Outdoor environmental education cultivates curiosity and discovery in children, which are the fundamental building blocks of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), and it encourages students to make science a part of their everyday lives – so says a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, (and the Children and Nature Network).
The report says:
“Consider that engineering, from software development to biomedical applications, requires all of the following underlying skills: an ability to recognize and interpret patterns; the synthetic thinking that allows one to identify relationships and systemic connections; the discipline to solve a problem that matters to you and the world. Learning out of doors, with nature as a guide, provides ample opportunity for all of these skills.”