-
Welcome 5
-
0-1: A Welcome Note from Victoria 30 minLecture1.1
-
0-2: Good Things to Know 30 minLecture1.2
-
0-3: Why Literacy Outdoors? 30 minLecture1.3
-
0-4: Ideas to Kick Start Your Literacy Garden 30 minLecture1.4
-
0-5: Supply List for Reading, Writing, Listening, and Talking Outdoors 30 minLecture1.5
-
-
Module 1: Gardens that Feed 5
-
1-1: Welcome to The Gardens that Feed 30 minLecture2.1
-
1-2: Gather Seeds of Inspiration 30 minLecture2.2
-
1-3: Plant Literacy Ideas 30 minLecture2.3
-
1-4: Grow Literacy Activities 30 minLecture2.4
-
1-5: Harvest Curriculum-on-the-Go Kits 30 minLecture2.5
-
-
Module 2: Gardens Inspired by Themes 5
-
2-1: Welcome to The Gardens Inspired by Themes 30 minLecture3.1
-
2-2: Gather Seeds of Inspiration 30 minLecture3.2
-
2-3: Plant Literacy Ideas 30 minLecture3.3
-
2-4: Grow Literacy Activities 30 minLecture3.4
-
2-5: Harvest Literacy Curriculum Kits 30 minLecture3.5
-
-
Module 3: Gardens that Attract Wildlife 5
-
3-1: Welcome The Gardens that Attract Wildlife 30 minLecture4.1
-
3-2: Gather Seeds of Inspiration 30 minLecture4.2
-
3-3: Plant Literacy Ideas 30 minLecture4.3
-
3-4: Grow Literacy Activities 30 minLecture4.4
-
3-5: Harvest Literacy Curriculum Kits 30 minLecture4.5
-
-
Module 4: Gardens for Beauty and Art 5
-
4-1: Welcome to The Gardens for Beauty and Art 30 minLecture5.1
-
4-2: Gather Seeds of Inspiration 30 minLecture5.2
-
4-3: Plant Ideas 30 minLecture5.3
-
4-4: Grow Activities 30 minLecture5.4
-
4-5: Harvest Curriculum Kits 30 minLecture5.5
-
This content is protected, please login and enroll course to view this content!
Leave A Reply Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
10 Comments
WE often attempt growing flowers and veggies in some raised beds for the children on the playground, and we release butterflies out there every Spring. We have planted bulbs with parents, butterfly bushes, and blueberry bushes, but we ultimately fail to have lasting projects, because all the staff do not coordinate and cooperate in the way to view, use, or not abuse the planting boxes. I am hopeful that child made signage may help. The good side is that the children are always digging in these boxes looking for bugs, worms, etc. We had a big hatching of ladybugs crawl out of a rotting board on the picnic table last year. That was endlessly fascinating, so I am intrigued with the idea of bringing in an old log!
I am certain that adding signage to your outdoor space will bring with it a new respect for what is happening in your Outdoor Classroom. Adding additional descriptive signs is a wonderful way to increase understanding and learning outdoors. Sign-making can be a project that the kids can do. You have such a large space–I would add 3 different logs next to each other. This would make a very quick and easy outdoor learning station. Add a butterfly garden next to that, a bird sanctuary and you are good to go!
We do a lot of observing inside. In our science area and in front of our window we have things like plants, pine cones, wood, rocks, we even have a dead bug glued to a stick. We also keep gourds and pumpkins. this year we still have a pumpkin that is slowly changing color. Last year we had a gourd that cracked so you could see inside as it dried out. I would love to do more outside. Need to brainstorm how to make it work. We have a playground called “The woods”. It has large trees, the ground is covered with woods chips. How do you get others in the school to respect nature and hard work? We had a large wooden abacus made with tennis balls. The balls slowly disappeared so we have none left. A volunteer group came into to clean up the playground and added planters with beautiful flowers but I saw many children in other classes picking all the flowers. Many toys also get broken or thrown over the fence. I’d love to make something for everyone to share but I’d want it taken care of. I could try to do something at the edge of the pond but I’d have to be careful with 2.9-5 year olds. Plus Pat wanted to put something on the grass before (temporarily put “lollipops” the kids made, wicked cute idea!) but was given a hard time about getting in the way of the landscapers so it was never done. Last year I was in a different classroom on the back of the building and had a door that led outside to an area that wasn’t being used. AT least then we could just open the back door, blow bubbles, we’d observe the trees changing through the different seasons. We’d plant our own plants and could leave the right outside the door in the sun. This year we’re on the front of the building with no door leading right outside. We can see the pond and my favorite thing is this HUGE hawk that comes to visit the pond. I see him perched in a tree and once he was even hoping across the parking lot. Unfortunately I think the traffic and the people scare most animals away from the pond. Its frustrating trying to think up ideas that will realistically be possible.
I hear your frustrations. To answer your question about getting the rest of the school to respect nature and all your hard work, the first step is to get everyone on board. Do you have staff meetings? This is a good place to start the conversation or renew the conversation. Teacher training is also a great way to get teachers on board. It sounds like your outdoor space is very large. Without seeing it, it is hard to give you advice. I would choose one spot to start. Add your observation logs with signs explaining what they are. If you have a tree, add bird feeders, etc. With everything you do—add a sign. The signs will make a huge difference! They tell everyone that this is an outdoor learning environment. If the materials can’t stay outdoors, use your curriculum on the go kit. Identify a core garden group. Update the school on happenings. This could be a newsletter that the kids write/draw pictures, etc. It is about building community. So think in these terms. Hope this helps. Add one outdoor learning station at a time is a great way to get everyone excited.
For a period of close to 10 years, my classroom was able to spend our days bird-watching. Right outside our windows were 2 small flowering trees (they produced beautiful pink blossoms in the springtime, but no fruit; do not know what they are), and I started with 1 feeder, but by the end, there were 3 suet feeders (for the woodpeckers, mostly; well, and sometimes the squirrels, but they wasn’t our intention!), 2 thistle socks (for the finches, of course), and 4 feeders filled daily with sunflower seeds, which we also scattered below on the ground (cardinals, mourning doves, sparrows of several varieties, tufted titmice, nuthatches, red-winged blackbirds who flew over from the pond, the occasional grackle or crow, and more). Many of the children could name a lot of the birds by the end of each school year; it was calming to watch them, especially during mealtimes (I’d say, “SSHHH! You’re too loud, you’ll scare the birds away!” and everyone would quiet right down!), and sometimes during free play, you’d see a child pause in the activity to gaze out the window for a moment or two, attention caught by the flash of bright wings. Then this September, they moved me out of that room to a second floor classroom at the back of the building, overlooking a parking lot (and the dumpsters!) and a view of the highway. We see no birds. None at all. And now that I’m not there, neither are the bird feeders, and many other people in our building miss them, too. Sad, sad, sad. (And no, I have no clear idea why they needed to move me. Perhaps they just felt it was time to shake things up. I had actually been in that room for more like 17 or 18 years; it only occurred to me to hang up bird feeders about halfway through!)
And the link to gardens? Why sunflowers, of course! Many years we grew them in containers, starting them in the classroom and transplanting them outdoors when ready, over by the edge of the woods. Such good times.
Oh my goodness….so sad that you have lost your window out to your Garden that Attracts Wildlife. It’s just not the same with a view of the dumpster. Is there a tree outdoors that you can identify as your class tree? Maybe near the logs that you will be adding. You will have to visit. I also wonder if you could use a bird feeder that sticks to your windows. Might be fun to explore. With every closed door–there is always one that opens.
We have plants that attract birds, butterflies, bees, and sometimes rabbits. We have lots of places to sit and observe.
Wonderful!
Ohh, a little bit jealous! We do not have such a garden. Yet. Although we do have wildlife. They are out there; it’s just that we seldom see them while the kids are around. We’ve had groundhogs/woodchucks who have established burrows right on the perimeter of the school property. I used to see them in the mid to late afternoons when they would cautiously appear and begin their daily activities (which at one time included destroying the vegetable gardens that had been planted; my, weren’t they plump and healthy-looking that year!). In the past, I have seen rabbits about, and squirrels and chipmunks, of course; turkeys sometimes turn up. One year there were a pair of beavers who took up residency in the pond that sits across from the parking area out front; I swear, they were the size of Shetland ponies!! Or maybe it was just a matter of perspective, as the pond is pretty small. They did not stay through the whole summer. There are also several feral cats who live nearby. I believe they used to be someone’s pets who either got lost or were dumped (so sad!); some friends and I have tried on occasion to do something about them with no luck; haven’t actually seen them at all this winter. And once there was a coyote; sends shivers down my spine just remembering.In the end, it was only ever the chipmunks and groundhogs who were interested in whatever we had planted. But we would love to plant for butterflies and bees and such. And then there’s my sad sad story about the birds…. which I’ll tell about in another post.
Ahhh…a butterfly garden might be perfect for you!