OSSE has compiled resources to support the establishment or enhancement of outdoor learning on school grounds for schools.

Below is a list of resources made available during the 2022-23 school year.

Additional information for the current school year can be found here.

Planning and Designing Outdoor Spaces

• Outdoor Learning Frequently Asked Questions
• Designing Spaces
  • Design Guidelines for Outdoor Classrooms and School Gardens
  • Green Schoolyards America Tools
    • Creating Outdoor Spaces for Learning and Play
    • Potential outdoor classroom configurations
    • Augmented reality visualizer
• Outdoor Weather and Allergies
  • General considerations
  • Hot weather
  • Cold weather
  • Allergies
• Examples of Materials
  • Photos from District schools of various elements of outdoor learning spaces, such as outdoor classroom structures, meeting areas, seating, and more.
  • Canopy (protection from weather elements)
  • Seating 
  • Teaching Supplies and Storage
• Procurement and Funding
  • Materials Checklist for Outdoor Learning
  • Procurement Tool for Outdoor Learning
  • District School Garden Funding Guidance
• Alternative Locations
  • Using Public Spaces as Outdoor Classrooms

Resources for Teachers and Educators

• Tip Sheet for Outdoor Learning
• Outdoor Learning Training Series
  • Outdoor Learning 101
  • Group Management Outdoors
  • Teaching and Learning Strategies
  • Creating Buy in for Using Outdoor Learning Spaces
  • Planning and Creating Outdoor Learning Spaces
• Outdoor Learning Gathering
• Webinars
  • Building Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Outdoor Classrooms
  • Bringing Social Emotional Learning & Mindfulness education into Your Work
  • Designing Garden Education to Support English Language Learners
  • Teaching Lessons Outdoors
  • Outdoor Group Management
• Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education’s 5-Part Training Series: Using the Outdoors as a Classroom
  • Best Practices
  • Taking Learning Outside
  • Evaluating School Grounds
  • Integrating MWEEs and Planning for Learning Outdoors
  • Planning and Implementation
• Walking Field Trips
• Distance Learning Resources for Environmental Literacy
• New! Green Careers Livestream Series

Resources for Meal Service Providers

• Outdoor Meals at School
• Serving Meals Inside (and Outside!) of Schools
• Summer Series Models of Meal Service
• Tip Sheet for Outdoor Learning: Recommendations for Outdoor Meal Service
• Guidance for School Food Authorities (SFAs) to serve meals.
• No Kid Hungry Equipment List

Case Studies

• Anne Beers ES case study
• Briya PCS case study
• Garrison ES case study
• Shining Stars Montessori Academy PCS case study
• Patterson ES featured in OSSE’s Sprout It Out monthly newsletter
• Video and case study of Whittier ES
• Field reports from the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative’s Community of Practice for Schools and District’s Moving Learning Outside. Scroll the page to find the following DC presentations:
  • Briya PCS (Meeting #33)
  • OSSE (Meeting #30)
  • DC Coalition for Equitable and Outdoor Education (Meeting #18)
• Webinar hosted by the DC State Board of Education’s Well-Rounded Education Committee with speakers from Cardozo EC, Friendship PCS, Horace Mann ES, and FreshFarm FoodPrints
• Teaching and Learning Outdoors webinar hosted by Out Teach (direct link to OSSE’s presentation)

Additional Information

• Join the Sprout it Out online forum to ask a question or learn from others in the school garden and farm-to-school community here.
• Register here to receive "Sprout it Out": A monthly e-newsletter for District school garden, farm to child nutrition programs, and environmental literacy efforts
• OSSE’s School Gardens, Environmental Literacy, and Farm to School programs
• DOEE’s RiverSmart Schools Program
• RiverTools Field Manual and Growing Strong: A Comprehensive Guide to Support All School Garden Programs in the District
• DC Coalition for Equitable Outdoor Education website
• Chesapeake Bay Program’s School Grounds for Learning resources on Bay Backpack
• Green Schoolyards America’s National Outdoor Learning Initiative Resource Library
• Urban Adventure Squad's Guide to Outdoor Learning
• Conservation Nation’s Educator Guide to Exploring Nature in Washington, DC