March 31, 2026
Volume 60, Number 11
SPRING IT ON : WAYS TO BRING
NATURE INTO LEARNING
W hile some may typically think of the physical education and environmental and outdoor education curricula as having the closest ties to learning in the outdoors, our core subjects present many opportunities to weave nature into students’ learning experiences. • In language arts , sitting with nature can function as an inspirational writing prompt. Taking students outside and allowing them to sit in an
outdoor space creates opportunity for students to observe their environment and imbue their writing with imagery. • Scientific investigations are sometimes best conducted in the outdoors! When students apply scientific observation and data collection skills in natural environments, they are witnessing science unfold in front of their eyes. • The beauty of mathematics comes to life in our
natural environments. Allowing students to see relationships between mathematical concepts and natural phenomena creates a sense of connectedness to real-world contexts. • Social studies presents unique opportunities to learn from the outdoors to enhance students’ sense of environmental and social responsibility and develop understanding of our evolving relationship with the land.
Check out these nature-inspired projects shared by teachers:
Dawnelle Salant: I found
this beautiful Bohemian waxwing posing perfectly on the side of the road in Water Valley. We were looking for owls, but this beauty stole the show! I so appreciate wildlife that sticks around for the perfect shot! Joanna Ruth: I took a class last night to refresh my knowledge of linocut printmaking so I’d know how to teach it to my high school students. It’s been a few years, ahem, decades since doing one in high school myself, so I got inspired by the blackbirds singing in the springtime in England when my husband and I lived there for a few years.
Find teacher resources related to nature and outdoor education. ATA Library web guides on such topics
ATA Global Environmental and Outdoor Education Council: www.geoec.org/ resources.html
ATA PD workshop on First Nations, Métis and Inuit Traditional Games: abteach.cc/ pdworkshop
Nature Alberta: naturealberta.
ca/teacher- resources/
as forest school and biodiversity: teachers-ab.libguides. com
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