Inspired By Reggio Emilia: Designing The Outdoor Classroom

Engaging the Outdoor Classroom Where High Sensory Experiences Support Foundational Literacy and Scientific Inquiry

What you'll learn
Much has been written in the last decade about creating dynamic outdoor classrooms. Now more than ever, educators need to put the research into practice.
In this course we will review the best design features of the outdoor classroom, examine ways to engage children in the exploration of these new spaces.
Through video content, we demonstrate how to use open ended materials to extend children's creative play.
We open up the possibilities by creating outdoor spaces that lend themselves to imaginary play.
Requirements
Undergraduate degree in early education, working knowledge of child development and foundations in literacy.
Description
3 Hours 16 Minutes of ContentThese are top-rated courses on Udemy. Read below raving reviews. Purchase with confidence INSPIRED BY REGGIO EMILIA courses:Heralded by Harvard University's Project Zero, the Reggio Emilia Approach is blend of theory and practice that is based upon decades of research in early childhood development.  Founder Loris Malaguzzi designed a teaching approach which is alive, creative and emergent.Central to this progressive approach is the image of the child as a strong and powerful player in their own education. The teacher is seen as a researcher and protagonist, creating a learning environment that is engaging and highly social. Children learn through play and are assessed through documentation. The documentation makes the learning visible and informs the practice – ultimately leading to innovations in curriculum.Like our indoor classrooms, the outdoor classroom successfully engages students through design, flow and use of materials.  In this course we examine design features of successful outdoor classrooms. We consider what makes spaces beautiful, inviting and inclusive. We include video content of spaces on the playground specific to literacy, imaginary play and scientific inquiry. In this way, we offer teaching teams and schools ideas about how to get started, how fund the outdoor classroom, making direct links to early learning standards.With over twenty years in the early childhood field, Mary Ann Biermeier is an Arizona certified instructor holding a master degree with distinction in Early Childhood Education Curriculum & Instruction from Northern Arizona University, a graduate degree in Instructional Design and Digital Media from the University of Maryland, and a B.A. in Political Science & Economics from the University of Minnesota.Deep learning is always connected to enjoyment - we hope you will enjoy this class!REVIEWS:Jeffery – “Nature Teacher at Little Explorers Preschool and Nature Center Madison Wi. Sometimes I go back to my childhood and remember all the times I played outside with my Brothers. We created a bunch of stuff with outside materials. This class has shown me new ideas to incorporate into my Nature Progam with the ones I already have. Fun!”Maricela – “This curse is great opportunity, to learn how we can teach the children with a natural recourses, that we can find in our environment.”Shirley – “That's fantastic - I am going to do in my classroom.”Elena - "As educators, we all know the value of the outdoors. I took part in this course to get some inspiration on how to zhoosh up my outdoor area. This course provides some great ideas for the Outdoor Classroom. It is also a great reminder that these things don't happen over night!”Lee – “Taking the first step to bring classroom outside is an interesting avenue for teachers and children alike. The feeling of open space will definitely release tension unlimited flow of open-ended materials will inspire endless learning experiences for all parties. Involving parents is a great bonus.”Martha – “Very informative and realistic. 3 important point for outside environment are 1.high sensory 2 social charge and positive emotional the importance of long term memory.”Ridhima – “Absolutely loved every bit of it. I love the way the course has been presented and engages the learner. I never wanted it to end.”Ivette – “Interesting, educational, and resourceful.”Nitin – “I've enjoyed the course so much! There are a tremendous lot of fun, engaging, and exciting ideas in there, and it all gave me a lot to think about. I am thinking of starting an outdoor kindergarten (combining forest and beach) on the tropical island of Mauritius, and I can't wait to implement many of those ideas! Thank you!”Mary Ann – “Very informative, provides lots of great ideas to set up an outdoor classroom to encourage relationships, build on vocabulary and in general provides new learning experiences.”Hande – “It was an amazing course that is a meticulously created tutorial.”

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction: An Overview of this Course

Lecture 2 The Outdoor Classroom - a photo review

Lecture 3 Making the Connection Between High Illiteracy Rates and Learning Environments

Lecture 4 Downloading Resources for this Section

Section 2: Designing the Outdoor Classroom

Lecture 5 Article Review: Studying Nature-Based Outdoor Classrooms

Lecture 6 Five Elements of Design

Lecture 7 Article Review: Designing and Creating Natural Play Environments for Young Child

Lecture 8 Soundscapes

Lecture 9 Harmony Garden

Section 3: Beautiful Stuff from Nature: More Learning with Found Materials

Lecture 10 Sand Table Provocation: Environments that Support Language Development

Lecture 11 Chapter Review: Outside Just Beyond the Classroom Door

Lecture 12 Petal People

Lecture 13 What is Nature?

Lecture 14 Extending the Learning with Nature Walks

Lecture 15 The Outdoor Library

Lecture 16 Reading Books Outside

Lecture 17 Article Reviews: Outdoor Libraries

Section 4: Imaginary Play

Lecture 18 Mudd Kitchen: How Environments Shape Outcomes

Lecture 19 Fairy Village: How Books Expand the Learning

Lecture 20 Fairy Village Resources

Lecture 21 Foundations in Literacy: Notty Elf

Lecture 22 Emergent Curriculum in Practice: A House for Notty

Lecture 23 Imaginary Play in Review

Section 5: Scientific Inquiry and Bringing the Outdoors Inside

Lecture 24 Digital Microscopes

Lecture 25 The Spider Project

Lecture 26 The Magic of the Pumpkin Patch

Lecture 27 Resources: Pumpkin Patch Book List

Lecture 28 ROCKS: Seeing Children as Scientists

Lecture 29 Workbench: Engineering Confidence

Lecture 30 The Art of Science: Observational Drawing I

Lecture 31 The Art of Science: Observational Drawing II

Lecture 32 All Creatures Great and Small

Lecture 33 Engineering: Building it Together

Section 6: A Call to Action

Lecture 34 In Review - A Call to Action

This course is designed for early childhood educators PreK-Grade 3, home school networks and higher education programs interested in putting research into practice.