Resources The Benefits of Outlast Sensory and STEM Exploration
The Benefits of Outlast
Children playing with the Outlast Mud Kitchen

Sensory and STEM Exploration

Children need to see and feel the world to make sense of it. The outdoors is the ultimate environment for sensory learning through play.

Providing opportunities for children to get hands-on with water, mud, and other natural materials naturally unlocks STEM concepts like problem-solving and scientific inquiry.

"Water play leads children to ask questions. What does it do? How can I change it? Curiosity leads to experimentation, which provokes even more curiosity and more questions to challenge and intrigue. Children engage in both inductive and deductive thinking as they explore the properties of water." —Sandra Crosser, Making the Most of Water Play
Children playing at an Outlast Cascade
Children playing at a mud kitchen
Featured
children playing with water
Article
Making the Most of Water Play
arranged natural objects
Article
Math Play with Loose Parts
Natural loose parts can be used in a multitude of mathematical ways.
children playing with blocks
Literature
Outlast Activity Guide
Written by by Ellen Veselack and Eric M. Nelson as a collaboration between the Outdoor Classroom Project and Community Playthings.
tin pail full of mud
Video
Outlast Mud Kitchen
Creative, constructive play outdoors - just add dirt and water!