Taking Art Outside

At SIS, we are always looking for ways to make learning meaningful, engaging, and fun for our students. As the art teacher for primary 1 and 3 at SIS Zürich-Wollishofen, I’ve personally seen how being outside can change the way students learn and create. Outdoor art lessons give them the chance to connect with the natural world in ways that aren’t possible in a classroom. 
 

While collecting leaves, sticks and stones, and observing textures, colours, and patterns, students develop a stronger connection to nature. These experiences help promote curiosity, respect and a love for nature while inspiring creativity.

Collaboration and Creativity in Action
One of the things I really love about taking kids outside is how they spontaneously start working together. In nature, they share ideas, figure things out as a team, and help each other bring their ideas to life. This helps them practice talking and listening to each other while having fun and making art.

Creativity really blossoms outdoors. Using natural materials allows students to think outside the box and experiment in ways they can’t indoors. A stick can become a paintbrush, leaves can create prints, and stones can inspire patterns. The freedom to explore, invent, and express themselves encourages them to see the world differently. All of this happens while making connections between nature and art, developing their own imagination.

Learning Through the Senses
Being outside also engages all their senses: students notice colours and shapes of leaves, hear birds and feel different textures. It makes learning hands-on, memorable and a lot of fun. Outdoor learning gives students the chance to be active, release energy and reset their focus, which can improve attention, mood, and overall engagement in their work. It’s a reminder that learning is not just about academics but also about nurturing the whole child.
 

Watching students create outdoors is inspiring. Their curiosity, imagination, and joy are infectious, and it reminds me how much learning can happen beyond the classroom. These lessons show that art isn’t just about materials or technique – it’s about discovery, collaboration, and connecting with the world around us.

 

 

Author: Kimberlynn Martinez, Teacher

 

 

 

This article is from the current issue of emphaSIS “Logging Out. Stepping Outside.”.