Think about the last time a child in your class was genuinely excited about math.
Now think about the last time you watched a kid sort rocks, line up sticks by size, or count every single thing in sight — completely on their own, just because they wanted to.
That is math. And for a lot of children, going outside is what brings it back.
Math Lives Outside is a one-hour professional development workshop designed for K–5 teachers who are curious about outdoor learning but aren't sure where to start — and for school leaders who want to offer their staff something practical, play-based, and immediately usable.
No worksheets. No special equipment. No forest required.
A warm, conversational session led by outdoor learning educator Lauren MacLean, walking you through three complete outdoor math experiences rooted in the K–5 curriculum. Watch together as a staff or individually on your own time — you have 30 days of school access.
A beautifully designed PDF your learning leader or classroom teacher can use to run a staff follow-up session. Includes pause points for discussion during the video, post-viewing debrief questions, and eight ready-to-use lesson idea cards.
Not worksheets — recipe-card style lesson starters covering number sense, patterning, and measurement across K–5. Each card includes the outdoor prompt, the curriculum connection, what it looks like in practice, one extension idea, and one inclusion note. Print them, share them, try them the next day.
Students collect natural materials and use them to sort, count, compose, and decompose numbers — in a single activity that works for kindergartners and grade fives at the same time. Naturally differentiated. Zero prep.
A noticing walk that tunes kids' eyes to patterns everywhere — in pinecones, brick walls, fence posts, their own shoelaces. Connects to early algebraic thinking for older grades without anyone realising they're doing algebra.
Before rulers, there are hands and feet and sticks. Students discover — through their own experience — why standard units exist. The kind of understanding that sticks because they lived it, not because they were told it.
✔ K–5 classroom teachers who want to take math outside but aren't sure how to structure it
✔ Learning leaders and administrators looking for a staff PD session that sparks real conversation and leads to real change in classrooms
✔ Schools that already value play-based, inquiry-based, or nature-based learning and want to deepen that practice in math specifically
✔ Teachers who are tired of worksheets and want something that works for their diverse learners
✘ Teachers looking for a packaged curriculum to follow step by step — this is an approach, not a script
✘ Schools that need a half-day or full-day session (for that, book the live version by emailing →lauren@teachoutdoors.ca)
"The loose parts activity was the first time I'd seen certain kids genuinely engaged in math all year. I didn't say a word — they just started doing it."
"I was worried about managing my class outside. After the first time, I realised they were actually easier to manage outside than in. They were too busy to be difficult."
"The measurement experience led to one of the best math conversations my class has ever had. They figured out why we need standard units completely on their own. I just watched."
Lauren MacLean is an outdoor learning educator, author, and professional development facilitator based in British Columbia. She is the creator of Teach Outdoors, a consultant with Dr. Shelley Moore's Outside Pin team, and the author of multiple books on outdoor and place-based learning — including an upcoming title with Orca Book Publishers. She has worked with schools and districts across the country to bring learning outside in ways that are inclusive, play-based, and grounded in the curriculum.
This workshop is also available as a live, in-person or virtual professional development session for your school or district — where your staff actually goes outside and tries the experiences together in real time.
No. All "lessons" can be done on pavement, in a parking lot, or in any outdoor space just outside your school door. Natural loose parts are helpful but any small found objects work — gravel, twigs, even pebbles from a planter.
The workshop is designed for K–5 teachers. All three big ideas and lessons include examples and adaptations across the full grade band.
30 days from the date of purchase. That's enough time to watch together, try something, and come back to it.
Yes! Live sessions allow your staff to actually go outside and try the experiences together, with facilitated debrief and Q&A. It's a richer experience and the one I recommend if your school is just starting out with outdoor learning. Email me at lauren@teachoutdoors.ca and ask for available in-person dates.
Includes 30-day school access to the full workshop recording + facilitation guide + eight lesson idea cards. This is a school licence — share it with your whole staff.