Mr. Brown's class studies in the woods at Toronto's High Park in 1917. The High Park Forest School, founded four years earlier, was run jointly by the Department of Public Health and the Board of Education at a time when outdoor education was catching on around the world.
JOHN BOYD SR./CITY OF TORONTO ARCHIVES
When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...
Matthew 5: 1-3
Schoolboards across the province of Ontario are trying to figure out how to keep students, teachers, and support staff safe as life in the classroom resumes this Fall. We're grateful that our nearby grandkids, 8 and 6, are attending a French school which did an excellent job of establishing protocols last year resulting in no incidents or scares regarding COVID-19.
This year one of the changes is allowing more latitude in the schoolyard during recess. Children will not be required to wear masks while playing outside. No doubt this decision is based on the high vaccination rate in our region, low case numbers, and what we now know about transmission.
Children need the opportunity to be outdoors and active and research shows that we are all healthier in body, mind, and spirit when we have time outside each day. The brightest indoor lighting doesn't hold a candle to what we receive on even a gloomy day outdoors.
I'm surprised that there hasn't been more of a push to hold classes outside during the pandemic, although we can hardly describe the Ontario goverment as progressive in any aspect of education. Obviously the logistics of holding all classes outdoors would be considerable, but why not some, especially with schools which have plenty of green space. There is actually a global Outdoor Classroom movement and an Outdoor Classrom Day in November -- not exactly our finest month in these parts!
While this may seem radical or innnovative, depending on your perspective, during the so-called Spanish Flu pandemic a hundred years ago some classes moved outdoors, even in colder climes such as ours. In order to minimize the risk of tuberculosis (for which students are now vaccinated) the Toronto School Board established the High Park Forest School, which held its very first class in 1914. The subsequent building from the 1930's is still in use for other nature exploration purposes.
During the past couple of months Trenton United Church has been alternating indoor and outdoors services. Although we're in the parking area the backdrop is a wooded lot. The children have gathered under the canopy of trees for their concurrent sesson and I'll admit to being a bit jealous of their setting even though it was only a few metres away from ours.
I do feel that our souls benefit from taking our soles and the rest of our bodies beyond the confines of church walls, however familiar or beautiful our sanctuaries may be. This is of benefit for children, but it really doesn't matter what age we are. And as always we need the reminder that Jesus did most of his best teaching and preaching outdoors.
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