Outdoor Activity Centers

In Cultivating Outdoor Classrooms, Eric Nelson talks about the importance of establishing outdoor activity centers:

"The most important point to remember while you're implementing the program is that each activity needs an outdoor home, its own space, just as it does indoors. Some of these spaces may be permanent, like those for swings or a sandbox. Some may move locations, like places for reading books, play with water, or using loose parts on the grass.  Even though these activities may move, the spaces in which they can occur should be identified.

"....staff members should compile a list of all the activities they and the children want to take outside and then identify the following:

• how these activities will be accommodated in the yard
• where storage will be located
• how activities will be carried out in different weather and seasons
• how children can identify areas to use for specific activities
• how staff will be assigned responsibility for the space
• what kinds of maintenance will be required.

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