My teaching partner and I believe in using our playground as a classroom extension.  Children can learn valuable skills while playing outdoors.  For example, in the sandbox, they learn spatial awareness while building creations.  They also use creative thinking, problem solving, turn taking, sharing, and can recreate the world they know.  Children can also develop their gross motor skills outdoors.  They have room to run, jump, tumble and play co-operative games.  There is playground equipment they can climb on, swing on and hang from.  It is also an amazing time for science.  Children can find insects, caterpillars, plants, flowers, etc…and these can turn into valuable teachable moments.

Today, it was a beautiful Fall day.  So, we decided to dedicate our free play time this afternoon to the great outdoors.  We headed outside with pails, shovels, balls, scoops, skipping ropes, and cars for over an hour.  I hope we have more beautiful days like this to enjoy, and to give the children the time outdoors they need.