• Fighting Nature-Deficit Disorder
• Providing Hands-On Learning Laboratories
• Enroll Now and Reap the Benefits
• Planning is Half the Fun!
• Creative Urban Outdoor Classroom Designs
• Important Steps to Developing a Sustainable Outdoor Classroom

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Our state is blessed to have an abundance of private and public educators who are striving to make our education system better and more responsive to our children’s educational needs. While trying to create a productive learning environment for their students, many of these educators have realized that a vast majority of their students have become disconnected from nature.

These observations are echoed by Richard Louv, in his latest book titled, Last Child in the Woods. Louv explores the growing trend that many of us see on a daily basis: Our children are choosing computer games and televisions over the outdoor adventures that we enjoyed while we were growing up.    

He refers to this disconnection as “nature-deficit disorder,” and includes numerous examples from the thousands of children, parents and educators he interviewed during his research. One quote from a fourth-grader he encountered demonstrates this trend poignantly, “‘I like to play indoors better, ‘cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.’”

In his writings, Louv links nature-deficit disorder to disturbing childhood trends such as rises in obesity and attention deficit disorders.   However, he further explains how experiences in nature can be therapeutic for these childhood maladies. He writes, “As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very well need contact with nature.”

He demonstrates how direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development as it engages children’s senses, providing solace and peace while at the same time a “wildness” that piques children’s curiosity. More specifically, he explains how utilizing our very own backyards for “environment-based” educational opportunities can dramatically improve students’ learning potential (and performance on standardized tests), while also facilitating their problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision making skills. Some schools utilizing environment-based educational programs also report improvement in their students’ social skills and decreased behavioral problems.

Alabama’s educators, parents, and other concerned individuals do not have to go any further than our very own Discovering Our Heritage and Outdoor Classroom programs to find educational resources that reintroduce children to the outdoors and help battle this rising trend in nature-deficit disorder.

The Discovering Our Heritage (DOH) program is designed around the philosophy that the realm of nature is an exceptional laboratory for learning. In particular, DOH provides activities and key experiences for students in their natural environment, while drawing connections with their local communities. As part of the DOH program, educators are provided with professional development and resources that help them integrate environmental education throughout the curriculum on a year-long basis. Our staff is ready to provide free training and support to either an individual educator or to a school’s faculty or an entire system’s staff.   Free professional development workshops can be arranged to meet your specific needs or you may choose to participate in one of our summer workshops.

Through the Outdoor Classroom (OC) program, our staff is also ready to provide technical assistance and support to educators, administrators, students and community members who wish to enhance their school grounds by developing outdoor learning laboratories. These outdoor classroom sites may include nature trails, aquatic studies areas, butterfly gardens, bird feeders, nesting boxes, as well as many other possibilities. Our goal is to help schools create a site that can be utilized as an education tool while also providing habitat for local wildlife. Students will have the opportunity to experience nature first-hand as they help develop and maintain the outdoor classroom, and as teachers utilize the site for hands-on learning opportunities.

When the DOH activities are utilized in an OC site, educators will not only have a sustainable and effective outdoor learning laboratory but they will also have the resources and activities to integrate environmental education into their curriculum, making the best use of their outdoor classroom. Hopefully, through these exciting programs, we can combat nature-deficit disorder in today’s children and create a new generation of concerned citizens who have a passion for wildlife and the outdoors and the knowledge to help conserve it.

If you are interested in receiving information regarding the Discovering Our Heritage or Outdoor Classroom programs, please contact AWF at 1-800-822-9453 for a free information packet. To talk to someone about outdoor learning opportunities at your school, contact Doyle Keasal at (334) 844-6398 or keasade@aces.edu or April Lupardus Waltz at (256) 882-9322 or aprilwaltz@knology.net.

 

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The Alabama Wildlife Federation and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources partnered together to create the Alabama Outdoor Classroom program to provide on-site, technical assistance for schools who want to create a sustainable, effective outdoor classroom on their school grounds. An “outdoor classroom” site is essentially an outdoor area on a school’s campus that can be used as a hands-on laboratory where students can learn seemingly abstract concepts in a more concrete manner and utilize multiple-disciplinary skills including reading, writing, math, science, and social studies in a fun and exciting environment. These sites provide a valuable supplement to the familiar “30 chairs and 30 books” of the traditional indoor classroom.            

Outdoor Classrooms are created in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they incorporate numerous combinations of features including raised bed gardens, butterfly gardens, fish ponds, frog ponds, nature trails, bird feeders, and nesting boxes—just to name a few. However, regardless of which features are included, all Outdoor Classrooms created thru the Alabama Outdoor Classroom program provide two essential components:

1) An educational site for interdisciplinary, hands-on learning opportunities, and

2) Habitat for local wildlife (including water, food, cover, and places to raise young).

Through activities conducted in the outdoor classroom, students experience first-hand how to apply their “book” knowledge as they draw connections between what they learn in the “traditional” classroom and their natural surroundings and environment. As students assist with the planning, development and maintenance of the outdoor classroom, they also utilize problem solving skills and learn how to work together as a team. “This type of outdoor classroom and schoolyard habitat promotes the teaching of reading, writing and math skills in an environment that is motivating and conducive to developing higher-level thinking skills, such as planning, problem solving, and applying information,” explained third grade teacher Angie Beech. Starting with a passion for the outdoors and a vision for their campus at Allentown Elementary in Mobile County, Beech and fellow teachers at Allentown have now incorporated their Outdoor Classroom into their daily lesson plans.

Classroom instruction becomes more exciting and meaningful when teachers take their lessons outdoors and help students develop their innate curiosity for the natural world. With some planning and development, a school campus can be transformed into a living, learning laboratory. All subjects can be enhanced through hands-on, experience-based activities in an outdoor classroom setting. More specifically, an outdoor classroom can facilitate learning by:

1) Providing inspiration for writing activities and a calm atmosphere away from distractions for reading,

2) Helping students utilize complex measuring, graphing, mapping and mathematical skills to solve real-world problems,

3) Refining students abilities in scientific observation, data collection, analysis and forming conclusions, and

4) Drawing connections between geography, history, economics and our natural resources.

By providing students with the tools (mathematical and language skills), the knowledge (sciences and social studies), and an understanding of the connectedness (or interdependency) to their environment, learning becomes more meaningful and students begin to understand how these disciplines are related and dependent upon each other. By including habitat for local wildlife in an outdoor classroom, students also have the opportunity to observe wildlife in their natural environment and witness how we are connected to our wildlife and natural resources as well. These experiences continuously enhance their understanding of how “it all fits together” and help students become better stewards of our wildlife and related natural resources.

Regardless of size and location, schoolyards can be transformed into productive extensions of the traditional classroom. The Alabama Outdoor Classroom program has proven to be inspirational for teachers and students alike by providing a new, interactive environment for learning, in addition to providing stimulus and guidance for schools to develop on-site wildlife habitats and opportunities for interdisciplinary, hands-on outdoor learning.

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As word spreads about the Alabama Outdoor Classroom program, one of the first questions always asked is, "How much does it cost to enroll in the program?" There is a one-time $50 registration fee that must be submitted with your application, but once your school is enrolled in the program everything else is FREE. So, the next question is, "What are the benefits of participating in the program?"

Outdoor Classroom Planning Guides
Once your school is enrolled, you will receive six (6) free Outdoor Classroom planning guides for your planning committee. Each planning guide is a three-ring binder filled with valuable information about how to get started, create a master plan, write grants, and much more. In addition, it includes great tips for outdoor classroom projects such as building blue bird boxes, bog gardens, and nature trails. 

Technical Assistance
The most important benefit for your school is the free, on-site, technical and organizational assistance for your planning committee. This assistance is provided by Alabama Wildlife Federation and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources staff, Alabama Outdoor Classroom partners including the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and 4-H Wildlife Steward volunteers who have been trained to assist schools with the development of outdoor classrooms. The Outdoor Classroom staff and volunteers provide assistance and support to ensure that you have an effective outdoor classroom that will be available for students and teachers for many years to come.

Teacher Training
Another important benefit to participating in the Alabama Outdoor Classroom program is the free in-service teacher training workshop that we provide for the faculty at your school. Our goal is to equip teachers with cross-curriculum activities and materials that can be integrated into their daily lesson plans and used in the outdoor classroom. This helps ensure that all teachers utilize the outdoor classroom and all students have the opportunity to learn more about Alabama's wildlife and related natural resources thru hands-on activities in the outdoor classroom.

Grants/Gift Opportunities
Alabama Outdoor Classroom schools also receive a quarterly, electronic Outdoor Classroom newsletter with helpful information including grant opportunities, free giveaways, and a variety of other tips to help your school. In addition, these schools are eligible to receive free gifts thru the Outdoor Classroom program such as free tree seedlings that are donated by the Alabama Forestry Commission. This year volunteers will deliver over 32,000 seedlings to Outdoor Classroom schools across Alabama.

Certification/Recognition
Schools enrolled in the Alabama Outdoor Classroom program are also eligible to be certified as official Outdoor Classrooms. Upon certification, we will invite local press to attend your Dedication Ceremony where we will award your school with a personalized certificate recognizing your school as an official Alabama Outdoor Classroom and an Alabama Outdoor Classroom sign to post on your school grounds. In addition, you will receive National Wildlife Federation's Schoolyard Habitats certification including a personalized certificate recognizing your schoolyard as an official Schoolyard Habitats site, a Schoolyard Habitats poster and a free subscription to the Habitats quarterly newsletter.

As you can see there are many benefits to participating the in the Alabama Outdoor Classroom program. If you would like to receive a free information packet about the Outdoor Classroom program, please call us at 1-800-822-9453.

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At a recent 4-H Wildlife Stewards workshop, we discussed the “keys to success” for outdoor classroom development with the volunteers, parents, teachers, and administrators who attended. As we emphasized the importance of planning before you ever break ground with an outdoor classroom site, someone in the group pointed out that “planning is half the fun!” Although this is true, it’s often a step that is skipped or overlooked. To many, sitting down with a planning committee to discuss a “master plan” for the outdoor classroom site seems like an arduous task that postpones all the exciting projects such as building nesting boxes, creating butterfly gardens, and getting your hands in the dirt. However, brainstorming about activities that you can conduct in the outdoor classroom, researching potential project ideas, and anticipating how it will all look once it is developed can be very exciting.    

Planning Committee
Of course, one of the first steps of planning is to have a planning committee, also referred to as a “Habitat Team.” If you are trying to create an outdoor classroom by yourself or with one or two other teachers/parents, your project will probably be short-lived since no one will be there to carry on the torch if you leave (and it’s too much work for just one person). To have an effective committee, involve key people including the principal, faculty, students, parents, community and 4-H Wildlife Steward volunteers, and your custodial staff (since they will help you with the maintenance in and around the outdoor classroom site). With a full committee’s support, the project will be easier to develop, it will get used by a greater number of teachers, and it will endure for many more years to come. More importantly, it makes the project much more fun when you share the outdoor classroom with others at your school.

Once your planning committee is assembled, you should establish how often and where you will meet, how you will communicate between meetings, and what each person’s role will be on the committee. View/Download a Planning Committee Checklist Then survey your full faculty to find out what outdoor classroom projects they’d like to include (example: butterfly garden), and if there are any limiting factors to the teachers using the outdoor classroom site (ex: lack of hands-on outdoor activities). View/Download a Faculty Survey If your faculty would like to learn more about outdoor classrooms before filling out the survey, contact us and we’ll visit your school to give a free presentation about the Outdoor Classroom program. After you have heard back from your fellow teachers, the planning committee will have a better idea of what your goals will be for the outdoor classroom site. This is also a good time to submit your application for enrollment in the Outdoor Classroom program if you haven’t already, so that you can receive your Outdoor Classroom Planning Guides for your committee members along with additional free assistance from the Outdoor Classroom staff.

Map Your Site
The next step is to survey your campus for outdoor classroom project sites. It is very helpful to have your administrator and your custodian present while you walk the campus with your planning committee (if they’re not already on the committee), so that you’ll know the future plans for the campus including any potential construction projects that you may need to avoid. Also, consider how far the outdoor classroom would be from the school buildings—you don’t want to be so far away that it is time prohibitive to use the site. Other items to consider include soil type, sunlight, water sources, electrical outlets, safety issues, wheel chair accessibility, wildlife habitat that already exists, and enhancements that can be made to attract more wildlife to your outdoor classroom site.

Record your observations and map out your outdoor classroom site on graph paper as you survey the campus with your committee. For a detailed checklist of items to consider while evaluating your campus, review your Outdoor Classroom Planning Guide and/or view/download a Site Evaluation Form. A representative from the Outdoor Classroom program would be glad to provide free on-site, technical assistance and advice as well.

Master Plan
The last step in your planning process is to develop a master plan, which should include your outdoor classroom site map. When you put your ideas on paper, it will help your planning committee stay organized and on-task. It also provides a written plan that you can share with parents and faculty who might not be on your planning committee but are interested in the project. Often, information included in a master plan can be used for grant applications as well, and if the pertinent information is already organized, it makes applying for grants an easier process. See the “Master Plan” text box for a full list of items that should be included in your master plan.

Have Fun
Sometimes the planning phase may seem to take up an inordinate amount of time, but be patient. Getting the committee’s ideas down on paper and creating a site map and master plan are essential steps when developing an effective outdoor classroom that will be around for years to come. Summertime provides a good opportunity to begin your planning, or to review your master plan with your planning committee. Remember, keep it simple and have fun as you work towards certifying your outdoor classroom thru the Alabama Outdoor Classroom Program!
 

Master Plan

1) Project Ideas – List your project ideas (ex: butterfly garden, nature trail, aquatic study area, etc.) in order of priority after you have surveyed your entire faculty.

 2) Short Term & Long Term Goals – Don’t try to accomplish all of your projects in the first six months, or even the first year. Consider developing your outdoor classroom in phases.

3) Schedule – Develop a project schedule with realistic deadlines for each task.

 4) Budget – Put together budget estimates before beginning construction of your projects and be sure to include maintenance costs.

5) Donations/Grants – Identify funding sources including in-kind donations of goods and services, monetary donations, and grant opportunities.

 6) Work Plan – Establish “work days” for student, parents and community volunteers. Always include students in the development of the outdoor classroom site—this provides excellent hands-on activities and learning opportunities for the students in addition to creating a sense of ownership.

7) Plan for Summer – Have a summer maintenance plan! Many outdoor classroom sites have met their demise during the summer when they were neglected.

8) Activities – Identify hands-on, educational activities that will be utilized in your outdoor classroom. Schedule free teacher training workshops with the Outdoor Classroom staff to learn about a variety of activities that can be used in your outdoor classroom.

9) Publicity – Publicize your Outdoor Classroom through press releases, PTO/PTA newsletters, bulletin boards, signs, etc. The more people who know about your project, the more support you will be able to garner.

10) Photos – Keep a scrapbook with before and after photos, and photos of students and volunteers working in the outdoor classroom. These photos will be helpful for grant applications and press releases in addition to tracking your progress.

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By April Lupardus Waltz, AWF Conservation Programs Specialist
 

When you think of an "outdoor classroom," what comes to mind? A large open-aired pavilion behind the school building? A nature trail running through a stand of trees next to the school? These are good examples of projects that can be included in an outdoor classroom to provide hands-on learning opportunities, but in some urban settings schools do not have enough space around their school grounds for large-scale outdoor classroom projects so they have to be creative with their outdoor classroom designs.       

At University Place Elementary in Huntsville, Peggy Long, their special education teacher, and Dr. Helen Taylor, past Principal, had the vision to create an outdoor classroom in an unlikely location-a corridor 15 feet wide and approximately 80 feet long that was created between two wings of their school when a new library was built. Although the corridor was known to have drainage problems, the door of the new library opened into the corridor and offered a prime new location for conservation education opportunities for the school's 400 students.

In her role as the Outdoor Classroom Project Leader, Peggy Long inspired her fellow faculty and local business and community leaders to get involved in developing the Outdoor Classroom. The school received their initial seed money to help start the project from their librarian Pat Purshotham, who had recently retired, along with a grant from the Tennessee Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council. In the end, over 60 volunteers and businesses donated countless hours, monetary contributions, and materials to the project.

Trevor Cole with Cole Farm and Landscape assisted them with the design so that they could alleviate the drainage problems and create a sustainable outdoor classroom. An s-shaped sidewalk was built curving through the corridor with gardens on either side and benches along the pathway for reading, all leading to a beautiful pond with white water lilies at the end of the path. An area that had formerly been a nuisance for the school became an outdoor classroom where the students could interact with their natural environment, learn more about Alabama's wildlife, and utilize a variety of multiple educational disciplines.

"The students have learned to identify various forms of flora and fauna, use mathematical skills for measuring and graphing, and use problem solving skills involving mapping and reading," explained Ms. Long. "The Outdoor Classroom also provides great inspiration for process writing activities."

University Place students also enjoy the opportunity to help maintain the butterfly garden, vegetable and herb gardens, frog pond and bird feeders throughout the Outdoor Classroom in addition to feeding the fish in the fish pond. For many of these students, the outdoor classroom provides outdoor experiences that their apartments and public housing cannot provide. Future plans for their Outdoor Classroom include nesting boxes, a composting area and a weather station.

On September 8, University Place Elementary in Huntsville became the fifth school in Alabama to be certified through the Alabama Outdoor Classroom Program. As the first school in the Huntsville City School System to be certified, University Place will provide a model for other schools to follow when developing an Outdoor Classroom.

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By April Lupardus Waltz, AWF Conservation Programs Specialist

If your school would like to develop an effective, sustainable Outdoor Classroom, then consider enrolling in our Alabama Outdoor Classroom program. If you are unsure as to whether or not you would like to create an Outdoor Classroom on your campus, you can schedule an on-site visit with our staff and we can discuss the program with your faculty so you can learn more.       

After you have reviewed the information and decided that you would like to participate in our program, your first step is to obtain administrative approval for your project. It is essential to have your administrator's support as you integrate the Outdoor Classroom into your school's curriculum. In addition, your administrator should know of any future building plans for the campus so that you can avoid possible construction conflicts such as new parking lots or baseball fields that may be slated for the same area as your Outdoor Classroom site.

Once you have administrative approval, survey your teachers, parents, and students to determine their level of interest and support. Keep in mind that no parent, teacher or administrator should try to develop and maintain an Outdoor Classroom by herself. Without school-wide support your project will not be as successful, and if you ever leave the school the project will most likely fold. Therefore, you should organize a planning committee including students, teachers, administrators, maintenance staff, parents, community members, and volunteers to assist with the planning and development of the Outdoor Classroom.

Next, submit your Outdoor Classroom Enrollment Application along with the one-time $50.00 registration fee to receive your Alabama Outdoor Classroom Planning Guides for your committee. Follow the guidelines in the Planning Guide as you create your master plan, and be sure to include your short-term and long-term goals, budget, funding sources, site map, project and activity ideas, stages of completion, and summer maintenance plans. The more organized you are, the more productive your planning committee will be and the more successful your project will be. As you are developing your plans, you can also schedule on-site visits with the Outdoor Classroom staff if you have questions or need additional assistance.

Once you have created your master plan and developed a site that can be used as a teaching tool and habitat for local wildlife (including sources of food, water, cover, and places to raise young on the school grounds), then you are ready to be certified. Schedule your in-service teacher training workshop for your faculty, fill out your applications for certification, and schedule your on-site review.

After reviewing your application and evaluating your Outdoor Classroom, we will work with you to hold an official Dedication Ceremony for your school to celebrate your certification and recognize your efforts. At the Ceremony, we will present you with your official Alabama Outdoor Classroom sign to post on your school grounds, and your Alabama Outdoor Classroom and National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitats® certificates to display in your school. As a certified Outdoor Classroom School, you will then be a model for other schools across the state who wish to create an Outdoor Classroom on their school grounds, provide hands-on learning opportunities for their students, and incorporate conservation education into their curriculum.

 

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