| This qualitative interview study examines how elementary school teachers utilize the outside with their students when it is not recess or physical education. Data were collected through interviews of three public elementary school teachers, currently teaching kindergarten, second, and fourth grades. They discussed how and why they utilize nature or outdoor spaces with their students. Data were analyzed through inductive and deductive coding, axial coding, analytic memos, and various matrices. Findings suggest the importance of location and proximity between schools and nature, as well of natural elements on school-yards as helping or hindering teachers' use of outdoor spaces. Among the barriers preventing teachers from using the outdoors, location and logistical (e.g., administration) were the most common. These findings are discussed in relationship to literature on children's time spent in nature on their learning and development, access to nature, social and emotional learning, and teaching the whole child.;Keywords: access to nature, outside, outdoors, social and emotional learning (SEL), well-being, whole child, decreased stress, increased attention. |
