Equipment & Gear
Weather conditions, outdoor temperatures, and access to appropriate gear affect how educators address safety protocols in outdoor and nature-based learning programs. Access to shade is an essential factor influencing decisions about being outside in extremely warm weather. Researcher Ernst (2025) notes that educators use various information to make decisions about going outside in cold temperatures, including program regulations, school district policies, wind chill charts, children's ages, appropriate gear, sunshine levels, and more. Decisions about maximum and minimum outdoor temperatures for going outside should be made locally, and regulations should be followed.
Gear for All WeatherIn nature-based programs, educators embrace all kinds of weather. They will take children outside when it is safe, even in rainy and wintry weather, when other traditional programs might choose to stay indoors.
Children must be dressed appropriately to maximize outdoor play opportunities in diverse weather, often in waterproof full-body suits and boots in rainy or wintry conditions. Just like the children, educators need proper gear for different weather conditions, and many use waterproof full-body suits and boots similar to the children's when going out in rain and snow. Outdoor AreaOutdoor play areas in nature-based programs can range from costly, elaborate, professionally designed, landscaped areas to simple yards with features like grassy play areas, but they don’t have to be expensive or elaborate to benefit children (Powers & Williams Ridge, 2016; Wirth & Rosenow, 2012).
With safety in mind, educators can develop simple outdoor play areas and activities that offer rich experiences that allow children to connect with nature. EquipmentThe equipment an educator might want for infants and toddlers includes a blanket to spread out on the ground, small buckets and shovels for digging, large handheld magnifiers for investigating nature, and a wagon for pulling children on a walk (Wirth & Rosenow, 2012). Some programs ask parents to donate old kitchen tools, pots, and pans to add to an outdoor play kitchen, often called the mud kitchen (Powers & Williams Ridge, 2016).
Many educators use simple materials, such as notebooks and cameras, to document learning in early childhood programs. In outdoor learning programs, waterproof notebooks are valuable tools for making observations during activities that may be wet or rainy (MDE, 2021). Materials from NatureNature can provide educators with many materials for planning activities for young children (Powers & Williams Ridge, 2016; Wirth & Rosenow, 2012).
Depending on what is available in the community, nature collections might include:
Knowing how to present the materials, encourage children’s interactions with them, and interpret learning requires educators who have received appropriate professional development to implement outdoor and nature-based learning activities effectively (Kemp & Josephidou, 2023) |
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