Outdoor & Nature-Based Learning at Licensed Daycare in Regina SK | Daisy Days Guide

Saskatchewan’s prairies, seasons, and natural landscapes are one of the richest curriculum resources available to licensed daycares in Regina SK. At Daisy Days Daycare, outdoor and nature-based learning is not an optional addition to our program — it is central to how we approach early childhood curriculum across all four seasons.

Why Outdoor and Nature-Based Learning Matters in Early Childhood

The body of research on children and nature in early childhood is compelling:

• Stress reduction: Time in natural environments measurably reduces cortisol (stress hormone) levels in children. Children in group care who have regular outdoor nature time show lower stress biomarkers and better emotional regulation than those confined to indoor settings.
• Attention restoration: Nature environments restore directed attention — the effortful focus required in structured learning. Regular outdoor nature time improves the quality of children’s attention indoors afterward.
• Physical development: Uneven natural terrain, climbing on rocks, walking on varied surfaces, digging, carrying — all challenge different motor systems than manufactured playground equipment
• Sensory richness: The natural world provides sensory experiences that indoor environments cannot replicate: textures of bark, leaves, soil, snow, ice; sounds of wind, birds, water; smells of rain, flowers, earth
• Scientific thinking: Nature is the original science laboratory — children observe, wonder, hypothesize, and test naturally in outdoor environments
• Environmental identity: Children who interact regularly with natural environments develop environmental stewardship — caring for the natural world as something familiar and valued

Outdoor Learning Through Saskatchewan’s Four Seasons at Daisy Days Daycare

Autumn — The Season of Change

• Leaf collection, sorting by colour, shape, and size — mathematical thinking through natural materials
• Observing seasonal animal behaviour — squirrels, birds, insects preparing for winter
• Garden harvest (if applicable) — from seed to plate life science
• Muddy play in fall rains — sensory and physical development

Winter — The Science of Cold

• Snow and ice as curriculum: freezing and melting, snow measurement, ice formations
• Tracks in snow — animal tracking and observation
• Physical challenge of snow terrain — gross motor development
• Winter bird feeding and observation

Spring — The Miracle of Growth

• Mud season play — sensory richness at its peak
• Planting seeds, observing germination — life science at the most visible scale
• Finding returning birds and insects — seasonal change observation
• Worm counting and bug exploration — soil ecology for preschoolers

Summer — The Outdoor Season

• Water play — volume, flow, buoyancy, evaporation
• Sun and shadow study — basic astronomy
• Insect observation and identification
• Extended outdoor time in Regina SK’s long summer days

Loose Parts in Outdoor Learning

At Daisy Days Daycare, our outdoor learning incorporates loose parts — open-ended natural materials that children use in unlimited ways: sticks, stones, pinecones, shells, seed pods, leaves, bark. Loose parts research shows that children who play with open-ended materials develop significantly more creative, complex play schemas than children limited to defined-purpose toys.

→ Outdoor play benefits at licensed daycares
→ Outdoor play in winter at daycare
→ Play-based learning guide

Contact Daisy Days Daycare — outdoor learning in all four Saskatchewan seasons.
306-807-3233 | info@daisydaysdaycare.com | 2007 Potts Crescent East, Regina SK S4V 2E5