San Francisco Recreation & Park's Mission Arts Camp using the city as a classroom.

Teaching in parks or other outdoor spaces in the community is usually easier to do when teachers and students bring supplies with them that facilitate outdoor learning. Heading to a park or other outdoor space away from the school grounds provides an opportunity to creatively reconsider both the teaching materials and curriculum. While there might be standard items you always want to carry, such as emergency supplies and writing tools, many educators will find that there are many items they can do without. Many parts of the curriculum can be effectively addressed by using the surroundings as the foundation for a lesson. Similarly, at new locations educators may find unexpected enrichment opportunities by taking advantage of murals, trees, and the surrounding environment as real-world examples of curriculum connections that ground concepts in relatable experiences. 

The offsite location and the students’ innate curiosity can change the frame of reference for many lessons and shift the foundation for inquiry. You may find that you are less dependent on specific materials, and instead can use the local environment as the main tool of your curriculum for a more project-based approach. 

In other sections of this guide, you will find recommendations about Supplies and Storage for Outdoor Teaching on school grounds, which are similar to what you will require for offsite teaching but slightly more extensive. When teaching offsite, it is important to think about portability and flexibility as primary concerns. The following resource provides suggestions for the minimum materials needed for offsite teaching and offers questions to consider when planning to work with students in creative new spaces.  

Please note that physical features such as shade cover and restrooms are discussed as part of the site assessment checklist and will not be included here. The materials listed below are primarily suggestions for the physical items you may want to take with you for offsite teaching. 

Field trip backpack. What items do you already carry with you as part of your field trip supplies? First aid, emergency contact, and safety/emergency plan are some items to consider. See also Emergency Preparedness for Teaching in Parks and Other Offsite Locations.

Hygiene and cleaning supplies. Hand sanitizer, paper towels, spare trash bags, and plastic gloves are essential. Include items for student hygiene as well as any items necessary for site cleanup.

Portable whiteboard and markers. Are there days when this would be useful and other days that these could be left behind? Try to minimize the materials you will need for each lesson to streamline what you will need to carry with you. 

Special subjects, like science tools, math tools, art supplies, and so on. Can you create portable kits of specialty materials required for specific lessons only when needed? Can you use attributes at the site to complement your materials, such as by measuring, counting, or observing nearby objects, interpreting and describing public art, documenting and discussing nature observations?

Books when needed. Will you need a class set of any specific books to take with you for certain lessons? How can you facilitate the exchange of library materials?

Portable tech, such as iPads or tablets. Sites may or may not have access to Wi-Fi and power. If this type of technology is a regular part of your lesson planning, consider ways that it could be used offline for photo documentation and exploration, writing, or video journaling projects and/or whether or not it would work to utilize a portable hotspot device. 

Play items. As much as possible, consider low-tech play solutions to minimize materials needed. Save material-related play for special occasions or days when fewer other teaching materials are required. How can you use the features of the site itself for creative play, like rock stacking or nature mandalas?

Emergency backup supplies for the weather. Sunscreen, a spare sweatshirt or jacket? What do you anticipate students might forget to bring now and then?

Tarp or blanket. How would you like students to be seated or grouped? What other reasons might you need a tarp — emergency rain protection, wet ground? Maybe bring an extra!

Tandem Partners in Early Learning leading story time in a naturally shaded nook at McLaren Park, San Francisco.

Plant mandalas created from plant parts are a great offsite art and science project.

Wagon or cart. How far will you need to transport materials, and over what surfaces? Can you fit everything you need into a wagon?

Personal car or public transit. Will you be driving a car to your offsite meeting location? Will it be parked near enough to keep materials in the vehicle until needed? Will you and/or your students be taking public transit to the site? How will that inform the materials you bring? See more on health-related considerations in Reducing Virus Transmission Risk During Travel.

Locked storage at partner location. Is it possible to add a locking storage container somewhere onsite for supplies? Is a nearby business willing to let you store some materials in their space? If so, this could make it possible to keep and use some larger items near your site such as student cushions or a pop-up shade canopy. 

Pop-up shade canopy. These are useful but can be heavy and difficult to move far and are only recommended if you have support for storage or transportation. Depending on the number of students, they could also be challenging for social distancing.

Example of outdoor storage box resistant to vandalism.

• Megan Zeni blog post: 10 Tips for Teaching Outside the Classroom.

• Hennepin County: Environmental Education Activity Guide: Tips for Teaching Outside.

• Childhood By Nature: Nature School Hacks.

• Informative video, created by an educator, specifically on what to bring for outdoor teaching offsite: Materials for Outdoor Learning.

• Outdoor storage boxes that are resistant to vandalism. Parks may be willing to share costs for their own ongoing long-term use to store tools. The Knaack Field Station is one example.