Good Idea Showcase
Outdoor Classroom maintenance at the Patrick Lyndon School
Outdoor classrooms are dynamic spaces that require care and attention. In addition to learning about science and environmental issues, the outdoor classroom provides excellent opportunities for social interactions for students as well as community building for the school. At the Patrick Lyndon School, K-5 science teacher, Judy McClure, and parent, Celena Illuzzi, organized two outdoor classroom clean-up events this year. Their goal was to create an event that was educational, enhanced the school climate, and was successful in cleaning up an important space to the school.
To accomplish their goal, the pair reached out to key resources in the community. An email contact group was created that consisted of parent volunteers who had expressed interest in helping out in the past. An additional newsletter was circulated to the families of students to inform them about the outdoor classroom and request help for upcoming events or donations. Finally, an outdoor classroom open house was held during the math and literacy night at the Lyndon that provided information about the clean up.
In addition to parent volunteers, a mix of students at the Lyndon School was chosen to help with the clean-up. Twenty-five students total participated in the spring clean-up: a 6th grade class, a combination of a 4th and 5th grade class and three students from the other 5th grade classes. By mixing up the different grades, students have a chance to interact with other age groups that might not ordinarily be in contact during regular school hours.
The outdoor classroom was then observed by McClure and Illuzzi who found that the most important tasks were raking the leaves, clearing the paths, weeding, and picking up trash. They determined that the best approach would be to divide the classroom into distinct working areas and assign a small group of parents and students to each area. This plan would keep students focused and engaged in the work and make it easier for parents to monitor their group of students.
The final preplanning component was to consider what materials and tools were needed for the clean up: waste bags, rakes, gloves (in small sizes for students and bigger sizes for adults), shovels, small digging and raking tools, and trash bags. Parents interested in donating or helping were contacted and many agreed to provide a majority of the materials.
On the day of the event, the weather was very cooperative and both days brought warm sunshine and mild temperatures. More importantly, Neil McCarthy, BPS Landscape Management Consultant, met with McClure and Illuzzi before the clean up and walked around the outdoor classroom to point out plants that should be weeded, how to trim trees and shrubs, and how much leaf cover to leave on the ground. He also advised them on the health of all of the plants and what plants they could consider adding to the environment.
At both the fall and spring clean-ups, five parents volunteered and arrived fifteen minutes early for general instructions and to be shown the areas they would be responsible for. When the students arrived, parents were matched with a group of five students and a brief introduction was given to everyone on the correct use of tools and techniques involved with weeding and cleaning. After that, parents took their groups to their assigned spaces and everyone set to work.
Both the fall and spring clean ups were amazingly successful. During each event, over 20 bags of debris were raked, picked up, and weeded. There was plenty leftover for Lyndon’s leaf cage and for some light ground cover around the plants. One of the parent volunteers who lives next to the school graciously took all of the bags out of the outdoor classroom and left them to be picked up by the city’s recycling service.
Judy McClure and Celena Illuzzi have set a wonderful framework to involve teachers, parents and students in the care and maintenance of the outdoor classroom. According to McClure, “Our outdoor classroom is a phenomenal addition to our curriculum and learning environment. The clean up events are not only essential to the upkeep of the space; they are also an important venue for creating a sense of community and stewardship around this valuable resource.”
Otis Elementary School "Science of spring" Project
Now is a great time to start looking for Signs of Spring in your schoolyard. According to Neil McCarthy, the BSI/BPS horticulturist, in March and April, you will start to see: Witch-hazel blooming yellow or orange; Cherry trees with pink blossoms; and Serviceberry buds beginning to swell and bloom white.
Last February, a 5th grade class from Otis Elementary taught by Mrs. Mullane and supported by Boston Schoolyard Initiative staff, Jack Sheridan, prepared for a routine investigation of their outdoor classroom. The observations made during this investigation were to be baseline data put toward a long-term study “The Science of Spring”, adapted by Sheridan from a free online web program called Journey North. Although part of his Science in the Schoolyard curriculum, even Sheridan was surprised by their discovery of blooming flowers in Otis’s outdoor classroom.
Mrs. Mullane’s students were first asked to record the signs of spring they already knew about as well as their predictions of the signs they should expect to see in the outdoor classroom. The class was divided into five smaller groups, and with their notebooks and clipboards, they went out to record their observations. Each group chose a section of bushes and trees to examine, paying close attention to the buds. They also measured the air temperature and ground temperature nine inches deep in the planting beds where the first grade class planted bulbs in the fall. As part of the ongoing study, students were asked to record any wildlife such as Cardinals, falcons, hawks, squirrels, raccoons and skunks they saw in the outdoor classroom or on their way to and from school.
Back in the classroom, the students drew pictures of their observations while it was still fresh in their minds as well as engaged in a discussion about their findings. An intriguing observation the students found was that the ground temperature was colder than the air temperature. By far the most exciting discovery was the budding of a particular bush in the outdoor classroom.
The class needed answers so following the investigation, Sheridan contacted Boston Schoolyard Horticultralist, Neil McCarthy, who informed the group that there are many types of plants that bloom in the winter. This discovery seemed to be Witch-hazel, probably the Arnold Promise Witch-hazel (Hamamelis 'Arnold Promise'). Mystery solved!
Steps for this spring
If you are curious about what is blooming in your outdoor classroom, snap some pictures and send them to BSI’s Science in the Schoolyard Coordinator, Jack Sheridan, for evaluation. Further, if you are interested in the “Science of Spring” long term study, e-mail Jack at Jacksheridan@schoolyards.org.
Everett Elementary School Field Guide Project
After the Everett Elementary School Outdoor Classroom opened in the Fall of 2009, principal Nicole Mack turned questions about plants in the Outdoor Classroom into a school-wide Field Guide Project. In the process, she enhanced teaching and learning and enthusiasm for use of the new outdoor classroom. The final product can be found at http://eeverettfieldguide.weebly.com.
Professional development from the Boston Schoolyard Initiative education program led to Everett teachers taking their students out to observe, draw and collect data about the plants and animals in their outdoor classroom and schoolyard. Of course the first question that comes up when teachers and students discover an organism is, "What is it?" So Mack decided to turn these observations into a Field Guide Project that would engage all of the classes at the school, capture all the hard work of the students and teachers, and help teachers and students become more familiar with the plants in their schoolyard.
Here's the basic outline of their plan: each teacher and their classroom selected a tree to observe. Each class recorded observations about their adopted tree and surrounding organisms in their field journals over the course of the year. By the end of the year each class, with the help of their teachers, consolidated the information collected in their field journals to make an on-line Everett Field Guide.
What does the future hold?
The book is still to be completed, like a never ending story. This guide will become a chronicle of organisms discovered over time at the Everett School and can be passed down from one class to the next from year to year.
Are you interested in making a field guide for your school? Contact Jack Sheridan, BSI Science in the Schoolyard Manager at jacksheridan@schoolyards.org.
