In 2016, when Stella Niagara Education Park decided to integrate outdoor education into their curriculum they had no idea how fortuitous this decision would be. The board of directors made the decision after reviewing research that showed that students who learn outdoors are happier, healthier and perform better academically. This unique approach provides children with a personal experience of the Sisters of St. Francis’ Franciscan values and teaches them how to lead healthy and balanced lives with respect for our Earth, the environment and biodiversity.
With the current pandemic, medical experts are recommending that schools teach outside as much as possible and because Stella Niagara already has integrated the outdoors into all subjects, the students are able to learn math, ELA, science, social studies, art, music, religion and gym on the school’s 104 acre campus. While the outdoors has already been integrated into all subjects, our teachers collaborated with our outdoor educator over the summer to make sure that we were using the most of our campus.
A few examples of outdoor learning since school returned:
