The Nature Explore Classroom at
New Horizon Academy Rosemount
Our school is brand-new and just opened in January of 2025. When the school was still under construction, we were able to do our first walkthrough and this space for the first time. Dubbed “The Field of Dreams,” we were excited about all the possibilities for this large, open field. We quickly decided we wanted to create a full, certified, outdoor classroom!
This space took a lot of time and planning due to the size and openness of it. We could do anything! We researched ideas, visited other spaces, and slowly began to map out our ideas.
Our “Loose Parts” space quickly became a dream of ours. Our outdoor classroom space is right along a busy road so we loved the idea of adding a space where the children could create roads and buildings and have the space to run along the fence line and the road with the other trucks and cars.
Our climbing space has a variety of sized used tires donated from around the area. We have some tractor tires and some regular car tires that businesses and farms in the area helped us with. Nearby, we also have a water play space with water sensory domes and water tunnels.
We are excited to continue adding to our garden space. We currently have a “pizza garden” planted and we are excited to continue to water these plants and continue to watch them grow. We plan to use these vegetables as pizza toppings once they are ready to harvest. We still plan to add a kindness rock garden, a chaos garden with a variety of seeds, a fairy garden, and a perennials garden.
Over in our building area and digging in the dirt space, children are able to build and dig with a variety of natural materials. Our plan is to add to these spaces monthly to reflect the season and have new items to create with as we build and dig.
Our nature art space has one of my personal favorite items on our outdoor playground with a weaving wall. Children are able to use this wood wall to weave and create patterns with ribbons and grasses. This has been a highlight!
Our Music and Movement area has another of my favorite additions to our space with a music wall using all kitchen items. There are muffin tins, bowls, pans, and spatulas to create sounds. We also have drums, a large xylophone, and a metal flower.
We are still excited to add more to our space! We plan to add a paver path leading in from our entrance for the kids to paint and design. We plan to add a covered structure for our gathering space, and we will paint and design a wood bench to add to our garden. We are so excited to continue to watch this space evolve!
