Reconnecting children with the outdoors is a powerful educational tool, and a MacArthur Early Childhood Center educator is making sure her students get in touch with nature.
Ashley Andrews, a special education teacher at MacArthur, has created the 'outdoor classroom' to bring an even more profound learning experience to her students.
Andrews and Kelly Carpenter, MacArthur's principal and special education director, recently presented the outdoor classroom concept to Macomb's Board of Education, with an ask to help fund the estimated $100,000 initiative, of which the school has raised nearly $15,000 to date through such activities as the annual Trike-A-Thon.
According to Andrews, the outdoors provides a chance for unstructured play, exploration and unplugging from technology.
'The outdoor classroom gives children the opportunity to connect with nature in a way that they don't normally get. It provides them an opportunity to discover and explore while learning at their own pace and through their own interests,' Andrews told The Community News Brief. 'It's important because kids simply don't get put in nature anymore. They are behind screens or indoors for a variety of reasons. Through outdoor classrooms, kids learn empathy, exploration, curiosity and the ability to learn independently.'
According to the School of Education at American University in Washington, D.C., outdoor classrooms immerse students in nature, cultivating a deeper appreciation for the environment through hands-on experiences like observing ecosystems or planting gardens, and exposure to natural settings has been shown to improve focus, reduce stress and enhance cognitive function. The outdoor initiative also increases physical activity, which contributes to even greater overall well-being, which can lead to a more energized and engaged learning experience.
When funding is obtained, MacArthur's outdoor classroom will be designed in collaboration with the company, Nature Explore. The company will help transform available outdoor space at MacArthur into an inclusive and accessible 'nature's classroom,' and will also provide learning materials, activities and workshops for teachers that they can modify to meet the needs of their students, Andrews added. The area will include a stage for the children to demonstrate their knowledge or act out things they have seen in nature, easels to create art, musical instruments made of natural materials as well as large and permanent instruments such as drums, natural wooden stump steps, a natural wooden balance beam, a mud kitchen with accessories, and much more. MacArthur, which serves children ages three-five and of all developmental stages and abilities, will participate in all curricular areas such as music/movement, art, science, math, gross motor (big muscle movements), literacy and more through the outdoor classroom curriculum.
'We currently use 'Creative Curriculum,' which uses the interests of the children to drive our instruction' she explained. 'In the outdoor learning space, we will continue to let the children drive their learning through their exploration. It's our job as the teacher to follow their lead and build upon the concepts they are discovering, and each season will allow us to offer new materials and experiences for the children to discover. We are ready to get started with it as soon as we get the funding for the work. All of the MacArthur teachers and staff are excited for what could be possible with this outdoor learning space.'
According to Carpenter, Nature Explore, which is part of Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, has been conducting research on children's learning since 1998. Initial research focused on the increase in behavioral challenges children were experiencing, such as the rise in diagnoses of autism and attention deficit disorder, and the foundation was looking for effective educational strategies to address those issues.
'As the multi-disciplinary team analyzed documentation based on direct observation of children, the data analysis kept leading to the benefits of children’s increased connections with the natural world,' Carpenter pointed out. 'Faculty and staff at MacArthur have already received training through Nature Explore and we will continue to learn throughout the upcoming academic year as a planning year, with the hope to implement outdoor classrooms in 2026-2027.'
MacArthur School Teacher Ashley Andrews stands in the shade of a lovely tree in the space they're planning to turn into an outdoor classroom.
