Event Blog Post: Outdoor Classroom

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Sarah Dyer Barnes Elementary School recently proposed a grant to build an outdoor classroom for all the students in kindergarten through fifth grade. $3,000 dollars was donated to the school to purchase materials to build and supplies to use. The building of the classroom happened this year and we had the ribbon ceremony for it as well. I went to elementary school at Barnes thirteen years ago. Getting a job there has been so much fun with so many different learning opportunities. I decided to get on board with building the outdoor classroom. Since I am only there for this school year, I wanted to leave my mark on the school. For three Saturdays in September, teachers, parents, students, and myself worked to build this classroom for others. We had to spread the soil all over the area. We got logs donated for seating and rearranged them in a circle (camp fire style). We made a pathway to the classroom with a wooden door students could walk through. Lastly, we planted a garden with all different types of flowers. When they grow in the Spring, students will be able to learn about them. It was great to see students of all grades helping and making the classroom theirs. Each Saturday there were different students there to help. I feel like this really builds the school community. For the ribbon cutting, we had the mayor, superintendent, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who had donated books and supplies for the children to use. They said this was only step one of the classroom but I am not sure what the next two steps are. They each gave a little speech about the opening and the kindergarten class sang a song. Since we are now approaching winter, most classes have not been able to use the outdoor classroom yet. The goal is for students to learn about wildlife that lives in Rhode Island such as insects, birds, trees, different types of leaves, and animals. The outdoor classroom is a place for the students to escape the "box" we make them stay in all day long. They get to explore and have fresh air. A place they created and a place that will keep growing as years passed. I am so happy I was able to apart of the creating and the opening. I hope my kindergarten classes use it during the Spring because it would be very beneficial for learning through play. Using the magnifying glasses to look at grass and leaves up close. Exploring different kinds of birds from the books and trying to find them in the trees. So many creative lessons can come from this classroom which will help the students experience things they might not have had the chance to or truly appreciate. It is not everyday that we are looking at leaves through a magnifying glass. It is different experiences for the students. It was an awesome experience to be apart of!





http://johnstonsunrise.net/stories/sarah-dyer-barnes-elementary-plans-outdoor-classroom,123670


https://patch.com/rhode-island/johnston/new-schoolyard-habitat-outdoor-classroom-be-unveiled-sarah-dyer-barnes




Image result for sarah dyer barnes outdoor classroom



Image result for sarah dyer barnes outdoor classroom



Image result for sarah dyer barnes outdoor classroom


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