum must harness the special nature of the outdoors, to offer children what the indoors cannot (Warden, 2020).Thus, by taking the formal curriculum into account teachers should plan not only indoor lessons but outdoor lessons, such as forest schools, for learners to develop holistically.

The informal curriculum goes beyond the formal aspect and is usually found in the way of co-curricular activities which will benefit the learner's physical development and provide opportunities for outdoor activities (Zarco n.d).

The hidden curriculum refers to the unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, and perspectives that children learn in primary school. This is important as it pertains to outdoor learning as well as learners need to understand their world. For example, children must be encouraged to accept responsibility for the spruceness of the outdoor environment by packing away toys and any equipment they have used and disposing of litter, be able to wait their turn and to share equipment (Zarco n.d). Warden (2020), echoes these sentiments by stating that children can take an active role in setting up, clearing away and caring for the outdoor space. Resultantly, it is crucial that embedded within the curriculum is value-based instruction as this is not only significant in 21 st Century teaching and learning but affords children with a platform to becoming global citizens.

The Outdoor Learning Environment and the Need for Play

The outdoor learning environment encourages learners to use their imagination, build c ognitive skills, acquire social skills and sets the building blocks in place to develop the child holistically. Play is a skill that comes naturally to every child. Play is key for many developmental skills such as building on fine motor, cognitive development, and more (Hooven 2017:2). The benefits of play are immense as children gain knowledge through their play, increase their problem-solving abilities through games and puzzles, strengthen their language skills by modelling other children and adults, allows children to be creative while developing their own imaginations whilst discovering, investigating and exploring the world in which they live (Anderson-McNamee & Bailey 2010).
The link to the video below highlights the 'Power of play from a child's perspective'.
Outdoor Education (OE)

Outdoor education fosters inquiry-based learning as it involves open-ended investigation into learners' queries. This approach to education views children as being active agents in their own learning and capable of critical engagement in their own lives. The focus of inquiry-based learning is on children's own questions, observations and interpretations of the world around them and thus making learning more meaningful (MacDonald & Breunig, 2018).Exploratory play in primary schools allows children time to discover and manipulate their surroundings (Anderson-McNamee & Bailey, 2010). Agostini, Minelli & Mandolesi (2018), additionally conveys that those exploratory behaviours in nature strengthen the locomotor and immune systems and children are therefore less predisposed to illness, and consequently more balanced. Given that, it is then imperative that teachers plan for the appropriate and creative use of the outdoors to develop learners holistically.

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Outdoor Learning and Holistic Development

Holistic development is an approach to learning that emphasises the importance of the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of children, particularly in early childhood. It can be further described as learning and interacting with the natural world and prospects for challenge, risk-taking, and social development (Foundation Education 2018). The outdoor environment provides a platform for holistic development and Marais (2021), eloquently puts forth that nature play also develops children's cognitive abilities and social skills as they explore their world, challenge themselves and interact with others. Each learner is an individual and their outdoor 'lived experience' interlocks in various ways. They are unique with each having their own form and character. Educators provide learners with pieces of fabric to complete their 'life quilt' where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Spending time in the outdoors helps children identify with nature and helps children gain self-confidence and respect for the world around them. Socialisation is a crucial part of early childhood and by providing learners with opportunities to enjoy an early childhood education they will grow to be well rounded, mature individuals armed with skills that will carry them through their adult life.

Safe Outdoor Equipment and Spaces

Outdoor play is an important part of the daily programme and safety must be a priority. Careful attention must be paid to the choice of outdoor toys and equipment to ensure that they are safe and durable and will stimulate and educate the children. The teacher's role in supervising outdoor play is especially important and needs to closely supervise the children in their care. Areas to consider are fall zones, surfacing, access to shade, and the conditions of materials and equipment (The Outdoor Environment Designing for Learning, 2021).

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Planning Outdoor Activities that accommodate for the holistic development of a child

The outdoor learning environment should be designed with intentionality to inspire and motivate school engagement and must accommodate the needs of each individual. Outdoor spaces must support inclusion, meet the needs of individuals, and offer diverse play-based experiences. The outdoor play area should be an aesthetically inviting and stimulating environment that accommodates for investigative learning, physical development, literacy, mathematics and expressive arts. This type of environment allows learners to learn through play, discover and explore within a child friendly, safe and secure environment that will develop children's problem-solving and creative skills and support multiple intelligences (Warden, 2020).

The learning areas that a playground can accommodate for will depend on the layout and infrastructure of the primary school. When primary schools experience a lack of space, the outdoor learning areas are rotated so that learners are exposed to a range of learning opportunities. Examples of areas for outdoor learning are reflecting below.

1. Quiet Area: Passive activities or materials that allow children to transition to their outdoor space should be included in this area where items such as blankets, books or writing/painting materials can be made available. In terms of planning, it should be away from energetic space that learners occupy [Outdoor Play (EYFS), n.d.].

2. Manipulative Area: This area comprises of materials and activities that promote fine-motor skills and items such as threading, lacing, construction tools, etc must be available.

3. Physical Area: promotes physical development and children should have access to a broader range of movements like running, balancing, swinging, climbing, or digging which can include obstacle courses, monkey bars, climbing frames and tunnels. These physical opportunities assist children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and dexterity [Outdoor Play (EYFS)n.d.]. The types of playground equipment to support this type of play must be examined.

4. Social Area: Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)When it comes to social skills, children can play in larger groups when given more space outdoors. This can help them develop better social skills and learn to manage and regulate their emotions in a large group [Outdoor Play (EYFS)n.d.]. For emotional development, any amount of time spent exercising in the fresh air boosts well-being and mental health among children. Mullan, 2019 supplements this statement in that children will often be less inhibited outside, and more willing to become involved with activities, engage in discourse and come out of their shells. Subsequently, for those learners who are not social butterflies this environment presents them with ample opportunities for communication and exchange of ideas.

5. Dramatic Area: as children often engage in pretend play while they are outside, this area of play can be enhanced by providing some extra props to support bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, naturalist, and linguistic intelligences. Playhouse, costumes, wheeled toys, are items that promote imaginative and interactive play, including theatre (puppet stands), dance, or music props should be available in this area (McFarland & Adhikary, 2006:27). The planning of this area must give consideration to gender and culture as activities plannedshould be available for children regardless of their ethnicity and gender. For example, provide a variety of cooking props that the families in your class might cook with at home and any dolls or pictures you use represent a variety of ethnicities (McFarland & Adhikary, 2006:29). As can be noted, this area can provide opportunities to develop a culture of respect and recognition. The latter should be representative of any activity that is planned.

6. Sensory Area: activities or materials that allow children to explore and discover through their senses.

7. Mathematics Area: hands-on use of real objects is the foundation of developing mathematical understanding and as with all learning, engagement is the key, whether it is through counting stones, leaves, pacing out distances or finding shapes we recognise in the world around us. Role-play can also be incorporated into math and literacy learning for young children by setting up a shop, a post-office, etc. (Mullan, 2019).

8. Sandpit Area: provides infinite opportunities for learners to build physical and social skills. As sand play is tactile, it assists learners to gain knowledge regarding different textures and develops their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It also fosters language development, creativity, socialising and sensory and tactile stimulation (Play in The Sand! 2018).

9. Music Area: outside music activities support musical intelligence and offer a perfect setting for loud instruments and instruments such as cymbals, tambourines, or even one's that the children make themselves (McFarland & Adhikary, 2006:26).

10. Art Area: fingerpainting, large murals with chalk, markers, or crayons, footprint or handprint painting, or sidewalk chalk will support bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, logical-mathematical, intrapersonal, and interpersonal intelligences (McFarland & Adhikary, 2006:26).

11. Construction: construction projects often offer children with strong interpersonal skills a leadership role in resolving conflict, fostering cooperation and suggesting solutions (McFarland & Adhikary, 2006:27).

12. Nature/Science Area: In a world where we are digitally driven, there has been an increase in children's use of technology which has led to rising concern about how it affects children's development and their holistic development. With greater reason than ever, it is imperative that, 'We must teach our children to smell the earth, to taste the rain, to touch the wind, to see things grow, to hear the sunrise and nightfall - to care.' John Cleal. Hence, a primary school garden is a powerful environmental education where learners learn focus and patience, tolerance, cooperation, collaboration and social skills and gain self-assurance (Marais, 2021). Educators can develop children's appreciation of the beauty of Mother Nature from an early age.

The list below outlines how a garden in a typical school day facilitates and promotes life-long learning by providing hands-on experience and more significantly identifying the value of sustainable living.
Educational Aims: What children will learn to drive school engagement
- Gardening: How to grow things in a safe and sustainable way, how to run their own successful gardens, enjoy gardening and have positive attitudes to agriculture.

- Nutrition: How to grow food for themselves, improve their diet and prepare healthy meals with garden produce.

- Marketing: Business skills and entrepreneurship

- Environment: Environmental awareness

- School subjects: Particular subjects through active, hands-on experience.

- Life skills: How to plan, take decisions, collaborate, take responsibility.

(WHAT IS OUR GARDEN FOR? n.d.)
The links below provides examples of how outdoor spaces can be designed to provide invitational and optimal learning opportunities for learners within a safe environment.
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Inclusive Playgrounds and the natural environment

Inclusive education is incorporated into the curriculum which is the practice of fully integrating all learners into classroom instruction regardless of race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, physical or mental ability, or language. By the same token, outdoor environments should be inclusive as well so that children are recognised as unique, have different needs and abilities. Playgrounds that are only designed with certain ability levels in mind can exclude many primary school pupils who have the same desire and need to play and participate (The Importance of Inclusive Playgrounds, 2022).

The link below provides examples of ' How to Plan, Design and Build Inclusive Playgrounds to promote play.

Under-resourced primary schools and the effect on outdoor learning

According to Maffea (2020:2), school is a place where children spend a vast amount of hours a day in different classrooms expecting to learn new ideas and topics. All over the world, classrooms are not supplied with sufficient resources. Areas with high poverty rates are typically the areas where the schools are struggling the most. The schools in high poverty areas are clambering to find resources. The lack of resources affects the learners in different ways. It means they are not getting the most out of their education. In terms of resources, one could say that this dystopian environment could be extremely difficult for teachers and learners. Despite this disadvantage, teachers can be creative and with assistance from the parents and community, can make cost-effective items by using recyclable materials that can be used for the outdoor play area.
The link below provides examples of how tyres can be reused in outdoor play spaces to create an inviting environment for learners.
The Role of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences on Outdoor Play

Maxon (2021), eloquently and succinctly states that it becomes the role of educators to go beyond the walls of the classroom or sports field and take primary school pupils outside to experience authentic and meaningful learning in real world settings. Equally important, by incorporating Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, it provides golden opportunities for purposeful learning as children need to engage in the world within them and around them by providing them with dynamic outdoor experiences.

The following outdoor activity is designed to promote children's multiple intelligences which can be used to adapt activities for the children.
Make a Bird Feeder (Adapted from McFarland & Adhikary (2006: 31).

1. Locate a shaded area on the playground and gather learners to sit in a circle.

2. Read a story about 'Birds' and as you progress with the story, enquire asking open-ended questions that lead learners to 'bird feeders.'

3. Use a short poem or song about birds and as you encourage movement, let learners pretend to be a bird and spread their wings and 'fly' to their favourite tree on the playground whilst imitating the sound of birds.

4. When they at the tree, they now need to pretend to be 'bird feeder' and sway gently forwards and backwards to ensure that the bird feeder is sturdy even during a gentle breeze.

5. Learners can mimic the sound of the breeze and they fly back to the circle and thereafter draw what they imagine their 'bird feeder' will look like. This can be done in pairs of groups to foster communication, collaboration and dialogue.

6. Next learners can make the bird feeder with the recycled materials provided by you thus following an inclusive approach as no items need to be purchased.

Examining the activity with a focus on each of the intelligences:
Bodily-kinesthetic: Learners pretend to be a bird and spread their wings and 'fly' to their favourite tree on the playground. When at the tree, they now need to pretend to be 'bird feeder' and sway gently forwards and backwards to ensure that the bird feeder is sturdy even during a gentle breeze.

Linguistic: Ask children to dictate words that describe the bird feeder.

Logical-mathematical: Investigate the size of the bird feeder with a variety of measuring tools example, non-standard units of measurement.

Spatial: Learners can create what they imagine their 'bird feeder' will look like using playdough, paint, or pencil drawing.

Musical: Learners mimic the sound of the birds as they fly to and from the tree and the sound of the breeze as they fly back to the circle.

Naturalist: Encourage children to look for birds (identify) and birdfeeders on the playground. Provide identification books and other resource materials. Encourage children to make a list of the birds they have identified by drawing or writing.

Interpersonal: Engage in a discussion about how the bird would feel if it had to share the food in the bird feeder with another bird.

Intrapersonal: Have a conversation about how a bird feels as the bird is flying towards the bird feeder, when at the feeder, when the bird leaves and if there was no food in the feeder how would the bird feel.

Moving Outdoor Learning forward in your school

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein. This quote places 'Gardner's Multiple Intelligences' into perspective as Maxon (2021), expounds that we must learn to celebrate the full diversity of human intelligence and cultivate all eight types of 'smarts' in education outcomes as we support children to feel valued and reach their maximum potential. One of the best ways to complete the missing pieces of the puzzle is through meaningful and authentic outdoor investigative and exploratory learning. We can then adopt heuristic methods of teaching and learning where learners become part of the conversation and not only recipients of information.

To conclude, Moore and Wong, (n.d) movingly state that "Without continuous hands-on experience, it is impossible for children to acquire a deep, intuitive understanding of the natural world that is the foundation of sustainable development". The authors make a valid point as children go through metamorphosis throughout the different stages of their life. To quote Richard Bach, 'What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly'.

Outdoor Learning References

Anderson-McNamee, J.K., & Bailey, S.J. 2010. 'The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Development'. In Montana State University Extension. MT201003HR New 4/10 https://www.tulsaeducare.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Educare-Content-G-Articles-Importance-of-Play-Article.pdf

Bento, G., & Dias, G. 2017. The importance of outdoor play for young children's healthy development. Porto biomedical journal, 2(5), 157-160. [online]Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6806863/

Foundation Education. 2018. How can I support the Holistic Development of Children? [online] https://www.foundationeducation.edu.au/articles/2018/03/support-holistic-development-children-early-childhood-education.

Friedman, S., Imrie, S., Fink. E., Gedikoglu, M., & Hughes, C. 2022. 'Understanding changes to children's connection to nature during the COVID-19 pandemic and implications for child well-being'. People and Nature. British Ecological Society. Volume 4, Issue1.pp 155-16. [online]Available at: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pan3.10270

Hobbs, A. & Bernard, R. 2021. Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education and Care. In UK Parliament Post. [online] Available at: https://post.parliament.uk/impact-of-covid-19-on-early-childhood-education-care/

Hooven, H. (2017). Outdoor learning in early childhood (Master's thesis, Northwestern College, Orange City, IA). [online] Available at: http://nwcommons.nwciowa.edu/education_masters/25/

Moore, R.C. and Wong, H.H. Natural Learning, Creating Environments for Rediscovering Nature's Way of Teaching in INSPIRING QUOTES ABOUT OUTDOOR EDUCATION LEARNING PLAY BENEFITS. n.d In The Stable Company. [online]Available from: https://www.thestablecompany.com/blog/inspiring-quotes-about-outdoor-education-learning-play-benefits.

Mullan, C. 2019. The importance of outdoor exploratory play in Early years. In Acorn House International. [online]Available at: https://www.acornhouse.school/2019/04/06/the-importance-of-outdoor-exploratory-play-in-early-years/

OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19). Combatting COVID-19's effect on children. 2020 [online]Available at: https://www.hull.ac.uk/work-with-us/more/media-centre/news/2020/impact-of-covid-19-on-outdoor-learning-among-children-studied-by-university-phd-researcher.

The Outdoor Environment: Designing for Learning. 2021. In The Virtual Lab School. [online]Available at: https://www.virtuallabschool.org/school-age/learning-environments/lesson-3

Warden, C. 2020. The values we lay in outdoor play.In The Spoke. Early Childhood Australia's Blog. [online]Available at: http://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/the-values-we-lay-in-outdoor-play/[Accessed on 28 July 2022].

WHAT IS OUR GARDEN FOR? n.d. [online]Available at: https://www.fao.org/3/a0218e/A0218E04.htm.

Wyver S. 2019. The Influence of Outdoor Play on Social and Cognitive Development. In: Tremblay RE, Boivin M, Peters RDeV, eds. Brussoni M, topic ed. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development [online].

https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/influence-outdoor-play-social-and-cognitive-development.

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The quote by Brooke Hampton, "Children still need a childhood with dirt, mud, puddles, trees, sticks and tadpoles" is more apt than ever in today's digital age. Our fledgling generation is exposed to a digital era and 'plug-in' entertainment in their circumambient environment.

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An inclusive playground is one that supports the physical, social, and emotional development for children. These types of playgrounds are also very accessible and someone with different kinds of abilities can use it as well! Inclusive playgrounds supports children's development by allowing them social interaction by playing with all of their peers equally. Other ways these playgrounds support child development is by boosting their confidence, promotes sensory play, and promotes physical activity. Just like there are many benefits of play, there are also many benefits that come from an inclusive playground.

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https://redmonkeyplay.co.uk/why-is-creative-play-important-for-childrens-development/#:~:text=When%20getting%20involved%20with%20creative,and%20analyse%20why%20it%20works.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-use-gameplay-enhance-classroom-learning/

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2019/outdoor-play-is-essential

https://www.structural-learning.com/post/outdoor-learning

https://www.ameridisability.com/how-inclusive-playgrounds-help-all-children-learn-and-play/

https://redmonkeyplay.co.uk/why-is-creative-play-important-for-childrens-development/#:~:text=When%20getting%20involved%20with%20creative,and%20analyse%20why%20it%20works.