Let's Take This Outdoors

Because numerous studies show spending time outdoors brings benefits like stress reduction,

improved mood, and enhanced focus, Radcliffe Creek School launched its No Child Left Indoors initiative in 2023. Since then, students have learned about orienteering in the woods, growing and selecting wood for boatbuilding, tapping trees for maple sugar, and growing and marketing produce locally, among many other activities.

Meanwhile, at the biochemical level all that adventuring promotes:

● Anxiety reduction;

● Vitamin D production, which is linked to better mental health and mood regulation;

● Increased serotonin levels, which are associated with mood enhancement;

● Improved physical health through increased activity and fresh air;

● Boosted immune system function due to increased exposure to natural environments;

● Better sleep due to improved mood and reduced stress; and

● Stronger social connections through outdoor activities.

This last point may be due to the fact that outdoor activities provide opportunities for students to use skills and strengths not needed at a desk such as climbing a rock wall or paddling a canoe. RCS teachers have noted that students who seem unsure of themselves in the classroom, blossom on their outdoor learning adventures.