Great teaching does not stop at the classroom door. This summer, our Rise Above teaching team gathered for a professional development day focused entirely on outdoor education.
Teachers spread out a map of our playground and got to work. They talked through what is already working, what they want to add, and how our outdoor spaces can become an even bigger part of how our children learn.
The conversation kept coming back to one idea: children learn best when they have room to move, explore, and get a little messy. Outdoor time is not a break from learning. It is learning. Fresh air, open space, and hands-on exploration build focus, confidence, and curiosity in ways a classroom alone cannot.
Our teachers left the day with new ideas for how to expand outdoor engagement across every age group, from our infants to our pre-k friends getting ready for kindergarten.
Our teaching team never stops learning, because our children deserve teachers who are always growing right alongside them.
Keep an eye on our playground this year. Big things are on the way.
