All Saints’ Episcopal Day School

During our first year of Nature Explore certification, All Saints’ Episcopal Day School has continued to
refine and improve our outdoor classroom.

 

By observing the children and how they interact with the space, we work to make it an engaging place where rich, deep learning experiences are encouraged through nature exploration and play. At the same time, the goal is to organize the space to motivate children to work together to put things away, knowing where materials go, and feeling ownership in helping to keep the outdoor classroom inviting for the whole community.

Through the children’s use of the outdoor classroom, we discovered that some areas needed to be more defined to allow for focused construction. Platform decks were added to the building area and messy materials area to give space for, and protect, uninterrupted constructing. A low wooden table with a clear cover was added to the nature art area so that leaves, flowers, and other natural materials can be displayed for art inspiration and to provide children with a large flat surface to create on.

Tuff trays were added to further sensory play. Provocations of sand, water, ice, and other nature items are set up at the children’s level to encourage hands-on exploration. A bridge was added to the butterfly garden to provide a fun way to interact with, and go through, the vegetation while keeping the plants safe. A greenhouse was built in the garden area for beauty, tool and seed storage, and further cold weather gardening experiences. Lastly, in all areas of the outdoor classroom, easier, more local forms of organization and storage were added, like wooden crates, so that materials can be sorted easily and put away quickly.

As a staff, we schedule time at our weekly meetings to walk through the outdoor classroom and discuss what is working well and what could use improvement. As a school family, we observe children closely, adjusting and adding to the outdoor classroom space to help children get excited and focused on sustained nature exploration and play.

Learn more about this classroom on their certification page!