Outdoor Education Resists Coronavirus: This is How Creative Physical and Health Education Can Be

As our sports teams were looking forward to traveling across Europe, ready to compete with international schools in Lisbon, Berlin, Valencia, and Paris, the first spring lockdown changed our lives. Virtual sport skill sessions and fitness challenges became the norm and placed athletes in front of screens rather than spending time on the courts, the fields, or in nature. As we started a new school year school in August, we were very fortunate to be able to return to campus. We were full of hope to start the fall season and jumped into practicing and playing games with local athletic teams from Zurich and Basel. Even though our community could not be there to cheer from the sidelines, they watched the live streams from home, a new highlight for school life. But, again, with a second wave of the virus hitting Switzerland in November, we were forced to suspend competitions.

At that time, the International School of Zug and Luzern (ISZL) Athletic department together with the Middle School Physical and Health Education team was exploring new options for our students to enhance the regular school day. The focus shifted to recreational sports which would increase the time in the fresh air, where masks could be taken off when participants were socially distanced. We were amazed by the quick support we received when connecting with local clubs and authorities to investigate the outdoor education options in our region. The first couple of weeks, students played disc golf, Speedminton, archery, pitch, and putt-putt golf, no matter whether rain, shine, or snow. Our local resources became the new “gym.”

“I was so excited to hear we would be doing archery in PHE. I love archery and have a set at home but doing it at school was so much fun. Getting advice from the teachers on how to improve was really great as well”. (Amy, Grade 6 student)

With winter quickly approaching, we started to explore nearby hills and trails. With the help of the local orienteering club ‘OLV Zug, we prepared to support students in learning to use compasses and maps, while hiking or snowshoeing through nature. Of course, the fun of sledding down the snowy hills couldn’t be missed during our winter orienteering unit.

“I think the idea of an outdoor sports program is a great thing. Our aim is to motivate the children to move, and to familiarise themselves with map reading.” (Stefan Spirgi, OLV Zug)

As the students enjoyed the fresh air activities and while the winter brought more snow, we turned our attention to snow activities. A strong relationship with the Swiss Youth Sports organisation ‘J+S’ made it possible to receive 50 pairs of cross-country skis for the following weeks in January and February. Using our school-owned minibuses, we were able to explore the local Nordic ski tracks in Menzingen, Zugerberg, and Studen. It was a totally new experience for almost all students, trying to balance on thin skis and finding a rhythm to push and glide over the snow. Falls and laughter complemented the development of individual physical coordination and collaboration as every student, in the end, managed to ski a few laps on the track.

Nordic Skiing Group — “I’ve never done this before, but it’s a lot of fun.” (Lewis, Grade 6 student) “Getting up when you’ve fallen over is difficult. But the skis are very light and the shoes are much more comfortable than ski boots.” (Artemii, Grade 6 student)

Looking from a curricular perspective and aiming to meet the Middle Years Programme physical and health education objectives at the highest level, we managed to incorporate alternative recreational sports as well as adventure activities content into the PHE curriculum and highlight the International Baccalaureate (IB) objectives.[1]

While the Middle School Physical and Health Education team expanded opportunities to participate outdoors, the Athletic department had put forward a proposal to take students for an Alpine ski, snowboard or snowshoe day into a local ski resort. We focused on the activity days to take place during the regular school hours, while taking a limited number of students, using small lifts and bringing packed lunches. This enabled us to maintain grade-level bubbles and keep students protected while being in nature for a full day.

“Thank you very much for this amazing day! I appreciate your hard work in organizing this, as it brought insurmountable joy and happiness to me. I really enjoyed this one-of-a-kind opportunity. Skiing with the school and my friends is a completely different experience and I am so grateful to have participated in this amazing event!” (Mikhail, Grade 8 student)

As the word spread around the school about the experiences students were having, students in Grades 4 and 5, as well as 9 and 10 also asked to take part in the snow days. It became a wonderful four-week journey, taking almost 750 students out to our local ski resorts ‘Ibergeregg’ and ‘Hasliberg’ overlooking the beautiful and scenic Central Swiss and Bernese Mountains.

Snowboarding — “We all had fun skiing and snowboarding. It was my first day on skis and it was amazing.” (Tomas, Grade 5 Student) /“Thank you very much to the three of you for pushing through and organising the Winter Sports Days for the Grade 9s last week. They absolutely loved it and were buzzing for the rest of the week.” (Kevin Buckley, Grade 9 Team Leader)

The positive feedback from students, parents, and teachers was incredible. We saw lots of new snowboarders and beginner skiers who we could teach the beauty of snow sports. They proved to challenge themselves, be risk-takers, and show some exceptional talents.

Snowboard Group — “Both my children had very enjoyable days. Leo loved the freedom of the jump park, spending time with a group of peers he wouldn’t normally hang out with and Connie came home on top of the world after mastering T-bar lifts.” (Middle School Parent)

Now that the winter slowly says goodbye, we look forward to exploring more outdoor activity options. With the lake, hills, woods and trails nearby, we surely will find more opportunities for our students to take off their masks and enjoy nature. We have learned that outdoor education is an important part of our school life, and much like nature itself resists the challenges that unforeseen circumstances can bring along.

Helpful Links:

International School of Zug and Luzern
European Sports Conference
Swiss Group of International Schools

[1] “In the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP), physical and health education empowers students to understand and appreciate the value of being physically active and to develop the motivation for making healthy life choices.” (Retrieved March 23, 2021, from https://www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/curriculum/physical-and-health-education/)

Outdoor Education Resists Coronavirus: This is How Creative Physical and Health Education Can Be

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