Written by Noelle Beale, Ph.D., regional superintendent, Central Westchester Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of New York, Noelle.Beale@archny.org
Embracing Laudato Si’ and Outdoor Learning to Support the Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Well-Being of Every Child
Grounded in mission, Catholic education promotes student wellness by forming our students intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically in all that we do both inside and outside of the classroom. In the time that has followed the COVID-19 pandemic, many Catholic schools have placed a greater emphasis on student wellness because anxiety, stress, and social disconnectedness is on the rise with our youth. Add to this rise, the emphasis placed on digital learning platforms and it becomes even more important for schools to find ways to help students disconnect from technology and reconnect to the world around them. Catholic schools can respond to this ever growing need with practices that nurture the whole child and one way this can be done is through outdoor learning. Outdoor learning offers opportunities to support student wellness and provide a foundation for students to be observant, mindful, and morally aware of the natural world around them.
Supporting Student Wellness Through Outdoor Learning
Often underutilized, outdoor learning is a creative approach for supporting student wellness by offering nature-based opportunities to nurture spiritual reflection, emotional regulation, and physical movement throughout the school day. Being outdoors and playing outdoors has significant benefits to human development such as the growth of greater observational skills, deeper critical thinking ability, increased creativity and imagination, and a greater appreciation for nature and conservation. Additionally, several studies have indicated that nature play, learning outdoors, and playing outdoors builds confidence, promotes greater attention to students’ academic work, and has a positive impact on student well-being and mental health. Since children today often do not have an opportunity to be outside in nature, providing the occasion for outdoor learning can help to bridge the gap and get them outside and connected to nature which can be a small courtyard, a patch of lawn, a garden bed or even a blacktop area with potted plants. Outdoor learning doesn’t need extensive greenspace or a forest, it just needs to be outdoors and available to students.
Small Steps Make a Big Difference
Incorporating time for outdoor learning into the daily schedule of the school day helps students regulate stress, build resilience and develop a deeper awareness of themselves and the world around them. For our early childhood students, unstructured outdoor play supports sensory and gross motor development while providing a vital avenue for expressing big emotions. For our elementary and middle school students, reflective walks, mindfulness activities, or sketching in nature journals can be tools for calming anxiety and strengthening self- awareness. Even taking students outside between classes just to walk around can help them to reset and recenter. Outdoor learning helps students learn how to slow down and be mindful of their surroundings, which are skills that are essential for both academic and personal growth.
Rooted in Laudato Si’: Creation as Sacred Gift
When Catholic schools intentionally use outdoor spaces for prayer, learning, and play, students begin to experience the natural world not just as their surroundings, but as a sacred gift entrusted to their care. Catholic school educators are uniquely positioned to integrate outdoor learning across the curriculum, fostering a deep appreciation for creation in science, literature, and religious studies. Our work as Catholic school educators should be rooted in the teachings of Laudato Si’, the papal encyclical On the Care for Our Common Home by Pope Francis. In this work, Pope Francis calls us all to actively work for the care of the environment through education and action. He states, “Environmental education has broadened its goals…[seeking] to restore various levels of ecological equilibrium, establishing harmony within ourselves, with others, with nature, and other living creatures” (Laudato Si’, 210). His words align with the increasing body of research demonstrating the importance of outdoor education and interaction with nature. By fostering an awareness of the environment through firsthand experience, children develop a sense of responsibility and connection to the natural world.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has reminded us that Laudato Si’ was written for every person, not just Catholics, as a call to action for the future of the world.
Encouraging outdoor learning is a step toward answering Pope Francis’ call for integral ecology, where humans recognize their role in the larger web of life. By taking students outside to explore ecosystems, study biodiversity, and reflect on God’s creation, educators reinforce the moral and ethical responsibility of stewardship. By nurturing our student’s relationship with nature, we are not only helping to shape future generations committed to sustainability, but we are also supporting their spiritual, emotional and physical wellness by reminding them that creation itself is a gift from God that heals, teaches, and sustains us. This commitment ensures that children today, who often lack opportunities to engage with the natural world, can experience it through action and care, fulfilling their role as caretakers of God’s creation.
Embedding environmental awareness into outdoor learning instills a quiet, consistent sense of moral responsibility. This invitation to live the values of Laudato Si’ through small daily acts of stewardship is central to our mission as Catholic school educators.
When outdoor learning becomes part of the school’s culture, it reinforces the idea that wellness and academic excellence are interwoven and deeply connected. From science walks and a read-aloud under a tree to journaling in the garden or silent reflection after recess, outdoor learning can be integrated seamlessly into the curriculum without sacrificing academic rigor. Lessons that take place outside are not “extra,” but an extension of existing standards and an invitation to deepen Catholic identity, cultivate stewardship, and encounter God in the world He created.
Living Our Mission Through Creation
As Catholic school educators, we are called to be attentive to the dignity and development of every child. Outdoor learning is one meaningful way to live out this calling. It connects students to creation, builds habits of reflection and care, and supports the mental, emotional, and physical wellness that our students so urgently need. In tending to the whole child, we plant the seeds of knowledge, joy, reverence, and responsibility with the hope that they will take root far beyond the classroom walls.
