Can literacy be taught in the outdoor classroom?

There are many ways to bring literacy outside. Simply labeling and naming everything allows children to practice whole language. Have children make their own signs and tape them onto objects. One of my favorite things has been watching children journal outdoors and seeing what they view in the world versus what I view in the world. They tend to be more interested in the small spiders, squirrels and other creatures in the environment, where an adult tends to look more at the overall scenery.

Another way to provide literacy outdoors is using bookcases and art cases. A bookcase is simply anything that you create that is watertight and can be left outdoors so that children can access books or art supplies to do journaling or tell stories. The Adventurous Child actually has a bookcase/art case which is watertight and lockable with padlocks. Send me your ideas or comment on this blog with ideas of things that you could label outdoors, etc.