Luke’s Treehouse

 

In 2016 we worked on the Luke’s Treehouse Outdoor Classroom by adding a recycled tire border and wood mulch zone around the climber and tire swing areas.

Then in June we installed a dome climber to engage children in the development of upper body strength and added them to the tire enclosure. The tires add a fun balance element as the children like to walk along them and they flex and bounce. They also hold shredded bark. We added red metal benches for families to sit and watch children playing. This is great for open house times when there are many families on site at once as well as added parent-child visit time on site at pickup end of the day. We also installed a lending library in the entry/exit courtyard for children with their parents as they are leaving school for the day they can select a book to bring home and return it the next morning. The Luke’s Treehouse Outdoor Classroom remains one of our strongest features!

In 2017 we added a ring of tires and mulch around the treehouse so the children could safely use the stairs wall exterior as a climbing zone. We noticed this new challenge was appealing to the children so we made it happen more safely by giving them a generous fall zone. We also added mulch around the evergreen tree and refreshed the mulch areas. We replaced the garden flag on the treehouse that blew away with a new “Welcome” flag. We began a vertical gardening effort in the entry courtyard by hanging wood pallets to the fence and attaching recycled milk jug pots for gardening. The gathering area was perfect for our fall corn shucking day with the children. We would like to include a recycled art installation in the near future. The children continue to enjoy this outdoor classroom space at Luke’s Treehouse!