Teachers across South Africa are called to take at least one lesson outdoors on Thursday, 12 October 2017 as part of the global Outdoor Classroom Day campaign.
The campaign is a response to the decline in the time that children spend outdoors. Research by Unilever has found that 2 in 3 children globally play outside for less than an hour and a half a day. Outdoor learning improves children’s health, teaches critical life skills such as resilience, teamwork and creativity, and is central to children’s enjoyment of childhood and nature.
South Africa is not alone in its drive to reconnect children with the outdoors. Thousands of schools across the world are taking part in this campaign. To date, 2 019 270 children around the globe are getting involved! Over 4,000 children in South Africa have already been registered to take part in 2017. With the help of teachers across the country the campaigners hope to dramatically grow that number in the run up to 12 October.
The campaign is led globally by social enterprise Project Dirt. There are lots of resources available to support people to take action at: www.outdoorclassroomday.com.
