The Nature Explore Classroom at

Gretchen’s House- Little Huskies in Houghton,MI

Our center, Little Huskies, opened in 2007. It is located on the campus of Michigan Technological University. The owner of our organization, Gretchen Preston, was a certified playground inspector and she used that knowledge along with her love of nature and the outdoors when planning for the outdoor spaces. Over the years, our commitment to children spending quality time outdoors and to their exploration of the outdoor environment has been a hallmark of Gretchen’s House-Little Huskies.

Our outdoor spaces have sunshades installed to provide shade for children during the summer months. Our sand area provides space for children to explore and dig, using many different tools and sand toys, such as buckets, shovels, and construction trucks. There is a big hill and a small infant/toddler bridge allowing children to move their bodies in different ways. On the hills, children are often observed rolling or running down them alone or with a group of friends. There are plants throughout our playground that children enjoy watering with watering cans and exploring with their hands. Flowers grow on our big, grassy hill for the children to pick and explore.

During summer months, you might see children running through the sprinkler, exploring water bins, and stomping in the mud. During winter months, children are building snow forts, sledding, and exploring snow and icicles. Recently, we have added more wood cookies, branches and logs, many donated by our families. Wood picnic tables can be found in our gathering area, used for mealtimes and small group activities. Wooden glider swings are where you often find a teacher with a group of children, singing and telling stories to each other. Children have push/pull wagons to move things around the outdoor classroom and riding toys to ride on the sidewalks or grassy area.

Our focus on curriculum happening outdoors is beneficial to our children and staff. It lowers stress levels and allows exploration and learning that is self-driven and powerful. Making sure that children and teachers have the materials they need and that are readily available has been important to our success.Wooden storage shelves provide us with those tools.

One of our favorite things is to host potlucks for families and staff, utilizing our outdoor spaces. These potlucks are typically held in the spring and fall. Throughout the year, we also put updates in our monthly newsletters to share information about our outdoor spaces with families or to request nature items, such as wood cookies, rocks, sticks, and pinecones.

Address: 500 Macinnes Drive Houghton, MI, 49931

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