Circulo de Amigos Child Care Center
Our outdoor learning classroom is very versatile and can be adapted and utilized in any seasonal weather. Using the various elements available in each stage of the year, we maximize our learning opportunities to include flowers, sand, mud, dirt, leaves, snow and ice as part of the materials for our activities. We can have our mealtimes and circle times outdoors since our outdoor classroom has various learning areas and spaces including a gathering area, science, music, art and much more that can fit into our daily lesson plan activities. We strive to literally take the classroom dynamics outside whenever possible, and this is an aspect of our philosophy that families really value, and we strive to uphold. What makes our outdoor classroom unique is that it is a natural space that also takes into consideration the value of reusing and recycling. We pair this with natural elements to design play equipment that has both components so that in a way we are being even more mindful of our environment by our conservation practices. Our space is changing our business and relationships because we are constantly renovating and innovating our space but also mindset. We give high importance to training opportunities and professional development because this is the best way we can be up to date with new best practices, recommendations and ideas that will help us see outdoor learning through an open-minded lens. We have become very involved in participating in outdoor learning centered groups through the MDE and other agencies so that we can connect with other centers in our state that are also pioneering in the outdoor learning field so that through collaboration, shared ideas, resources, and modeling we can combine our knowledge and add it to our educational toolkit for outdoors.
For the future we hope to be able to include more historical and cultural roots to our play and equipment by being mindful of the land we are on and the ancestors that were native to this community. Inclusive language in our labels and signage can be in Native American languages or having our art and music boxes with different elements from various cultures that represent the community of our school is important. We can design events and picnics for our families to also come to school for lunch with the classroom so that we can foster the engagement of parents, their kids, and our school. The families and community of Circulo are very happy and proud of this space and have contributed through donations of items such as recycled tires, wood, leaves, and more for special projects.
