International School Grounds Month Activity Guide

• This outdoor activity guide contains activities for students in grades K through 12 that demonstrate how school grounds can be used for meaningful and fun activities across curricula. 
• This resource includes easy-to-implement activities for hands-on learning that will impact students, provide access to nature, and improve school grounds.

Positives

• This resource details the importance of the green school grounds movement, which stresses in the importance of utilizing school grounds for learning and as community spaces.
• Each activity is easy to implement and includes age-appropriate activities, directions, and materials for many subjects.

Additional Prerequisites

• Teachers should begin by reading the introductory information, which provides rationales for the movement, the importance of the guide, and other vital background information.
• A list of activities by age group is provided in the Index on page 178.
• This can compliment the Living Schoolyard Activity Guide, which includes even more outdoor activities.
  

Differentiation

• May is the month that the International School Grounds Alliance calls on schools to utilize their grounds for learning, so use one or more of these activities throughout the month of May and throughout the year.
• Use the Contents on page 5 to sort the activities by subject, which includes art, play, health, social & emotional learning, agriculture and food, play based understanding, wildlife & habitat, watershed stewardship, energy & climate, thoughtful use of materials, and community engagement. 
• The index on page 176 sorts the activities by keyword, which may be helpful if you want to include an activity that fits into a specific lesson or unit. 
• Use the "Share Your Celebration!" information included on page 7 in order to promote the movement and increase involvement. 

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.