The focus at North Shore Synagogue’s Nursery School in Syosset is to provide a holistic educational experience, and to that end, a unique Outdoor Classroom is one way the school fulfills its promise to provide a first class nursery school experience for its young students. In the Outdoor Classroom, children participate in a variety of nature-based activities, including vegetable gardening, music and art experiences, theatrical performances on an outdoor stage, digging and building, open play areas and a rain barrel for water play.
Educational research has demonstrated that exposure to natural surroundings at a young age has a positive impact on a child’s physical, cognitive, social and mental health. Experts in the field of early childhood education have found that when a child spends time outdoors, they are more like to use their imaginations in creating experiences rather thinking about their toys. Children participating in outdoor activities have been shown to eat and sleep better, have fewer behavior issues and are less prone to boredom.
Research has also confirmed that children need hands-on learning environments that support individual learning styles. The Outdoor Classroom at North Shore Synagogue allows children to engage in learning that provides all these necessary lifelong skills, including experiential learning through play. Unstructured play time encourages autonomous thinking, problem solving, and language development as it stimulates the imagination, promotes creativity, and teaches conflict resolution.
The Outdoor Classroom also encourages sensory play and sensory awareness, which is an essential inherent strategy for learning in young children. Children’s needs are met as they explore a safe outdoor space. Connecting children to nature creates lifelong advocates for the environment, influencing how children think about their relationship to their natural surroundings.
