Open Skies School: reimagining education outside the classroom – Dr Geoffroy

June 10, 2025,

With the scientific study “École à ciel ouvert” having demonstrated the benefits of contact with nature on children’s mental health, Dr Geoffroy and her team wanted to make a documentary film to inspire teachers to open the doors of their classrooms to the outdoors.

Synopsis :

The film, which lasts less than 30 minutes, follows a Primary 6 class as they try out the nature classroom experience through the seasons, with their teacher. The learning activities are interspersed with meetings between the children and Laure Waridel (eco-sociologist, Université du Québec à Montréal), Dr Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers (Association québécoise des médecins pour l’environnement and Prescri-Nature programme), Marie Claude Geoffroy (from McGill University, the initiator of the École à ciel ouvert study) and Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet (Research Chair in Outdoor Education, Université de Sherbrooke) to explore themes of health, education and ecology.

There is also a round-table discussion where sceptics and enthusiasts talk about the facilitators and obstacles to teaching in nature.

To see this educational and inspiring film:

Read the study published on Jama Network : :