Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to celebrate and inspire learning and play outside the classroom! Building on the UK’s Empty Classroom Day, the aim is to get as many children as possible outside for at least one lesson in the school day – because lessons learnt outdoors often stay with us for life.
The campaign recognises that play is important too! As well as being fun, play teaches children critical life skills, such as resilience, teamwork, leadership and creativity. And parents agree – 75 per cent of those surveyed believe children learn social skills when they play outdoors*.
With increasing pressures on childhood, kids today are too often overprotected, overscheduled, and overly attached to screens, and yet all parents and teachers want is for children to grow up happy and develop the skills they need for the future. That’s why it’s more crucial than ever before to help get children outdoors.
Whether you’re a teacher, organisation or an individual that cares about childhood, there’s a way for everyone to get involved. Teachers can take a class or the whole school outdoors for at least one lesson on 6th October; organisations can help promote the campaign; and individuals can join in the conversation about the benefits of play and ‘learning by doing’.
With everyone’s support, we can make sure children everywhere enjoy their childhood and have the foundations they need for the life they want to live.
Play for today, prepared for tomorrow.
Join the global movement at: http://bit.ly/29NJFZQ
*Edelman Berland for Unilever, 2016
Outdoor Classroom Day is backed by Unilever’s Dirt is Good brands, coordinated nationally by Project Dirt, and led in specific countries by local NGOs.