Children and parents recognize the value of green schoolyards for student health and well-being. Natural settings at school help children experience physical and emotional comfort, which in the long term, may help reduce health disparities in the community. Parents express interest in being involved with green schoolyards, but cite time as a barrier.

Attention to children’s school grounds preferences can positively influence their engagement with natural elements

Information gathered from walking tours and focus group discussions, along with behavior observations of children on school grounds in Australia, indicated that children preferred natural settings that were in good condition, well-maintained, and usually located along the edges of the main play areas. Both boys and girls – but girls more often – expressed feelings of joy and happiness in their contact with nature.
Aminpour, 2021. The physical characteristics of children’s preferred natural settings in primary school grounds.
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Greening of schoolyards can generate positive physical activity and socioemotional health outcomes for students

A recent review of the literature examined experimental studies about the impact of schoolyard greening on children’s physical activity and socioemotional health. Although there were exceptions, and some age and gender differences, most studies demonstrated beneficial changes on both outcomes due to greening.
Bikomeye, Balza & Beyer, 2021. The impact of schoolyard greening on children’s physical activity and socioemotional health: A systematic review of experimental studies.
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A field-tested evaluation protocol can augment the evidence base for the green schoolyard movement as a health-promotion strategy

This report describes the use of quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate the impact of green schoolyard transformations at the individual, school, and community levels. This protocol could be used with other green schoolyard initiatives to build a strong, cohesive evidence base. The results could be helpful in determining if reducing inequities in the built environment can reduce health disparities in the community.
Gerstein, Bates & Bohnert, 2021. Evaluating a green schoolyard transformation: A protocol utilizing the RE-AIM framework.
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School parks can serve as a tool for urban heat island adaptation and human health promotion

Researchers exploring potential relations between school parks in low-income communities, temperatures, and child health observed children positioning themselves under trees during periods of high heat index. This study – in addition to showing that school parks can serve as a tool for urban heat island adaptation and health promotion – introduces methods that can be used “to inform the redesign of greenspaces in the face of climate change and health inequities.”
Lanza et al. 2021. Effects of trees, gardens, and nature trails on heat index and child health: Design and methods of the Green Schoolyards Project.
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Parents consider green schoolyard advantages to outweigh disadvantages, but cite lack of time as a barrier to their more active involvement

Over 400 parents in the Netherlands completed surveys about green schoolyards and their willingness to be involved. Parents identified both advantages and disadvantages but were generally positive about schoolyard greening. While noting lack of time for active involvement, parents expressed interest in green schoolyard planning and activities, but not in maintenance.
van Dijk-Wesselius, 2021. Parental perspectives on green schoolyards: Advantages outweigh disadvantages, but willingness to help is limited. 
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Students and teachers recognize multiple benefits of outdoor learning, especially if related activities are place-based and self-directed. Positive outcomes for students include increased autonomy, efficacy, achievement, connectedness to nature and pro-sociality. Students engage in more on-task behavior in outdoor versus indoor classrooms. Outdoor learning may be especially helpful for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Teachers and students identify multiple benefits of regular opportunities for self-directed outdoor learning

Third graders visited a nearby greenway for unstructured outdoor learning each month during the school year. The following year, two of the teachers and 21 of the students participated in semi-structured group interviews about the previous year’s outdoor learning experiences. Both students and teachers noted ways in which the outdoor learning experiences were meaningful and enjoyable.
Berg et al. 2021. Meaning-making of student experiences during outdoor exploration time.
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Outdoor learning can broaden and transform curriculum and pedagogy in place-oriented ways

This paper describes innovative outdoor teaching and learning strategies and practices currently used in some elementary schools in Australia. Of note are ways in which the teacher’s role “changes when traditional pedagogies are replaced with outdoor/place pedagogies.” The teachers, while framing what and how the children learn, provide opportunities for learning through self-directed processes to achieve increased autonomy, efficacy and achievement.
Green & Rayner, 2020. School ground pedagogies for enriching children’s outdoor learning.
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A systematic review of the literature highlights the potential positive impact of nature-based learning for primary school aged children

Twenty quantitative studies involving a total of 3,283 primary-age children from a variety of (mostly Western) countries documented a range of positive outcomes in five categories: physical activity, mental health and well-being, educational, engagement and social outcomes. Of these, educational outcomes – which were consistently positive – were the most commonly measured.
Miller et al. 2021. The outcomes of nature-based learning for primary school aged children: A systematic review of quantitative research.
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Students spent more time on-task in outdoor versus indoor classrooms

Three teachers in Australia participated in a study comparing student on-task behavior in indoor versus outdoor classrooms. Tallies of teacher redirects showed less need for student redirection in the outdoor setting compared to the indoor setting. While student engagement ratings by the teachers indicated no difference between indoor and outdoor settings, overall results suggest that outdoor classrooms may reduce student misbehavior in class.
Norwood, Lakhani & Kendall, 2021. Teaching traditional indoor school lessons in nature: The effects on student learning and behaviour.
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Contact with nature during outdoor environmental education promotes students’ well-being, connectedness to nature and pro-sociality

Two studies were conducted with students participating in a non-residential school-based outdoor environmental education program in Italy. Both compared the participating students with non-participating students on different environmental and well-being dimensions, using pre/post measures. Participating students made greater gains in well-being, connectedness to nature, and pro-sociality than the non-participating students. The gains were attributed to increased contact with nature.
Pirochio et al. 2021. The effects of contact with nature during outdoor environmental education on students’ wellbeing, connectedness to nature and pro-sociality.
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Integrated approaches used by schools to promote health and environmental awareness are underexplored and evidence of their effectiveness remains fragmented

This review – which included both academic studies and non-academic resources – examined how schools are using integrated approaches to promote both human health and environmentally aware students. Of the 87 publications reviewed, less than half reported some form of outcome evaluation, which leaves the benefits of this approach unclear.
Proctor et al. 2020. What is the evidence base for integrating health and environmental approaches in the school context to nurture healthier and more environmentally aware young people? A systematic scoping review of global evidence.
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A nature-based guidance program was effective in reducing anxiety among third grade students

Four third-grade classes randomly assigned to control and experimental conditions received six-weeks of guidance lessons conducted either indoors or outdoors, respectively. Anxiety assessments conducted before the six-week period showed no difference between the groups. After the six weeks, the experimental group had significantly lower anxiety scores than the control group.
Rian & Coll, 2021. Increased exposure to nature reduces elementary students’ anxiety.
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A school-based nature education program had a significant, positive effect on the health-related quality of life of low-income youth

This study involved 362 youth (age 9-15) attending seven schools in low-income areas of St. Louis, MO. Some participated in a 15-week nature-based education (NBE) program; others did not. After the 15-week period, youth participating in the NBE program showed significant improvements in all five assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains and overall HRQoL. Youth not participating in the NBE program experienced significant declines in all the domain areas plus in overall HRQoL.
Sprague & Ekenga, 2021. The impact of nature-based education on health-related quality of life among low-income youth: Results from an intervention study.
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Views of natural elements can contribute to the subjective well-being of primary students

Primary students in Germany with more natural window views in their classrooms reported less perceived stress and more attention in class than students with less natural window views, though an objective measure of attention was not related to natural views. Children with higher connectedness to nature (more time in nature and on plant care) reported greater comfort in school and higher levels of learning satisfaction. These findings “provide strong arguments for bringing nature closer to schools and in the classroom.”
Lindemann-Matthies, Benkowitz & Hellinger, 2021. Associations between the naturalness of window and interior classroom views, subjective well-being of primary school children and their performance in an attention and concentration test. 
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