Outdoor Classroom IdeasFeatures often found in outdoor classroomsOutdoor classrooms can incorporate as many, or as few learning concepts as you wish. You may decide to start small, and build on more components in the future. What you have in your garden ultimately depends on your location, amount of sunlight, soil types, and space. Small, sunny spaces lend themselves to different applications than shady hillsides. It's best to check your available resources before planning and planting your site. (See available resources for more information). Here are some ideas on projects to start with in your outdoor classroom. Some of the most popular features are described more fully. Animal tracking plot Arboretum: ample area set aside for growing an effective display of all the different kinds of ornamental trees, shrubs, vines and other plants which can be grown in a given area. Labeling, maintenance, and study of woody plants are often associated with arboretums. Archaeological dig site Bat houses Berry producing shrubs Bird blind Bird feeders and bird baths Bulbs and tubers Butterfly garden: A beautiful flower garden with a wide variety of traditional and nontraditional flowering plants. Students study the different plants in the garden to become familiar with the varying types of plant forms, leaf shapes and flowers. Also, students can observe which plants attract which insects. (See wildflower plots). Compost pile: Allows students to make compost from schoolyard and garden wastes. The piles allow students to see the reduction in volume due to decomposition. Existing timber stand Erosion control demonstration area Fence row Fossil path Herb garden: Students can learn the many historical and medicinal uses of herbs, as well as the uses for flavorings and seasonings. Easily cultivated, herbs require a light, well drained, non-acid soil. Care is not demanding for established plants. Water is needed in periods of extended dryness. Herbaceous wildlife plantings Horticulture demonstration plots Native American themed area Insect traps: Trap and collect ground dwelling insects by using a double chamber trap with two buckets buried in the ground connected by a horizontal board. Marsh Nesting boxes Orchard Ornamental flower beds Outdoor seating area Pond: Shallow ponds serve as on-site laboratories where students can sample water quality, study pond life and explore how land use and vegetation cover affect ponds. Aquatic plants and animals often grow and live around ponds. Rocks can be used to edge the pond and provide a sunny spot for amphibians. A pond may require a plastic liner to successfully retain water dependent upon local soil conditions. Additional water from a faucet may be required to maintain a constant water level. To maintain safety, ponds are often placed inside courtyards. Prairie plot: Teach about the dominant plant community in our region prior to settlement with tallgrass prairie plots. Use a variety of native grasses, or separate plots of labeled grasses with defined edges. Grasses could include Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indiangrass and Switchgrass. This requires a sunny area. Rock pile, geological studies Sensory discovery area Shelter belt Snow fence demonstration Soil studies Solar/Wind energy demonstration Succession areas Sundial: An effective garden fixture, a sundial should receive unobstructed sunshine for most of the day. It should be placed in an accessible area, and set with great care on a sunny day. It may be cemented on a pedestal for stability. Sundials tell the accurate time only a few times during the year; most of the time they tell you as accurate time as possible. Trails, woodchipped, rocked, etc. Tree cross sections Tree seedling nursery Watering hole Weather station: Use a rain gauge, sundial, a weather vain, and a variety of weather instruments to gain first hand experience in collecting and analyzing weather data. The instruments could include thermometers, barometers and hygrometers. Wildflower plot: Growing small areas of wildflowers contributes to their conservation and attracts a variety of insects (often beneficial) into the garden. These wildflower habitats can be extremely diverse and can include species from meadows, cornfields, wetlands, woodlands. When planning a wildflower garden, assess the site, taking into account soil types, drainage, degree of sun, shade and shelter. These conditions determine the plants that will thrive and look natural in the setting. Observe local wild flowers since this will indicate which species to grow, but never take plants from the wild without first obtaining permission. Some examples of plants to grow include purple coneflower, butterfly weed, and New England aster. Wildlife brushpiles Wildlife food plots of grains Windbreaks of tree and shrub plantings Wood decay test site Available Resources When planning your outdoor classroom, look for guidance from a large variety of resources, including representatives from conservation agencies, nurseries, landscape architects, books, reference guides, videos, parents, and even internet sites. For funding ideas, consider material and services donations as well as national, statewide and local grants. The Papio-Missouri River NRD has a listing of those grants. By using a combination of resources, and sharing ideas with others on your committee, you will come up with some concrete ideas and places to start planning and building your outdoor classroom. Remember to look to your community for funding sources. Many businesses are looking for ways to foster pride and involvement in the community. Service groups, parent groups and the media are also great resources to use when planning and implementing your outdoor classroom. Please feel free to call the Information/Education Department of the Papio-Missouri River NRD for more information and help on available resources. The following list is not exhaustive. Agency Resources Papio-Missouri River NRD
Headquarters: NRD Field Offices:
County Extension Offices: Extension offices offer NEB Guides-resources guides on almost every imaginable subject. Contact the Extension Educator at these offices:
Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soils experts can provide some technical help with soil evaluations. Offices are located at the same numbers as the NRD Field Offices. Nebraska Game & Parks Commission: An excellent source for resource information.
Available materials include periodic workshops on outdoor classrooms, free wildflower seed packets, free trees and shrubs for schools and Project Wild School Site grants for schools. Reference Guides Learn about planning components of outdoor classrooms from these Reference Guides. We can help you find the information you're looking for if it is not listed. Please call to check out the materials. The NRD's information includes these books and pamphlets: Place Based Education; Connecting Classrooms & Communities by David Sobel #1 recommended reading: Project Wild Schoolyard Sites: A Guide to Preparing for Habitat Improvement on School Grounds. Birds: Pamphlet series on attracting birds and building feeders by US Fish and Wildlife Service. Butterfly gardening: Basics for starting a butterfly garden. Composting: Complete guide to backyard composting. Grasses: Various Cooperative Extension pamphlets and books. Outdoor classrooms: Conservation Learning Center. A large-scale plan with lots of ideas for all types of outdoor classroom stations as well as suggested activities by Big Muddy Workshop for schools in our District. Ponds: Excellent notebook available on how local schools planned and started their ponds and outdoor classrooms. Filled with "inside information." Written by two teachers from King Science Center and Mockingbird Elementary. Trees: NEBRASKAland Magazines's Walk in the Woods. A look at forests and tree planting. Also, Nebraska trees books and listings. Wildflowers: NEBRASKAland Magazines's A Wildflower Year. All about wildflowers. Also, several guides on wildflowers for Nebraska. Wildlife: NEBRASKAland Magazines's Wildlife Habitat Improvement Guide and Wildlife Habitat-Planning and Planting for the Future. Also, Planting an Oasis for Wildlife by the National Wildlife Federation. Videos for Check Out Available for check-out from the NRD. Call 444-6222. #1 recommended video: Schoolyard Habitat by Nebraska Game & Parks Commission. 16 minutes. An overview of local sites, and how to get started at your school. Exploring School Natural Areas. By National Project Wild. 12 minutes. School Sites to Visit Check out these schools using a variety of outdoor classroom settings and learn how they were planned and implemented. The school's project leaders are willing to show their sites. Call the school for a tour and information.
Internet Sites A good place to start your search for online information about outdoor classrooms includes a Home Page Web Site put together by the Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife Department of the University of Nebraska's Cooperative Extension. Visit these two sites for information and pictures of Nebraska outdoor classrooms. Environmental Education: http://ffw1.unl.edu/EE_home_pg.html Outdoor Classrooms: http://ffw1.unl.edu:80/Environmental_Ed/Outdoor_Class/outdoor1.html Also: The NRD Information/Education department is online. You can send e-mail to: cjacobsen@papionrd.org Other Local Grants A list of grants that are available for all sorts of environmental projects is included in this packet. While not all will apply to your project, look through the forms for national grant sources. Several local grants are also often available to schools for outdoor classrooms. Three of the most common grants include: . OPPD: Tree planting grants available in the spring for schools. For information, contact the OPPD Forestry Dept. at (402) 552-5664. Project Wild Grants: For habitat sites at schools, and for non-game wildlife. Given on a limited basis by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Call Jeanine Lackey in Lincoln at (402) 471-5581. Developing Your Project Planning and support are necessary To develop a lasting outdoor classroom, a strong support base is needed from teachers, administrators and even the community. Team work is mandatory so that in the event the administration changes, or key teachers change, the ideas and support from others for the outdoor classroom will keep the project alive. Steps for starting your project's plan Start your project off right by making a master plan. Use the following ideas as a checklist. Root project in student leadership. Have students choose the project and help with the plans. Keep them involved throughout the program, whether it's by tilling the soil, or watering the plants throughout the summer. Get clear about the goal. Think big, but start small. Collect ideas about projects feasible for your site, and identify your primary goals and objectives. Gather support within school from teachers and administrators. If your project is simple, costs little, and is backed by other educators, you are almost there. Also, it is essential to enlist the support of maintenance staff and your school board. Community and parent support is also a must. Send a note home, explain the project and enlist the help of your community. Your community can help you identify people and businesses interested in providing time, money, knowledge, materials and labor. (See Resources Section.) Make curriculum connections with your pre-selected committee. List the ways subjects could tie into the outdoor classroom. Involve all grade levels. Identify species and features your site can support by mapping and taking inventory of the site. Choose your site and start studying it. Map it, photograph it, and analyze the impact changes will have on the wildlife and ecology of the area. Consider these needs: water sources, sunlight, soil, accessibility and community access. Write a plan and identify resources. Have a base map with features to be installed or improved. Use local nurseries, resources experts or volunteer groups to help design plan if necessary. Research grants and funding for the project. Develop a time line for implementation. The project may take a few months to implement, or it may take years. Divide it into phases if necessary. As students work with the project, use short tasks where students can see improvements and change. Emphasize early success to build and maintain interest in the students and community. Think seasonally and long term, because outdoor classrooms are not short-term projects. Evaluate and monitor the project once it is started. Fill out reports for your grants, if required. Communicate with the community and press about progress and upcoming needs. Work with school staff to ensure ongoing support of project. Changes do happen, so be prepared to be flexible in your plan. Locations As an integral part of the school site, outdoor classrooms usually require no special permits, no time-consuming arrangements for transportation and lunches and no change in class schedules. These outdoor classroom sites can be found anywhere-along the sides of buildings, in open lots and in playgrounds, on slopes, or in courtyards. The availability of water is essential to maintain your classroom. Plan on a site with easy access. If a water source is not readily available, make alternative plans on how and when the plants will be watered. Selection of drought tolerant plants may also be advisable. Usually, the decision to build an outdoor classroom comes long after school and buildings and facilities are in place. The unused parts of a site, perhaps those considered undesirable, may be ideal for an outdoor classroom. Each site must be analyzed and designed according to the topography, climate, geologic features, geographic location and special resource problems of the area. If the school site is new, or in planning stages, its beneficial to incorporate the outdoor classroom into facility planning and curriculum ideas. Funding may be easier to come across at this stage, and often schools have a better choice of locations. |
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