Learning Outdoors: What the Research Tells Us

Promotes Ecological Literacy

Orchard-based learning helps students develop ecological literacy, as they observe natural systems and understand the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems, fostering a scientific foundation for future studies and responsible citizenship (Orr, 1992).

Enhances Cognitive Development

Studies show that learning outdoors in environments like orchards stimulates cognitive development, encouraging students to think critically, make connections between ideas, and deepen their comprehension of complex ecological concepts (Rickinson et al., 2004).

Develops Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Exposure to nature through orchard learning can enhance empathy, compassion, and a sense of responsibility toward living organisms, which are essential components of emotional intelligence and social learning (Chawla, 2009).

Supports Physical and Emotional Well-Being

Research indicates that outdoor learning positively impacts students' physical health and mental well-being, reducing stress and improving focus, which are essential for a balanced academic life (Kuo, 2001).

Encourages Sustainable Practices

Learning in an orchard encourages sustainable thinking, as students see firsthand the importance of biodiversity, soil health, and resource management, integrating these ideas into practical, everyday habits (Gough, 2005).

Improves Academic Performance Across Disciplines

Engaging in environmental science in outdoor settings has been shown to improve academic performance across multiple subjects, as students apply interdisciplinary skills in real-world contexts, linking science with math, language arts, and social studies (Lieberman & Hoody, 1998).

Supports Inquiry-Based and Experiential Learning

Orchard settings offer opportunities for inquiry-based learning, allowing students to ask questions, form hypotheses, conduct experiments, and engage directly with the scientific process, which reinforces academic understanding (Dewey, 1938).

Builds Social and Cooperative Skills

Learning in group-oriented, outdoor settings promotes collaboration, teamwork, and interpersonal communication, equipping students with vital social skills that contribute to academic and personal success (Hart, 2007).

Instills Lifelong Environmental Awareness

Research shows that students who learn environmental science through direct contact with nature develop a lasting appreciation for the environment, often leading to more sustainable lifestyle choices (Chawla, 1999).

Facilitates Adaptive and Critical Thinking

Natural settings like orchards require students to adapt to changing conditions, solve real-world problems, and think critically about ecosystems, building flexible, adaptive thinking skills that are vital in academic and professional settings (Waite, 2017).

Educational Standards

What's the purpose of an community orchard like this? People of all ages deserve spaces like this to learn from and enjoy. We aren't the only ones saying this! If you look below, you'll see the educational standards that apply to learning outdoors!

Indiana Science and Environmental Science Standards

First Grade

1.LS.1 Develop representations to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

1.LS.2 Develop a model mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. Explore how those external parts could solve a human problem.

1.LS.3 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

1.LS.4 Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.

Environmental Science

Env.1.2 Understand and explain that human beings are part of Earth’s ecosystems and give examples of how human activities can, deliberately or inadvertently, alter ecosystems.

Env.1.3 Recognize and describe the difference between systems in equilibrium and systems in disequilibrium. Describe how steady state is achieved through negative and positive feedback loops.

Env.1.6 Describe the difference between weather and climate. Locate, identify, and describe the major Earth biomes. Explain how biomes are determined by climate (temperature and precipitation patterns) that support specific kinds of plants.

Second Grade

2.LS.2 Compare and contrast details of body plans and structures within the life cycles of plants and animals.

Third Grade

3.LS.1 Analyze evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.

3.LS.2 Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the basic needs of plants to grow, develop, and reproduce.

3.LS.3 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Fourth Grade

4.ESS.4 Develop solutions that could be implemented to reduce the impact of humans on the natural environment and the natural environment on humans.

4.LS.1 Observe, analyze, and interpret how offspring are very much, but not exactly, like their parents or one another. Describe how these differences in physical characteristics among individuals in a population may be advantageous for survival and reproduction.

4.LS.2 Use evidence to support the explanation that a change in the environment may result in a plant or animal will survive and reproduce, move to a new location, or die.

4.LS.3 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction in a different ecosystems.

Fifth Grade

5.LS.1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

5.LS.2 Observe and classify common Indiana organisms as producers, consumers, decomposers, or predator and prey based on their relationships and interactions with other organisms in their ecosystem.

Seventh Grade

Env.7.3 Compare and contrast the effects of environmental stressors (i.e. herbicides, pesticides) on plants and animals. Give examples of secondary effects on other environmental components.

Eighth Grade

8.LS.9 Examine traits of individuals within a species that may give them an advantage or disadvantage to survive and reproduce in stable or changing environment.

Env.8.4 Describe how agricultural technology requires trade-offs between increased production and environmental harm and between efficient production and social values.