Vogel Alcove
Over the past year, we have sustained our Nature Explore Classroom through consistent maintenance, intentional programming, and integration into daily learning. Our staff follows a seasonal care plan that includes replenishing natural materials, tending to gardens, repairing equipment, and ensuring the space meets all safety standards. Teachers actively incorporate the outdoor classroom into lesson plans, using it as an extension of the indoor environment for science, literacy, art, and gross motor activities.
Children are encouraged to participate in caring for the space, watering plants, tending to garden beds, and helping select natural materials, which fosters a sense of responsibility and ownership.
In addition to sustaining the space, we have expanded and enriched it through new partnerships and activities. This year, we collaborated with Old City Park, bringing hands-on nature experiences directly to our site and introducing children and families to local environmental experts. We also added new seasonal learning areas, refreshed our plantings, and incorporated more loose parts for creative, open-ended play.
Our Nature Explore Classroom continues to be a space where children, staff, and families connect with nature, engage in rich sensory experiences, and develop a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors. These efforts ensure the classroom remains vibrant, relevant, and central to our educational approach.
