Your Town Alabama: Designing Our Future

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Outdoor Classroom Continued

An outdoor classroom expands the learning environment beyond the walls of the traditional classroom. It is a place where the student, through guided personal experiences can become aware of the environment and learn how human decisions and behavior affect the environment for either good or bad. Teachers can incorporate the outdoor classroom into the courses of study in arts education, computer applications, English language arts, mathematics, physical education, health education, science, and social studies. Students can be tested on their learning from the outdoor classroom and receive grades that can be monitored for academic and learning success. Because students of today are the leaders of tomorrow the outdoor classroom can enable students to develop lifelong habits and attitudes. Environmental responsibility in the future, as now, must be shared by everyone, not by only trained professionals. Students who are disadvantaged by either a lack of books or a low educational environment at home may be seriously penalized by traditional indoor teaching methods. But in the outdoor classroom, they may learn as easily as other students.

Outdoor classroom experiences can be adjusted to all levels of learning ability and to all backgrounds. Outdoor experiences supplement classroom education. As a place for creative learning, the outdoor classroom gives depth, meaning, and new dimensions to lessons about the relationship of humans to their environment. The outdoor classroom not only helps teachers teach environmental responsibility, they are outdoor responsibility because they require good land use planning, development, and maintenance.

There are numerous physical and psychological benefits to children as well. Increased physical activity can decrease health problems associated with obesity, strengthen the immune system, decrease the severity of various mental disorders, and improve learning performance. Psychological benefits include greater self esteem, increased motivation for good behaviors, increased desire to participate and interact with others, improved communication skills, greater overall happiness, and a desire for community involvement.

The outdoor classroom at Hidden Lakes Elementary School has a koi pond with a waterfall and state of the art water filtration, bog garden, a covered bridge between the pond and bog garden, butterfly garden, three raised beds, an animal tracking area, song bird nesting houses, bird feeders, humming bird feeders, purple marten house, composting bens, various trees and shrubs, and a study pavilion for classes.

Recently, nearly all the children in the school participated in a two day gardening program at the outdoor classroom. Participating children got their hands dirty and used their muscles by adding plant material to the composting bens, planting various bulbs and seeds in pots and the raised beds, amending soil for new flower beds, placement of mulch, planting additional bog plants, and learning how to care for their new koi fish.

It was evident based on their facial expressions, their statements, and how they worked that many had never done these activities, especially as a group effort. Their interest and attention reflected in their motivation to work and learn from instruction. The activities allowed them to demonstrate their communication, leadership, oral, and comprehension skills. For some you could see how they problem solved due to this being a new experience. Some of the children really placed a lot of physical effort into the more physical activities. Each class expressed a sense of accomplishment and ownership after completion of the activities. The principal and teachers commented on how pleased they were to see how the outdoor classroom allows children of different personalities and physical abilities to participate in the outdoor classroom activities.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, New Nontraditional Community Outdoor Programs, environmental education and aquaculture specialists, partnered with the local Alabama Power Service Organization to implement the planning and construction for the outdoor classroom. Community volunteers, school teachers, and parents also participated in the planning and construction as well. Funding, in kind donations, and grants from numerous organizations allowed for the outdoor classroom to be constructed.