Roots and Wings

The Roots and Wings outdoor classroom continues to engage children in activities that are related to nature and the beauty of our earth.

When entering our outdoor classroom parents and children can stop by in our mud kitchen area and garden to check out the many investigations that are happening. We have added an investigation board with pictures and documentation of children’s findings. We have a colorful brick path that leads to our gathering area. The fence is lined with green succulents, lavender, and a variety of other plants.

We have many opportunities for children to engage in art through nature. We have added some 3-dimensional art that serves a purpose in our environment. We decorated CDs and hung them on beaded wire to help keep birds out of our garden when we noticed they were eating our seeds. We painted milk cartons and created birdhouses and bird feeders to help relocate and feed the birds. Our outdoor art area is designed for children to independently create. Materials are set up and restocked daily to ensure their availability. We have incorporated inspiration provocations for art on canvas and plexiglass throughout. Our parents and families help with our outdoor garden by donating soil, plants and seeds on Earthday!

In the future we will be adding more plants throughout our outdoor classroom that are drought tolerant. We will also make a cozy nook in our gathering area with an arch of lattice. We will add Jasmine on both sides of the lattice to create a sensory experience of calm and serenity while children sit and read. A rock garden will be added that will be created by the children. In order to make sure that we have plenty of materials in our art area we will add a recycle bin for families to donate recyclable materials.

We have so much more planned for our outdoor environment. The smiles on the children’s faces will be inspiration of how powerful nature can be!