Turn those screens off and get outside – October 25 is Take Me Outside Day
October 25, 2017
GUELPH, Ontario – On October 25, the Upper Grand District School Board joined hundreds of other Canadian school boards in taking the classroom outdoors.
Wednesday was Take Me Outside Day – and UGDSB students and staff didn’t let the chilly weather stop them from exploring and learning in nature.
For several years, studies have shown a large number of Canadian students are spending up to eight hours a day in front of a screen. Further studies have shown that spending time outdoors in nature has significant health benefits, as well as benefits to students’ success in the classroom.
Founder and Executive Director of Take Me Outside, Colin Harris has dedicated his life to promoting a healthy balance of outside time vs. screen time. Five years ago, Colin ran from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia (over 7,600 kilometers). While executing this nine-month run, Colin stopped at 80 schools and spoke with nearly 20,000 students about achieving a healthy outdoor-indoor balance. As a result of Colin’s run, once a year Canadian schools celebrate Take Me Outside Day. This day sees nearly 250,000 students spending at least one hour outside where they learn the importance of stepping away from “the screen.”
Throughout the day, UGDSB schools shared how they celebrated #TakeMeOutsideDay. See the photos below:
Original story published October, 23, 2017
Categories: News