Human contact with the outdoors has positively influenced cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development since prehistoric times. Even today, people often feel inspired, humbled, or deeply moved by walking through nature or observing natural and urban landscapes. Outdoor education is an innovative teaching method that addresses two of today’s most pressing challenges: delivering high-quality, lasting education and fostering awareness about the urgent need to protect our planet in the face of climate change.
Noua ediție a cursului “Educația în aer liber: un nou mod de predare și învățare” took place in Tenerife from 05/05/2025 to 10/05/2025. The participants came from all across Europe, with Maja Laznik and Anja Kuder from Osnovna šola narodnega heroja Rajka Hrastnik in Slovenia, Aires Sousa from Agrupamento de Escolas de Proença a Nova in Portugal, Leonier Bucker and Johannes Ostermeier from Albert-Einstein-Schule Berlin in Germany, Jamie Lea Ruppert and Dirk Stegehake from Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule Gütersloh in Germany and Roman Zehetmaier and Sigrid Schlickenrieder from Mittelschule Lenggries in Germany.
Beginning with the definition of Educație în aer liber, we explored various ways to help students engage with the outdoors—understanding that this doesn’t necessarily mean being in nature or forests. One part of the training focused on Urban Outdoor Education, encouraging participants to use city environments as dynamic learning spaces. Through hands-on activities, they discovered how to teach subjects such as science, math, music, art, and language by observing and interacting with their surroundings
Another section of the course took place in local parks, where participants practiced a variety of tools and techniques in a natural setting. The games and activities were well received and sparked creativity, inspiring participants not only to share their experiences with the group but also to design their own outdoor learning activities.
Participants also explored the principles of Non-Formal Education (NFE), a pedagogical approach that encompasses many outdoor learning activities. This method places students’ lived experiences at the heart of the learning process, emphasizing active participation through hands-on tasks. By guiding learners through the full experiential learning cycle and asking thoughtful reflection questions, educators help students connect new knowledge to their own lives and apply it in meaningful ways.

The final part of the course was dedicated to designing a tailored outdoor learning experience for each participant’s specific student group. After exploring the core principles of the outdoor learning approach, reflecting on the meaning of Kurt Hahn’s 10 rules, and engaging in a wide range of urban and natural activities, participants spent the last day creating an outdoor lesson plan aligned with the subject they teach. Each educator carefully considered their students’ age group, relevant skills, and curricular goals, then presented their lesson plan to peers and received constructive feedback. This final project was a practical demonstration of the power of experiential outdoor learning: through a hands-on approach, participants not only experienced outdoor education first-hand but also gained the tools and confidence to implement it in their teaching.
 
Throughout the course, participants explored various activities and games that they can easily adapt and use with their students, demonstrating that meaningful learning extends far beyond the classroom walls!
Want to learn more about this course here.