While classrooms are essential for academic learning, outdoor spaces like playgrounds offer unique opportunities to engage students in a different kind of education—one that is ideal for humanities. In this article, we will explore how schools can teach humanities in the playground, including subjects such as history, geography and social studies. By integrating these subjects into outdoor play, schools can create dynamic and interactive learning environments that enable children to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the subjects they study.
Bringing history to life
Playgrounds provide an excellent venue for immersing children in historical experiences. By incorporating historical elements into the outdoor play area, schools can make history come alive for their students.
This can be achieved in several ways. For example, by installing play structures inspired by different historical periods, such as a medieval castle play tower, children can engage in imaginative play while learning about specific historical contexts, society and architecture. At the same time, any open area can be used for role-playing historical events, while a mini amphitheatre can be used for re-enactments of famous speeches. Encouraging the children to dress up and act out these historical scenarios strengthens their understanding of the historical events and figures they are learning about.
There are unlimited possibilities to teach humanities in the playground. For example, using sand pits to create mock archaeological digs, play tunnels to explore the history of mining, or den-making to look at the homelives of ancient civilisations.
Exploring geography and the natural world
There are endless opportunities for teaching geography and nurturing an appreciation for the natural world in the playground. One way is to create a sensory garden featuring plants and flowers from different parts of the world. For schools with no naturally green areas, this can be done by using planters and trellises. Plants can be labelled with their geographical origins and information can be provided about the landscapes and soil conditions in which they grow.
Playgrounds can also be useful places to explore maps. Large maps can be created through the use of playground markings, while interchangeable map boards can be put on display for groups of pupils to work on. Interchangeable boards are also available for learning about coordinates.
For younger children, the use of water and sand equipment can be helpful for studying rivers, seas and coastal erosion. Weather stations, meanwhile, can be used to monitor and record weather conditions. With these, pupils can observe and analyse the data, promoting an understanding of weather patterns, climate change and the impact of human activities on the environment.
Fostering social studies and cultural awareness
Outdoor learning can improve children’s understanding of different societies, traditions and perspectives. This can be achieved through creating play areas inspired by different cultures and countries. For example, you can decorate your playground to create a temporary Chinese-inspired courtyard or an African safari play area, while providing children with costumes and props that help them become immersed in different cultures.
At the same time, stories and poems from other cultures and traditions can be told in specially created story areas, complete with a storytelling chair and toadstool seating. Pupils can also act out plays from other societies using playground staging, complete with a theatre façade and amphitheatre seating.
Cross-curricular learning
To maximise the potential to teach humanities in the playground, schools should aim for cross-curricular learning. By integrating subjects like history, geography and social studies with other areas of the curriculum, pupils can develop a more rounded understanding of the world.
One way this can be achieved is through outdoor art projects. For example, by encouraging children to create artwork inspired by historical events, geographical landscapes or cultural symbols, they can express their understanding and interpretations visually while integrating art and humanities. This artwork can be done in any medium, including the use of outdoor whiteboards and chalkboards. Alternatively, children can work on collaborative projects outdoors that involve research, critical thinking and creative problem-solving related to humanities subjects. Specially designed humanities and cross-curricular interchangeable boards enable small groups to collaborate and share ideas when solving problems or creating joint presentations that showcase their understanding of historical events, geographic regions or social issues.
Conclusion
A school’s outside space is not just for physical activity and play; it holds immense potential to teach humanities in the playground in engaging and interactive ways. By incorporating historical, geographical and social studies elements into outdoor play, schools can create immersive learning environments that provide a deeper knowledge and understanding of the world around us.
For more information about our educational playground equipment, visit our Outdoor Curriculum page.
