TORONTO - The Liberals are poised to bring back outdoor education and home economics classes for older elementary students now that primary school classes are shrinking, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne said Wednesday.

The Liberals will spend $150 million during their mandate to improve education for students in Grade 4 to 8, which will mean hiring more teachers to bring back hands-on classes like outdoor education and shop class, Wynne told The Canadian Press.

The province is also looking at starting co-op programs for Grade 7 and 8 students to give them some hands-on work experience, she added.

"We know that if we're going to be successful in getting more kids through high school and going on to post-secondary or into apprenticeships, we have to have them engaged by the time they get into Grade 9,'' Wynne said Wednesday after touring a school in London, Ont.

"It's way too late if we wait until Grade 9.''

Although some critics say $150 million won't restore the specialized classes cut in the 1990s, Wynne said many schools have classrooms equipped to offer programs like shop and family studies.

Those schools haven't been able to make use of the classrooms because they haven't had the teachers, she said.

"If we can find a way to get some extra staffing into those schools, then a lot of those programs may be able to start up again,'' Wynne said.

The province has almost met its target of getting 90 per cent of primary school students into classes with 20 kids or less, she added. Some cash will now be devoted to lowering class sizes in later grades, but the primary focus will be to restore some of the programs that were cut years ago, Wynne said.

Teachers and parents have been lobbying the province to focus on older elementary students for several years.

David Clegg, a Grade 8 teacher and president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, said he approached the Liberals 18 months ago with concerns about older elementary students.

When there were shop classes back in the 1990s, Clegg said students got a chance to see school in a different light and could see the practical application of theories like math. That has been lost, he said.

"The broad interests of students is not being met,'' said Clegg, who added he believes it's in the best interest of the Ontario economy to resurrect such specialized classes.

"There is clearly a need for more skilled trades. This is an opportunity to address a number of real long-term issues.''

But Clegg said it's going to take much more than $150 million to restore all the programs that were cut over a decade ago. Elementary students already get $711 less per student compared to their high school counterparts, he said.

"This is a good start,'' he said. "We think that when they break it down, they're going to realize the investment will have to go beyond that.''

Annie Kidder, of the lobby group People for Education, said her studies have shown middle-school students have borne the brunt of cuts over the years. Only 8 per cent of Grade 7 and 8 students have a shop teacher compared to 22 per cent a decade ago, she said.

There is nothing compelling boards to offer such specialized programs and many have used the classroom space to meet the province's cap on primary class sizes, she added.

"Schools did struggle to provide those small class sizes,'' Kidder said. "The music room went to the smaller classes, the design and tech room went in that way too.''

Given many schools would have to build the classrooms necessary to host such specialized programs, Kidder said $150 million is "a drop in the bucket.'' But if anyone can convince cabinet to squeeze more out of the government coffers, it's Wynne, she added.

"I'm hopeful because I know this minister has a real commitment to it,'' Kidder said. "Maybe she can influence the rest of the people in government who have less of an understanding.''