With the cold weather upon us, many of us dread going outside and have passed this feeling along to our children. Yet, as a child, there are few things as wonderful as enjoying a fresh snowfall, making a snow angel or building a snowman. With a well-chosen winter wardrobe of layered clothing and scheduled breaks to warm up, you can make your child’s outdoor playtime a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

While common belief is that exposure to wintry air can cause colds or the flu, fresh air is actually one of nature’s best medicines. When children and adults spend prolonged periods of time indoors or in small spaces, germs and illnesses pass easily from one person to the next. Outdoors children don’t breathe re-circulated germs. This reduces the chance of the spread of illness or infection. Further, indoor activities like video games tend to be sedentary, potentially leading to weight gain.

Being outside, even in winter, helps children develop important learning skills. They use gross motor and art skills to build snowmen, make igloos or create snow angels. Observation skills are honed when they look closely at snowflakes or footprints in the snow. Their senses are heightened as they experience the silence of snow or learn how it feels as it melts into water. Social skills come into play as children work collaboratively to build a snow fort or have a snowball fight.

Beyond your backyard, Long Island’s various outdoor classrooms are excellent for keeping kids active year-round. These all-natural play spaces help children explore, learn, socialize, play, stay active and become comfortable with the natural environment. These spaces are designed to stimulate the senses and be appropriate for all types of learners, especially those with special needs. The Long Island Nature Collaborative (LINCK) of The Early Years Institute is creating nature explore classrooms in parks, preserves, beaches, schools, child care programs, libraries, museums, religious institutions, camps, youth programs, neighborhoods and backyards throughout Long Island. Today, 19 nature explore classrooms have been completed and 11 more are in the process of implementation. Five of these are open to the public. These include Bailey Arboretum in Lattingtown, Long Island Children’s Museum in Uniondale, Middle Country Public Library in Centereach, Suffolk County Farm and Education Center in Yaphank and Sands Point Preserve in Sands Point.

Each outdoor classroom has specific elements that are recommended and required to be nationally certified by the Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, which created the concept.  The basic principles include the following:
• Space divided into clearly delineated areas for different kinds of activities.
• Required elements like an entryway (to signal to children that this is a special, safe place to be); an open area where parents can observe all areas and not feel the need to intervene in children’s creative, free play; climbing and crawling; “messy materials area” (e.g. wood chips); art, music and movement. Other elements often added are water play, dirt digging, sand, wheeled toys, gardens and planting, greenhouses and gathering.

• Simple names for each area with signage and visual clues.
• Areas that are visible at all times.
• Use of natural materials.
• Elements chosen for durability and low maintenance.
• An overall design with beauty and visual clarity.
• Personalized designs incorporating regional and community materials.
• Ideas and input from children and families about the design, activities and materials selected.

While certified nature explore classrooms share the same elements, the implementation varies from site to site, allowing creative input from local children, families, educators and other community members. For instance, Play Groups in Setauket has successfully used community engagement to create their nature explore classroom. Since it abuts a nature preserve, they chose to incorporate an oversized bird’s nest as one element in the play area. It’s made of wood and children can weave different elements through the mesh of wood, to create different types of nests. Middle Country Public Library held a fundraiser for their outdoor classroom. People submitted the names of favorite books, which were engraved into a cobblestone walkway. At Bailey Arboretum, you and your child can sit in an oversized Adirondack chair in a bucolic setting. The Long Island Children’s Museum has a nature explore classroom that used an old wrought iron box spring and headboard to create a flower “bed.” Computer Associates has one of the largest outdoor classrooms used by the 300 children enrolled in their on-site Montessori child care center. They incorporate a fabulous labyrinth made of native plants that children love to navigate.

It would be exciting to think about what you could put in a nature explore classroom in your own neighborhood. Often it’s one parent who makes the suggestion.

Over the winter, parents shouldn’t hibernate, but infiltrate. It’s a perfect time to talk to other parents, see who may also be concerned about the need for children to spend more time outside and agree that an outdoor nature explore classroom could be the answer. The end result will be reflected in a community of children where a love of nature and natural talents abound.

To learn more about Long Island’s outdoor nature explore classrooms, including comprehensive planning tools and resources for creating your own outdoor classroom, visit www.eyi.org.

Dana E. Friedman is president of The Early Years Institute (EYI) in Plainview. Patricia I. Manzi is director of the Long Island Nature Collaborative for Kids (LINCK), a program of the EYI.