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Outdoor Classroom Day is celebrated internationally twice a year on the 21st May and the 5th November. It is a global movement to set aside dedicated time to get children outdoors. Below we hear from Springlands Kindergarten and Little Acorns Acamdemy about their time spent outdoors.

We spent the morning at McKendry Park. We invited Springlands school to join us, so Cathee and Courtney brought a small group over. Tamariki could do their usual exploring, tree climbing etc, however we also took two mats to set up water paints, pens/pencils on. We used also had paper with double sided tape that they could collect things on. These were then later put all together to make a piece of art! We also took the chalk for the tamariki to draw pictures and then added other resources to ‘bring them to life’. Tawhirimatea was blowing quite hard so this was a bit tricky but some did well.

At Little Acorns Academy, we believe some of the best learning happens outside.

While May 21st marked Outside Classroom Day across New Zealand, outdoor learning is something we celebrate regularly as part of our everyday programme. Our children spend time exploring parks, gardens, beaches, playgrounds, and the natural world around them, building confidence, creativity, resilience, and problem-solving skills through hands-on experiences. Outdoor environments encourage curiosity, active learning, physical wellbeing, and meaningful connections with nature and the community.