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Table 2 Terminology and taxonomy of the Play, Learn, and Teach Outdoors—Network (PLaTO-Net)

From: Play, Learn, and Teach Outdoors—Network (PLaTO-Net): terminology, taxonomy, and ontology

Root termsa

PlaTO-terms

Sub-terms

Proposed definition

Synonym/co-hyponym

Outdoors

Any open-air, wild, natural, or human-made space

 

Nuances: The space may include a temporary or fixed cover (e.g., awning or roof) but maintain exposure to ambient environmental conditions

  

Built environment

Human-constructed physical surroundings (e.g., structures, features, facilities) in which people live, learn, work, travel, and play

 
  

Green space

Any vegetated land, an area of grass or trees that may also contain bodies of water (e.g., pond, creek), in an urban environment

 

Nuances: The space may either set apart for recreational or aesthetic purposes or wasteland areas that have been colonized by nature in an otherwise urban environment

  

Loose parts

Natural or manufactured materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials, moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways and used for play

 
  

Playground

A piece of land usually equipped with facilities and/or equipment that is used for outdoor play and recreation

 
  

School ground

Proprietary outdoor area on the land of educational institution buildings

Synonym: School yard

  

Natural environment

Non-built surroundings and conditions in nature in which living and non-living things co-exist

Synonym: Nature

  

Garden

Planted, developed, or cultivated land used to grow vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, and other living plants and organisms

 
  

Outdoor play space

Any outdoor area where people can play

 

Play

Voluntary engagement in activity that is fun and/or rewarding and usually driven by intrinsic motivation

 

Nuances: Not all play is self-directed and intrinsically motivated

 

Outdoor play

A form of playa that takes place outdoorsa

Co-hyponym: Outdoor recreation

  

Active play

A form of playa that involves physical activity of any intensity

 
  

Free play

A form of playa that is unstructured and self-directed

Synonym: Unstructured play

  

Nature play

A form of playa that takes place in a natural environment and/or involves interaction with natural elements and features (e.g., water, mud, rocks, hills, forests, and natural loose parts, such as sticks, pinecones, leaves, and grass)

Co-hyponym: Nature-based recreation

  

Risky play

A form of playa that is thrilling and exciting, which involves uncertainty, unpredictability, and varying degrees of risk-taking

 
  

Social play

A form of play that involves interacting with others

 

Learning

The development of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habits

 
 

Outdoor learning

Learninga that takes place outdoorsa

 

Teaching

The process of facilitation of learning

 
 

Outdoor teaching

Teachinga that takes place outdoorsa

 

Education

The process of learninga and teachinga

 
 

Outdoor education

Educationa that takes place outdoorsa

 
  

Environmental education

A form of educationa aimed at increasing knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of the environment

 
  

Forest schools

An educationala approach that includes regular and repeated access to natural space and participant-directed, emergent, and place-based learning

Co-hyponym: Forest kindergartens, forest preschools, forest programs

  

Outdoor classroom

A shared space of learninga and teachinga in the school context that is entirely outdoors

 

Nuances: Unlike outdoor education, an outdoor classroom takes regular pedagogy and curriculum outdoors in the school context

  

Place-based learning

Learninga that considers the importance of connecting learners with their community by anchoring pedagogy within the context of the locally natural, cultural, and social ecosystems

Co-hyponym: Place-based education

Nuances: The learning focuses on a specific physical space which may or may not involve the natural environment

  

Land-based education

An approach to educationa that recognizes a deep connection and relationship of reciprocity between people and the land

Co-hyponym: Land-based learning

Nuances: This is specific to the North American context based on Indigenous epistemology of which the land is being understood beyond the physical sense and as with spiritual, emotional, and intellectual sense

  

Nature-based education

A form of teachinga and learninga situated in the context of outdoor natural settings

Co-hyponym: Nature-based learning, nature-based preschool

  

Learning for sustainability

A cross-curricular approach to life and learninga which enables learners, educators, schools, and their wider communities to build a socially just, ecologically sustainable, and equitable society

 

Other terms related to PLaTO

 
  

Outdoor activity

Leisure, recreational, educational, occupational, and/or health-enhancing activity engaged in the outdoors

 
  

Outdoor time

Time spent outdoors

 
  1. aRefer to the definition of corresponding root term