Niles School Trailblazes Outdoor Education Program

To the little child, not yet capable of learning from the printed page or of being introduced to the routine of the schoolroom, nature presents an unfailing source of instruction and delight. The heart not yet hardened by contact with evil is quick to recognize the Presence that pervades all created things. The ear as yet undulled by the world's clamor is attentive to the Voice that speaks through nature's utterances. And for those of older years, needing continually its silent reminders of the spiritual and eternal, nature's teaching will be no less a source of pleasure and of instruction.[i]

At Niles Seventh-day Adventist School, nature is the child’s first textbook. The K–8 school, under the leadership of Principal William Crawford, has adopted a groundbreaking Outdoor Education program that is, simply, to allow the students to learn outside as much as possible. Stacy Fagal, the 5th and 6th grade teacher for the Niles school, is pursuing her master’s in Outdoor Education through Southern University and has been a key leader in the adoption of the unprecedented education program, explains Crawford. Roughly 70 students are enrolled at Niles.

Several years ago, the Niles church purchased land which doubled the size of the school’s property to encompass 30 diverse acres. There are mature woods and a seasonal creek that flows during the wet season. The church and school have collaborated to build a Chapel in the Woods and several outdoor classrooms.

Most recently, a dedicated space was built for an outdoor kindergarten learning area containing an outdoor kitchen, places to play in the sand, and an imitation riverbed, says Crawford.

A typical day at Niles School guarantees that students spend a significant amount of time outside, rain or shine. Recess is always spent outdoors, Crawford explains. “I tell the kids, pack your backpacks, it’s math time,” and the entire classroom relocates outdoors. “We keep our camping chairs outside and spend two or three hours of school out there. We are getting all of the minutes of learning, but it is done outside.”

There are benefits to learning outdoors, Fagal explains. “There’s physical things—being on uneven ground, it’s less predictable, where you might be going up a hill, as opposed to being on a playground.” Being outdoors also encourages open-ended play, which “helps with creativity,” she says. On the playground, the swing has one use; everything has a designated purpose. However, in a free outdoor space, children can “challenge the space and make decisions on how they want to use that space,” she says. A fallen log provides many possibilities. They may choose to sit on the log, jump over the log, or balance on it. “It’s possible that the log might roll over while they’re on it,” Fagal says. Free play allows unanticipated challenges and encourages children to think unconventionally.

Fresh air is also incredibly calming, and there are benefits for the eyes in the natural sunlight compared to harsh indoor lighting, Fagal says. Additionally, today’s world does not encourage children to go outdoors. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry estimates that children spend anywhere from 4–6 hours on a screen per day.[ii] Childhood is no longer spent primarily outdoors, splashing in mud puddles or dancing in sprinklers under the hot summer sun. The child’s attention is turned inward, to a screen, instead of outward, to the nature surrounding them. “How many kids go home and are inside all the time?” Fagal asks. “They don’t even have the experience of being outside. It’s not all benefits; sometimes it’s bugs, dirt, slimy, textural things. This might be their only chance to have these experiences.”

As experienced educators, Fagal and Crawford both notice a difference in students who are able to learn outdoors. “You see happier kids,” Crawford says. “Some kids need different ways of learning and a hands-on approach. They have a hard time sitting still.” Crawford has also observed that the student-to-student dynamic is unique. “There is interaction between the younger kids and older kids. When we’re outside, we aren’t just an individual classroom—we benefit together.”

The benefits extend beyond interactions between students. “Frequently in school,” Fagal says, “students are just sitting. They’re being asked to use a pencil all day, and they’re having plenty of opportunities to use their fine motor skills, but they aren’t having a whole-body experience.” The Outdoor Education program’s free recess allows for a whole-body experience. Fagal shares that students will carry logs or dig holes “for the whole recess time” of their own accord. Children enjoy “a mix between large motor work and fine motor work,” she says. After using their large motor skills, when they re-enter structured school time, they are ready to use their fine motor skills and focus on their education.

The benefits of outdoor education extend not just to scholastic education, but also the spiritual. At least once a week, Fagal explains, Bible worship is spent in the woods. “We have quiet time; the students are by themselves, maybe journaling, and they have their Bible.” It has become a valued part of the school day to the students. During an especially busy week, students approached faculty and asked to work worship time in the woods into the schedule. “They recognized that it was an important part of our week to make sure we had that special time.”

Even bad weather doesn’t stop the school from going outside. “It’s Michigan,” Fagal says, “so sometimes it’s wet and snowy. We put a poncho on, we put on boots—that’s what they’re for! We can talk about what is happening around us when it’s raining, when it’s snowing. We can make comparisons to the Bible. Even in a season where everything looks dead, there are so many spiritual connections we can draw from nature. We get to see how God works through different times.”

The biggest blessing of seeing Niles students embrace and thrive in what can be called an unconventional method of education is not just seeing the physical and scholastic benefits, but the spiritual benefits. Our highest calling is to raise our children to fall in love with Jesus, to want to dedicate their lives to His service, and we have been given precious instruction to use nature as a guidebook. Niles school is a beautiful example of an institution directing children to forge a close relationship with Jesus by placing them in nature, where they cannot help but see God’s handiwork.