BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING NATURE INTO THE CLASSROOM

1. BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING NATUREINTO THECLASSROOM Weallknowthatbringingalittlebitofnatureintoyourdailyroutinecanimprove yourwell-being.Whetheryouhaveasmall apartmentbalconyoralargebackyard, youcanusethe outdoorstolearnmoreabouttheworldaroundyou.Butdidyouknow thatintegratingnature intheclassroomisalso beneficial forbothkids andteachers? Here arejustsomeofthe manybenefitsoflearninginnature. The MontessoriPhilosophyisaboutwholechildeducation, supportingtheircognitive, physical,emotional,and socialdevelopment.Nature offersnumerouswaysto aidthis goalandisone ofthe foundingprinciplesofMontessoriacademics. EmotionalStability

2. Studiesprovekidswhogooutsideandplayare happier,lessanxious,and betterable to dealwith stress than theirindoorcounterparts. Beingabletofreely movearound and participate inoutdooractivitieswith peersalso enableschildrento bemore focusedindoors! • DevelopaLoveof Learning • Whennatureisintegratedinto the classroom,children are able to learnin awaythat’s relevantto theirlivesandinterests.Asstudentsexploretheirsurroundings, theyare interestedandcaptivatedbytheirenvironment,enablingthem tograspsubjectsbetter. • Hands-onactivitiesallow childrenopportunitiesforscientificdiscovery.Forexample, whatbetterwaytolearnaboutphotosynthesisthanhavingthemplantseedsorroot vegetablesand experience the plant’slifecycle? • AttentiontoDetail • One ofthemostimportantbenefitsofintegrating nature intothe classroomisthatit helpsstudentspayattentiontodetail.Whenstudentsareengagedinnature,theytend to focusmoredeeplyonwhatthey’redoingand learn betterbecauseofit. • Additionally, studentswho canfocuswellaremore likelyto succeedinschool— teacherscanexpecttheirlessonsonreadingcomprehensionormathskillstobemuch morebeneficial fortheirstudentswiththisnatural learningenvironmentthanwithout it! • Whenchildren are active,theirenergytendsto increase, andtheyaremore likelyto payattention.Thismeansthey’relesslikelyto fidgetintheclassroomand take partin learningon theirterms. • StressReduction • Manypeoplein oursocietyare sufferingfromstress.Stressisa huge problemfor childrenandadults,whichcanstemfromanearlyage.Fortunately, nature hasbeen proven to helpreduce stressandimproveoverallhealth.We’lllookatsomeways nature can reduce stress and encourage exploration: • Aforestwalkisa simpleway forstudents tolearn. Ifthey’re learningabout forests,awalkthroughthelocalparkorforestpreservebeforereturningto classforanactivityinvolving treesoranimalsfound there will help thembetter relateto the material. • AnotherwayMontessorieducationincorporatesnature intolessonplansis by havingstudentsobserveleavesastheyfallaround themduringdifferent

3. seasons.Thiswillallow themto experiencethe beautyoftheirsurroundings whilelearningaboutlifecycles! CommunalSenseofBelonging andEngagement Oneofthemostimportantaspectsofoutdoorlearningisallowingstudentstointeract with theirpeersin a realenvironmentoutsideofthe classroom.Whenstudents are allowed tointeractwitheachotherphysically,they gaina betterunderstandingof theirclassmates’viewpointsand developgreaterempathy.Thisleavesthembetter equipped to understand howeveryoneintheclassroomcanlearnfromeachother’s experiences. Students also talk more freely in an outdoor setting because they are encouraged to do so. There isoftenmorediscussionamongstudentsaboutwhatthey’re learningand why itmatters, resultingin higherlevelsofengagementforeverystudentinvolved! CypressCreekMontessori There are infiniteadvantagestointegratingnature intheclassroom;allchildrencan benefitfromit. Ensureyourchild issetup for successbyconsideringMontessori educationatCypress CreekFrisco Montessori. CypressCreek Frisco Montessoriembracestheoutdoorsaspartofourwhole-child approach to earlydevelopment.Ourbeautifuloutdoorspacecomplementsour spaciousclassroomsandenablesallstudents to developskillsthey will carrywith themthroughoutlife. Take atourofourfacilitytoday!