Like a herd of Teletubbies, the 2-year-olds stormed into the pouring rain outside Roland Park Country School, heading straight for the puddles.

The toddlers in colorful rainsuits and rubber boots climbed over boulders and searched for leaves collecting rainwater on their nature-inspired playground. They made wet sand pies in the outdoor kitchen, passing it off as spaghetti to their friends. One kid proclaimed it felt like blueberries squishing underfoot as he jumped up and down in the mud. Another took a tumble on the “waterslide” but popped up without shedding a tear.

The Roland Park Country kids are doing what a growing body of research supports: learning naturally through outdoor play. Little learners get outside at least twice a day, rain or shine, and even explore woods behind the school to build confidence and resilience through healthy risk-taking.

Soon, this could be the norm for more Maryland kids. The state is piloting licenses for outdoor, nature-based child care programs — which technically don’t even require a building. Maryland is one of just a handful of states to do so.

The pickup has been slow partially because programs that get licensed this way can’t care for infants, said Louis Valenti, director of licensing for the Maryland State Department of Education’s early childhood division. But the department has already selected four programs in Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Frederick counties and Baltimore City, which together could care for up to 48 children aged 3-5.

In any kind of unstructured play, kids are in charge of their own learning. They develop social skills and problem-solving abilities. Just watch any 4-year-old take 20 minutes to hypothesize, test out different techniques and eventually figure out what works, said Alice Wetzel, director of early childhood education at Roland Park Country School.

“They don’t need a teacher to sit them down and fill them with information,” Wetzel said. “They need the time and materials to explore.”

There’s evidence that works even better when kids go outside.

In a study of Norwegian kids, Vidar Sandsaunet Ulset found that those who spent more time outdoors had better cognitive development and spent less time hyperactive and unfocused. Those children were more helpful, took better care of their peers and shared toys more often, according to their teachers. Though that gap started to close with formal schooling, 10 years later, those same kids self-reported better concentration in class.

“Having that time to move their bodies and sort of understand where they are in space and get some of that energy out allows them to come in and be more focused,” Wetzel said. Think of it like going on a walk to clear your head.

That renewed concentration can give teachers up to an extra 30 minutes of teaching time per day, said Michael Follett, founder and director of Outdoor Play and Learning, or OPAL. The U.K.-based nonprofit helps schools expand play access in places like the U.K., Canada and even a charter school in Illinois.

Follett’s also seen a dip in disruptive behaviors since launching in 2011. He said schools that prioritize outdoor playtime can cut down on playground issues by 80%-90% and problems in class by 40%-50%.

Lisa White, a senior researcher who studies early childhood education at American Institutes for Research, said risky play — like jumping from one tree stump to another to see how far you can go — builds confidence.

That’s why the Baltimore Co. Forest School exists: as a safe place for kids to learn their limits. Andrea Gregg formed the nature-based play group for kids 6 and under after falling in love with the Pacific Northwest and the rocky beaches her now 3-year-old daughter, Jade, could climb. She decided to bring a piece of the adventure home to Baltimore.

The group meets twice a week: Gregg invites parents and their kids on a hike one day and a story and craft time another at various spots around Baltimore County. It snowed on their first outing, but people kept showing up.

At an end-of-September hike through Gregg’s favorite spot, Double Rock Park, about 25 kids wasted no time stuffing acorns into each other’s bags and playing in the water. But one 4-year-old, Luka, was bolder than the rest. He split from the group and ran barefoot over leaves and branches and jumped onto rock slabs. One parent called Luka, who ditches his shoes as soon as the weather allows, “bravery incarnate.”

His mom, Rebecca Brink, said now that Luka understands his physical limitations more, she feels safe letting him make more decisions.

“I feel like being in a nature, outdoor environment, he’s more comfortable,” Brink said. “And so he gravitates towards kids who kind of have his energy of exploring and being like leaders of the pack.”

Gregg said she’s noticed Jade’s confidence has gone up, too. She’ll talk to the other kids and lead them in climbing over logs. She knows how to speak up when someone crosses her boundaries.

Kids at both Roland Park Country and the Baltimore Co. Forest School were drawn to digging through the dirt for any creatures they could find. When kids interact with nature, they’re exposed to things that are “wet and bumpy and sticky,” which is good for their brains and nervous systems, Wetzel said.

A former high school environmental science teacher, Wetzel also wants to get kids out in nature early because she found her older students hadn’t spent enough time outside to really connect with their lessons.

And it’s true that kids learn best in context and when they can manipulate things or see them change, said White, the researcher. They’ll probably better understand a difficult concept like metamorphosis if they can see a cocoon outside over time rather than just in a picture book, for example.

“Science is everywhere,” White said. “Young children are naturally curious and are engaging in these things sometimes without even realizing it.”

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.