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Create Your Own
Create Your Own

Outdoor Environments: Planning Scenario

³Ô¹ÏÍø School-Age Learning Environments Lesson 3 Apply Outdoor Environments: Planning Scenario
Create Your Own
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ACTIVITY ID: 22261
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Scenario:

Let’s pretend that you are responsible for planning the outdoor time for your program’s school-agers. The school-agers go outside two times a day. The first time is true free play, where the children chose what to do from the available materials and equipment. The second time, children choose from a set of activities planned by the staff members.

Use the attached form to plan an outdoor activity.

Try to use areas, materials, and equipment that are found in your program’s environment. You can choose to have a multi-age group or focus on one age or grade level. You may use the internet or any other resources available to you, such as a textbook or training manual. There is also a completed example attached to this lesson.

Be creative!

Outdoor Activity Plan

Activity Topic:
Tree Conservation (Science and Language Arts)
 
Age Level:
5-9
 
Materials/Equipment Needed:
Books:
  • We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow and Bob Staake
  • Trees: Earth's Lungs by Barbara Webb
  • Tell me, Tree by Gail Gibbons
Other Materials: Pencils, paper, magnifying glasses, digital cameras, crayons, poster board, makers, rulers, stencils, scissors, glue
 
Objective:
The objective of this activity is for school-age children to understand the importance of conserving our trees. Children can work together to create a poster about saving the trees or the importance of recycling.
 
Summary of Activity:
  • Introduce activity by reading We Planted a Tree
    • Read book outside, near wooded area
  • Highlight information from Trees: Earth’s Lungs and Tell me, Tree to explain the following objectives:
    • The parts of a tree (roots, bark, trunk, branches, leaves, seeds)
    • Trees turn carbon dioxide into oxygen that helps us breath
    • Trees reduce air pollution and prevent erosion
    • Animals and other wildlife use trees as their homes
  • Spend time exploring trees by:
    • Exploring leaves and bark with magnifying glasses
    • Using paper and crayons to do rubbings on bark and leaves
    • Examine the roots and bottom of the tree
    • Measure the circumference of a tree trunk
  • Give task of creating a poster explaining why others should save trees. Children may draw inspiration from the books or create their own slogan or theme.