Head Start at MCC
While Head Start at MCC is the only Nature Explore classroom among our organization’s 12 Head Start locations, we take massive pride in having a nature classroom as part of our daily teaching.
While we understand the vast benefits of children’s healthy development in nature, the opportunities of natural classroom settings, abundant resources, and multiple possibilities in teaching and learning excite our educators at Head Start at MCC.
We continue incorporating new ideas, innovative teaching, and family engagement into our learning
environment. Some exciting improvements and plans reflect how we appreciate the Nature Explore
classroom and promote positive changes and advancements. One example is the reconstruction of the climbing structure we completed in April 2025. The MCC Maintenance Team supported us in
reconstructing it. Appreciating the partnerships and collaboration, the teachers and the children created a huge thank you poster and delivered it to the maintenance department.
Another example could be a collaboration project we plan to start next year. Our center and the Early
Childhood Education department approached the Fine Arts Department with a collaborative project to
create a nature mural in the Nature Explore classroom. More details will be discussed in the upcoming semester, and we hope the college students can use our outdoor space to complete their group art assignments.
Our outdoor classroom offers a rich environment for any events and family gatherings. Head Start hosts families for the end-of-year celebration, and the nature exploration classroom has been an excellent place for children’s music performances, graduation awards, and relaxation. We believe family involvement and engagement are essential to children’s success; the spacious outdoor classroom allowed all families to participate. The outdoor area provides families with rest and meditation, since some families reside in apartments in the city.
The Nature Explore outdoor classroom also provides extended learning opportunities for children and
educators. We teach the life cycle by germinating the seeds, planting them outside, and checking and
caring for them daily. The changes in nature provide true insight and hands-on learning for the children, and our Nature Explore classroom has been a great place to provide those opportunities.
We harvest apples and pears from the Nature Explore classroom in the fall. During outdoor time, teachers and children pick apples to share with office workers and teachers in other locations. We also encourage families to stop by with their children for fruit picking and to spend valuable time together at pick up. This offers families relaxation after they work all day and rush to pick up their children at the end of the day.
The Nature Explore classroom is part of our curriculum, school life, and interactions. The space provides great teaching and learning opportunities, healthy interactions and play, family involvement, and is a favorite place for all children, families, and educators. Thank you for sharing the resources of the Nature Explore classroom and guiding us with great ideas!
Learn more about this classroom on their certification page!
