Abstract:

Nowadays, children spend most of their lives indoors - learning, playing, using smart devices. As a result, children become alienated from the natural environment, their dependence on digital devices increases. One of the possibilities to change this is to provide more time for outdoor activities in the learning process. Lessons that are purposefully organized outside the usual classroom create opportunities to combine the child's conceptual thinking, theoretical knowledge and self-experience. Learning in the outdoor environment enriches the child's self-discovery process, in which the child explores, supplements his or her experience and feels an emotional experience. In addition to academic knowledge, the outdoors can foster curiosity, communication, social skills and personal experience. Outdoor learning is a means of expanding and enriching the educational program through outdoor experiences. The use of the natural area as a resource in the educational process promotes children's interest in natural sciences. Learning in and about nature, based on his own experience, the child becomes responsible for what happens to him, society and nature. During the learning process, children should be given the opportunity to discover nature as a place of learning and to enjoy various opportunities in the outdoor through outdoor lessons and educational excursions. The implementation of outdoor education ensures: sensory experience of children; unity of indoor and outdoor environment; awareness of the environment as a whole; awareness of the importance of promoting sustainable development; identifying the interdisciplinarity of the curriculum. Although it is believed that outdoor learning is important and beneficial, in Latvia it is an insufficiently used context in the education of primary school children. This indicates the need to conduct a study of previous experience, an analysis of the national basic education standards and develop recommendations for the wider implementation of outdoor education.

The aim of the research is to analyze the scientific, methodological literature and educational planning documents on the implementation of outdoor learning activities in the field of science learning in primary education in order to develop research-based recommendations to promote the successful implementation of outdoor education in the learning process. The research presented in the article is based on the analysis of scientific and methodological literature and related documents, the analytical judgments are based on previous research and the author's personal experience in the study of science methodology.

Keywords:

Educational excursion, outdoor education, outdoor learning, outdoor lesson, primary education, science.