Glassell Park Early Education Center

The principal, teachers, and staff are very committed to our Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom as we
recognize the importance of children connecting to nature on a daily basis. We have found that many of our students are encouraged and at ease when they are learning outdoors. Our students, explore, sort, draw, paint, dance, sing, and play in our outdoor spaces. Students are exploring with pinecones, leaves, twigs, roly-poly insects, rocks, and materials our staff and parents provide. Our Outdoor Learning Committee is composed of staff who are dedicated to finding new ways for students to create and learn while outdoors.

Our students have many hands-on experiences outdoors, which change as our outdoor space evolves. Our students plant and harvest in our garden area and we are venturing into planting in-between our designated outdoor spaces to enhance students’ learning and our outdoor space. As an outdoor classroom in California, we are very conscious of water usage. Our students recycle the water from their water table to water our garden and other plants! Most recently with the addition of the composting barrel.
Children are encouraged to collect and contribute to the composting bin and experience the process that composting. Through this process children learn about sorting and classification and how different items contribute to composting and our connection to preserving the environment as well.
Parents are excited about our Nature Explore Classroom as well. We have had our outdoor classroom as a topic at our parent meetings so parents understand the learning that occurs while children are outdoors.

Parents are pleased that our students are experiencing more of nature and that their children are
participating in the care of nature. There is truly something for everyone in our outdoor classroom as we have grass, wood chips, compost barrels and decomposed granite to wander around in. You are able to see a wide variety of plants throughout the outdoor classroom that families are active in caring for, cultivating and finding purpose for all plants and foods to be enjoyed to their fullest potential. In the spring, children begin planting new crops such as fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Since we are located in the city of Los Angeles, one would not think we would have such a nature-filled space! When we give tours of our early education center, prospective parents are most impressed with our open outdoors that encourage children to put their gross motor skills to great use!

Since our outdoor space is continuously evolving, we are planning maintenance and cleanup days with staff and our families to help beautify our outdoor spaces and contribute to the care that is needed for 3 outdoor spaces to be fully functional all year round. We recognize that our spaces will continue to change and evolve, and we welcome that. Our goal is to have an outdoor classroom where our students are learning and creating in a more relaxed atmosphere where they are free to move around and explore at their own pace.