The purpose of Outdoor Days
In a plethora of lectures in his life, Rudolf Steiner elaborated upon the importance of the human being developing an intimate relationship with the natural world. It is an imperative component to developing not only compassion and gratitude for our home planet, but also for cultivating a lively spiritual life. Thus, intimate and frequent interaction with nature also became a pillar of the curriculum when he founded Waldorf Education.
Throughout the grades, one finds requisite moments to observe, explore, experiment, and play in and with the natural world. This can be a challenging task for a city school such as ours. Field trips are a must; as is taking the classroom outdoors, or bringing nature indoors whenever possible. However, many years ago we found that holding an established Outdoor Day was a rich and essential accompaniment to these other opportunities.
Once a month for seven months of the school year, the Grades students spend a school day at a local forested park or nature reserve. Our newly updated policy reads:
“During outdoor days, the children have the opportunity to freely explore and experience the natural world around them , as well as their connection to and place in it. They are given the space and time to creatively and joyfully engage in nature, often learning and teaching themselves and others responsible ways to interact with nature. It is a special time for profound bonding between class- and schoolmates, and allows the lessons of the week/s to sink more deeply into their being.”
It's particularly important to note that these days academic teaching is put to rest, to allow intellectual knowledge to sink into their being more deeply. While the activities of the day might enhance or enrich a particular block at school, the purpose is not to offer more explicit knowledge. The emphasis is on doing and connecting– with each other and with the natural world.
A century after Rudolf Steiner talked about the importance of our relationship with the natural world, we have also come to recognize many scientific-based reasons for why it does us good. Research reveals that significant periods of time spent in nature reduces symptoms of common learning and attention deficits, strengthens the immune system, and buffers the impact of life stresses and adversities. It shows that when children play in natural environments, their play is more diverse with imaginative and creative play that fosters language and collaborative skills. And, that they show more advanced motor fitness, including coordination, balance and agility.
We truly are grateful to offer this experience to our students!
