Edutopia – Todd Kutyla
I’m an outdoor educator who works with students from prekindergarten through 12th grade at a public charter school in Washington, DC. At every developmental stage, I hear from teachers, administrators, and parents that students need time away from the classroom, out of their seats, off their screens, and in nature. Whether the rationale is academic fieldwork or just a day hike along the river, adults recognize the importance of young people being in nature. And the first rule typically imposed on such excursions? No phones! Phones, it is assumed, will suck students back into the virtual world and diminish the purity of their experience.