Create an organized, inviting and ready-to-play outdoor learning environment with the Outdoor Learning Shed by Naturally Inspired Play. Designed exclusively for Scholar’s Choice by early years experts and handcrafted in Canada from durable cedar wood, this thoughtfully designed outdoor storage solution gives educators a dedicated place to keep the materials that make rich, play-based outdoor learning possible.

With generous enclosed storage, double front doors and multiple interior shelves, the Outdoor Learning Shed makes it easier to organize loose parts, mud kitchen accessories, nature investigation tools, active play equipment, sensory materials and other outdoor learning resources. Keeping materials close to where children play can help educators spend less time transporting supplies and more time creating meaningful opportunities for exploration, discovery, creativity and child-led learning.

The shed also supports an important part of early childhood environments: accessible, intentional organization. When outdoor resources have a consistent home, educators can more easily rotate materials, prepare provocations and offer children a wider range of open-ended experiences throughout the day. From gardening tools and magnifying glasses to buckets, scoops, balls and loose parts, everything needed to extend learning outdoors can be kept together and ready for the next adventure.

Its natural wood detailing and neutral exterior allow the shed to blend beautifully into childcare playgrounds, preschool yards and nature-inspired outdoor classrooms while providing the practical storage early learning programs need.

Key Features

• Purpose-built outdoor storage: Provides a dedicated place for outdoor learning materials, play equipment and educator resources.
• Multiple interior shelves: Slatted shelving creates organized storage zones for different categories of materials and supplies.
• Generous enclosed storage: Helps protect and organize frequently used outdoor resources between play experiences.
• Double front doors: Provides wide access to the main storage area, making it easier for educators to organize and retrieve larger resources.
• Additional upper access area: The multi-level front design provides additional flexibility for organizing materials.
• Supports play-based learning: Keeping open-ended resources nearby makes it easier to extend children’s interests and introduce new invitations to play.
• Designed for outdoor learning environments: Ideal for childcare centres, preschools, early learning programs and outdoor classrooms.
• Natural aesthetic: Wood trim and a neutral finish complement nature-inspired playgrounds and outdoor spaces.
• Durable cedar construction: Handcrafted from cedar wood for use in busy early learning environments.
• Designed by early years experts: Created with the practical needs of educators and early childhood programs in mind.
• Canadian made: Manufactured in Canada by Naturally Inspired Play.
• Scholar’s Choice Exclusive: Designed exclusively for Scholar’s Choice by Naturally Inspired Play.

Supporting a Better Outdoor Learning Environment

Thoughtful storage does more than keep an outdoor space tidy. It can help create an environment where play-based learning is easier to initiate, extend and revisit.

When materials are organized close to the play space, educators can respond more readily to children’s emerging interests. A fascination with insects can quickly become a nature investigation with magnifiers and collection containers. An interest in construction can be extended with blocks, buckets and loose parts. A rainy morning might inspire mud kitchen experimentation, while a sunny afternoon can become an opportunity for active play and outdoor art.

The Outdoor Learning Shed helps keep those possibilities within reach.

Early Childhood Program Benefits

Using dedicated outdoor storage can help educators:

• Create a more organized and intentional outdoor learning environment
• Keep frequently used learning materials close to outdoor play spaces
• Support spontaneous, child-led learning opportunities
• Rotate resources and provocations based on children’s interests
• Make outdoor setup and clean-up more efficient
• Encourage children to participate in caring for and organizing shared materials
• Expand outdoor programming beyond traditional gross motor play
• Support sensory, STEM, nature, dramatic and creative experiences outdoors
• Make better use of valuable indoor classroom storage
• Create consistency between indoor and outdoor learning environments

Outdoor Storage & Usage Ideas

Loose Parts Storage

Organize baskets or bins of stones, wood pieces, tubes, ropes, fabric, containers and other open-ended loose parts. Rotate selections throughout the year to create new building, transporting and imaginative play opportunities.

Mud Kitchen Supplies

Keep pots, pans, utensils, bowls, scoops, measuring cups and containers close to your outdoor mud kitchen so children have the tools they need to create, experiment and engage in dramatic play.

Nature Investigation Station

Store magnifying glasses, bug viewers, collection containers, clipboards, field guides and other observation tools. When children discover something interesting outdoors, educators can quickly extend their curiosity into a meaningful investigation.

Outdoor Art Supplies

Create a shelf for chalk, paintbrushes, rollers, water painting tools, natural mark-making materials and other process art resources that encourage creativity outdoors.

Active Play Equipment

Use the larger storage areas for balls, hoops, beanbags, cones, skipping ropes and movement resources, making it easier to regularly refresh active play opportunities.

Gardening Resources

Organize child-sized watering cans, gardening gloves, small tools, plant markers and containers to support gardening and nature-based learning experiences.

Sensory Play Supplies

Keep funnels, scoops, buckets, jugs, sieves and containers together so educators can quickly create water, sand, mud and nature-based sensory experiences.

Seasonal Learning Materials

Rotate outdoor resources with the seasons. Store gardening tools and bug investigation materials in spring, water play resources in summer, leaf collecting tools in autumn and snow exploration materials during the winter.

Outdoor STEM Resources

Dedicate a shelf to ramps, tubes, measuring tools, pulleys, containers and building resources that invite children to investigate movement, force, measurement, cause and effect and problem solving.

Encouraging Responsibility & Independence

Outdoor storage can also become part of the learning experience. With educator support and developmentally appropriate routines, children can help return materials to designated spaces, collect resources for an activity and care for shared equipment.

These everyday experiences can help children develop independence, responsibility, decision-making skills and respect for their learning environment while reinforcing the idea that children are active participants in their classroom community.

Why Educators Will Love It

Outdoor learning programs often accumulate an incredible variety of materials—and having those resources available only works when educators can easily find, access and put them away.

The Outdoor Learning Shed creates a central outdoor resource hub, helping educators keep valuable play and learning materials organized exactly where they are most likely to be used. Its combination of enclosed storage and interior shelving makes it suitable for everything from small investigation tools to larger outdoor play resources.

By supporting easier access to materials, the shed helps make outdoor learning more spontaneous, responsive and integrated into the daily program rather than something that requires extensive setup.