Benefits of Combining Learning with Nature

From pre-school to adulthood, nature and humans go together — or at least they should. The importance of learning both about nature and interacting with it should be a required curriculum at all schools, even college prep boarding schools, because there is a plethora of benefits that can come from it.

Student

Beyond just increasing attendance and interest, learning outside in nature can improve self-esteem and motivate students to learn. Nature provides students at college prep boarding schools and elsewhere an open environment to engage with in creative ways, making them more interested in the lessons and more open minded.

It’s also important that every individual has enough opportunities to connect with nature in general because research indicates that individuals who regularly interact with nature — or do something outdoors — grow up to be healthier, smarter and happier. 

Community

When it comes to learning in nature, community service projects can be a great way to incorporate both education and outdoor appreciation. Community service — such as picking up trash on the beach — can benefit both the students and the community. This type of learning in nature can teach students to appreciate nature and the importance of keeping it clean and preserved. 

This also teaches students the importance of reaching out to the community. Even if teaching in nature doesn’t involve community service, it still benefits the community’s natural resources because the more time students spend outside, the more they will learn to appreciate and respect it. 

Nature

Lastly, students at college prep boarding schools and within communities will benefit from incorporating nature into learning, but so will our natural environment. In other words, the more educated students are about nature, the more they will appreciate their community’s natural resources.

This means that learning in nature benefits the health and wellbeing of students as well as the wellbeing of the environment. For example, taking students on a hike and teaching them “leave no trace” skills such as staying on trails will help protect our natural environment. 

Alyssa Koenig is an academic writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Wasatch Academy. Follow on Twitter.