Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning
Czech Republic | Lessons In Grass, TEREZA
Lessons in Grass is a subset of the broader Czech-based organization TEREZA, which aims to support long-term environmental education programs for schools, teachers, and parents. Lessons in Grass creates outdoor learning plans filled with creative ideas for activities that support the school’s curriculum in multiple subjects and throughout all seasons. Each lesson offers guidance through photos, games, video tutorials, and examples of successful stories. Grounded in research around play and learning, Lessons in Grass also encourages teachers to let children explore and discover at their own pace and provide opportunities to let children play freely.
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The enthusiasm shown by teachers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, led to a broader movement that captured the attention of the Czech Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Environment. Together the ministries funded two books about the benefits of learning and playing outdoors and children’s lack of contact with nature published by TEREZA. With a mission to empower children to enjoy playing and learning in nature, they use inquiry-based approaches in science topics that help develop environmental action competencies. The lesson plans offered can take place anywhere outside the classroom, whether a schoolyard, a lawn beside a school, a park or forested area or even small urban wilderness areas.
Key Aspects of the Case Study
- Engaging and simple. Lessons in Grass encourages using spaces, materials and resources that are readily available and at a minimal cost to educators or parents.
- Place-based. The lesson plans encourage teachers to integrate the local environment, community members’ knowledge and relevant cultural practices.
- Research-minded. The plans offered by Lessons in Grass are backed by its parent organization TEREZA and are grounded in the research about the benefits of playing and learning in nature.
“The students don’t need to be reminded about the seasons if they see them on a regular basis. You don’t need a sunny day [for the lessons]. You can make good use of a muddy day or rainy day or snow. Anything that comes!“ says Adéla Hronová of Lessons in Grass.
Lessons outdoors can be adapted to all geographic regions and climates.
Photo: Justina Danišová
Students practice dividing and adding basic fractions by playing the pizzeria game.Photo: Justina Danišová
Students recreate wildlife using natural materials to learn about animal anatomy and habitats.Photo: Justina Danišová
he lesson plans integrate creative and engaging outdoor approaches to learning.Photo: Justina Danišová
Students find answers to their questions by means of simple experiments.Photo: Justina Danišová
Children discover human anatomy and develop their creativity by creating models.Photo: Justina Danišová
In some lessons, children become engaged in the learning process through role playing.Photo: Justina Danišová
“If we want our children to understand, appreciate and protect the more than human world we all depend on, we need to change what and how they learn,” says Anna Fischerová of Lessons in Grass, TEREZA.
A joint initiative of:
