(Photo courtesy Re-Nature)
Renfrew County’s public schools are leaning on the area’s municipalities to reacquaint students with the great outdoors.
The Renfrew County District School Board recently met with county council to advocate for a new learning initiative that will see outdoor learning spaces developed at 19 local schools, which Superintendent Scott Nichol believes will support experiential and inquiry-based learning needed to help students achieve their success.
Director of Education Kristen Niemi says the RCDSB is working with Re-Nature Foundation, a non-profit organization that designs and installs outdoor learning spaces that provide shade, habitat, and a living backdrop that will improve student mental health by limiting a growing dependency on screen time, which has led to an increase in concerning behavioural trends like anxiety.
Niemi adds that the outdoor spaces will provide a natural step-off point for teachers to introduce environmental-based learning with their students, helping them develop an improved sense of responsibility for their surroundings and creating an accessible space that provides the things needed for an equitable learning space.
The RCDSB and Re-Nature are applying for a $50,000 grant for each school site set to see a new outdoor learning area through the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies program and have urged involved municipalities to pass resolutions and sign a letter of intent to get the process started.
(written by Kasey Egan)
An example of what a new outdoor learning space could look like at Renfrew County schools
