Boulder Valley School District
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Ghita Carroll

Sustainability and Energy Officer
Sustainability and Energy Officer

Outdoor Learning

Outdoor Learning in BVSD

There are many advantages to outdoor learning. Outdoor learning can provide meaningful opportunities for students and teachers to connect. There are also mental and physical health benefits to being outdoors​. 

Green Schoolyards America Shares BVSD's Experience with Outdoor Learning

Educators in BVSD are experienced at incorporating outdoor learning into the daily school experience, whether students are engaged in environmental education or taking advantage of our abundant sunshine to grab some fresh air during the day. The Coronavirus pandemic raised the interest of educators nationally in learning how to move classes outside where transmission was lower. Boulder Valley is proud to have our experience in this area featured as a case study by Green Schoolyards America (GSA) so that our outdoor learning story can benefit other educators. BVSD's Sustainability Coordinator was a contributor to GSA's new District Pathways document which guides schools through developing an outdoor learning program. 

Read the case study

 

Resources for Staff

Guidelines for Outdoor Learning 

Tips for Outdoor Classroom Management from our partner Garden to Table

Green Schoolyards America
Green Schoolyards America seeks to transform asphalt-covered school grounds into park-like green spaces that improve children’s well-being, learning, and play while contributing to their communities' ecological health and climate resilience. They are working to change the paradigm for school ground design, use, and management so all students will have access to the natural world in the places they already visit on a daily basis.

Looking for high-quality, virtual environmental or outdoor activities and lessons? Need to find bilingual content for a certain grade level? Want to integrate science with math, literacy, art, or social studies?
Check out the new eeVirtual Learning Database! This highly searchable website collects and screens resources from outdoor and environmental organizations and government agencies across the state, allowing you to find exactly what you need. Content is largely asynchronous and designed to be easily shared with students. Synchronous resources coming soon!

Additional Partners and Resources Supporting Outdoor Learning and More
The E-movement virtual data base listed under internal resources can be sorted for outdoor learning activities.