The Child Development Center at Wichita State University is renovating its three playground areas to create outdoor learning classrooms.

Outdoor classrooms are open-air meeting spaces that provide physical, cognitive and psychological benefits to children with relatively few changes to curriculum. Because most indoor activities can also be done outdoors, it allows a disruption from the standard learning environment without changing the information. This encourages children to think differently about what they are being taught.

“These outdoor classrooms will help us further the children’s educational journeys here at the CDC,” says Jill Hoefer, director of the Child Development Center.

The center has been saving funds for the past two years to begin the renovations to the playground. The total renovations, which include all three playgrounds, will cost around $60,000.

“We pride ourselves in being one of the very top centers in Wichita, and we hope one day that we can expand and provide all the wonderful things that we do with children and families to our community as well.”

Multiple benefits

Outdoor classrooms provide an increase in physical development and capability, leading to fewer children suffering from diseases such as obesity, diabetes and attention deficit disorder. Giving children the opportunity to be consistently active sets up a pattern for healthy lifestyles later in life.

Being physically active is not the only positive habit that outdoor classrooms develop, Hoefer says. Group activities allow for the development of stronger communication and problem-solving skills. Learning in an outdoor classroom is based on self-initiation, control and personal responsibility, as students are encouraged to engage on their own.

The psychological benefits can also have a lasting positive impact. Children with outdoor classrooms available to them often have a higher sense of self-esteem and build effective relationships in a noncompetitive environment.

The blending of nature and learning also builds stewardship skills for the environment. Children have a broader knowledge of the world around them and how it works, making them more attentive to their surroundings.

When the outdoor learning classrooms are completed in the fall, the center is planning to apply for certification with the Nature Explore Playgrounds, a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation that supports children’s learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The Child Development Center would be the sixth certified Nature Explore Playground in Kansas.

For information about Nature Explore Playgrounds, go to www.natureexplore.org.