Beyond Tree Stumps & Stepping Stones: Tips for Building Better Outdoor Learning Spaces

May 2, 2024

The benefits of outdoor learning for K–12 students are well documented. How to furnish those spaces remains a footnote. It shouldn’t be, given the creative new options available from furniture suppliers offering outdoor school chairs, seating and tables.

If your school is stuck at tree stumps and stepping stones, fear not. Here’s how to create enhanced and inclusive education areas outside with furniture designed for it. That means durability, function, comfort, and a touch of fun for teachers and students.

Keep reading to learn the ins and out(side)s of creating wildly versatile spaces within urban and suburban schools, especially with OpenSpaces outdoor furniture.

Why Take Learning Outside

A better question might be, why not? Research has shown that outdoor learning can have huge benefits on students’ mental health and academic performance. They’re often calmer and have better focus when learning in nature, and teachers have reported better behavior and social interactions with fewer disciplinary issues.

The Minnesota Department of Education adds, “Some studies show outdoor learning can increase feelings of well-being, sustained attention and concentration. This particularly benefits children who may have experienced trauma or other life stressors.”

Given the current state of mental health in schools – stressed students and weary teachers – every bit of “Vitamin N” matters. (See this Smith System blog, Outside Classrooms: Even Small Doses Can Help Counter Nature-Deficit Disorder.)

That includes being in natural light, according to a recent NPR report.

“Numerous studies by psychologists show that natural light helps people feel more alert, less depressed and regulates our circadian rhythm, the internal clock that tells us when it's time to sleep or wake up.”

Schools don’t need miles of blue sky, meadows and forests. It’s possible to create outdoor learning anywhere:

Patios
Inner courtyards
Outdoor labs and makerspaces
Shaded “concrete” classrooms
Lawns
School gardens
Landscaped areas

Outdoor Learning Initiatives Across Climates

Even before COVID, schools in warm climates like California and Hawaii already had experience with outdoor classrooms. Not so much for schools with temperature and weather extremes, nor urban schools.

In 2021, Portland Public Schools took a big step in response to the immediate need for safer ventilation. The district built nearly 160 outdoor learning spaces at 17 schools. Brooke Teller, the district’s science teacher leader and STEM coordinator knew there would be lasting benefits. She helped get district leadership on board.

“Now we're committed to going deeper with that and deepening our understanding of what outdoor learning can be, and how important it can be for wellness for teachers and students …This is something that's going to be good for our students long term,” Teller said.

And it has. Maine’s Outdoor Learning Initiative is a statewide effort to increase student access to hands-on, outdoor learning experiences and career exploration. The program provides opportunities for middle and high school students.

Designing the Outdoor Classroom: What Matters

The phrase outdoor learning can mean very different things, with varying degrees of formality. The tips below apply to creating convenient, fresh-air extensions of the indoor classroom. Curating these focused learning spaces requires more structured solid seating and writing surfaces.

Keep these furniture qualities in mind to maximize your school’s budget and available space:

Durability, Quality

Choose furniture that’s built to withstand outdoor weather extremes and student use. Smith System and Landscape Forms partnered to launch the OpenSpaces line. This line features highly durable, weather-resistant products that require low-to-no maintenance. Landscape Forms, a Michigan-based manufacturer is known for high-design outdoor furniture and accessories for commercial and public spaces.

Functional, Versatile

Outdoor learning is more than occasional field trips. For it to become a reality, students and teachers need the right tools to support continuous learning. Equip your areas with a variety of options to sit and work, alone or in collaborative groups. Give teachers mobile writing surfaces, like whiteboards, and make sure Wi-Fi extends to outdoor spaces.

Inclusive Options

Though not intentional, accessibility within outdoor learning spaces is often overlooked. It goes beyond smooth paths that are easy to navigate by people with mobility issues. Be sure to include tables that are wheelchair-accessible.

Comfort

Stumps, hay bales and the bare ground work for brief learning periods. Even young learners tire or lose focus without proper ergonomic support. Offer a variety of comfortable, appealing seating and tables that draw students in and help direct their attention. After all, learning outside can present more distractions for some students.

Fun Design

Mother Nature requires outdoor pieces that are built to endure the elements. But keep learning outside fun and a bit casual by choosing furniture in unique shapes, interesting configurations and vibrant colors.

Safety

Make sure your outdoor furniture has surface-mounted options, if anchoring for stability and security are a concern. Also select pieces designed to work on hard surfaces and uneven surfaces, like gravel and grass. No one wants to feel like they’re on a listing ship

Furniture for Outdoor Learning Spaces and Outdoor Classrooms

Smith System’s selection of outdoor furniture has greatly expanded in recent years. The company’s first foray was Flowform® Outdoor, soft, upholstered furniture and various tables. The fun, loose-fit designs provide just enough structure to keep students focused, yet still relax into nature’s lessons.

OpenSpaces allows schools to extend the classroom with nine hard-surface furniture items sized for mid-to-late elementary grades through high school. The seating (chairs, benches, stool), tables and more are made from color-infused, sustainable, 100% post-consumer recycled plastic that maintains a comfortable outdoor temperature and/or powder-coated steel that resists fading, chipping, peeling and rust. Practical backpack hooks are optional on most items.

Here's the line-up:

OpenSpaces Connected Seating – This combo is a preferred choice for creating clusters of round tables with connected chairs. The convenient configuration features a reinforced steel frame, heavy gauge steel top, and up to six contoured steel-mesh seats (backrest is optional) with easy egress and ingress. Available in three to six seats.

OpenSpaces Dining Table and Bench – Though dining is in its name, this streamlined, picnic-table-inspired design works for any assignment. The removeable benches seat up to four people on each side. The benches include built-in foot rests for added comfort.

OpenSpaces Backed Bench – The OpenSpaces Backed Bench is a perfect blend of welcoming functionality and design elegance that works anywhere outside. The bench’s post-consumer recycled plastic seat and back won’t get too hot or cold and requires low-to-no maintenance.

OpenSpaces Adapt Table – This single-, double- or triple-student contemporary rectangular table has connected bench seating. The triple is wheelchair accessible from right or left. Students can sit facing forward or arrange for collaborative group learning. There are five configuration options.

OpenSpaces Table – With a formed cast iron base and optional surface-mount kit, the OpenSpaces Table won’t be blowing in the wind. Choose from either round or square tabletop (three size options in each shape). Pair this table with the OpenSpaces Chair.

OpenSpaces Chair – This lightweight chair of steel construction still offers a bit of give, and it comes with optional arms. A smart sled base provides stability on grass, gravel or hard surfaces. It’s a portable, sturdy, stackable mate to the OpenSpaces Table.

OpenSpaces Dewey Stool – Add some fun with this highly versatile footrest and/or practical perch for students and school supplies. The lightweight, yet stable, stool is designed with molded plastic featuring multiple handholds.

OpenSpaces Recycling System – Make recycling part of your curriculum. This modular steel recycling system comes in single, double or triple configurations; each unit has 25-gallon capacity. Choose from two colors and sign plate options.

OpenSpaces Bike Rack – Convenient bike racks make two-wheeling it to school easier for students and adults. The rack’s simple design provides an artful solution for bicycle storage and security. It can accommodate two bikes (and their locks) parked parallel to the rack.

Smith System Helps Schools Bring on the Elements

Just like the students they serve, outdoor learning spaces are graduating to the next level. Smith System can provide outdoor school furniture designed specifically to help teachers and students embrace the elements and enhance learning. Contact us to turn any outdoor area into a learning oasis.

Resources

Austin, Texas, is looking to ban building windowless bedrooms, Audrey McGlinchy, April 24, 2024; National Public Radio.

Make Outdoor Learning Your Plan A, Andrew Bauld, Aug. 18, 2021; Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Outdoor and Nature-Based learning, Minnesota Department of Education.

The benefits of outdoor learning in the early years, Alison Tebbs, March 7, 2022; National Literary Trust.

The Pandemic Brought Many Maine Classrooms Outside, Now Educators Want To Keep It That Way, Esta Pratt-Kielley, June 17, 2021; Main Public Radio.