The blacktop area of the playground is often overlooked as a nature exploration area. I start my outdoor times with my students in this area for a variety of reasons. It is a small space and has easy access to the indoors for washroom breaks and supplies. We often go to the play structure to practice how we play outdoors without the rest of the school around. I find this gives students a chance to practice school wide play structure routines. There are a few different activities I like to do with my students when we are on the blacktop. These are fairly informal activities which I have included below. Click on a picture below to see a mini-unit or a selection of activities you can try during outdoor exploration time. Some of the activities have the curricular links from the BC Curriculum included. Please adapt theses activities to fit your students’ needs and most of all, enjoy being outdoors!