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OUTDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Information on design, construction, and maintenance of school grounds for outdoor learning, compiled by the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities. 
The Outdoor Classroom: A Jewel in the Crown of Public Education.http://www.designshare.com/index.php/the-outdoor-classroom-a-jewel-in-the-crown-of-public-education/ Meyer, Kirk (DesignShare, Minneapolis, MN , 2010)
Describes the educational benefits of outdoor classrooms, especially in inner-city areas. A video documenting a Boston outdoor classroom is included. 3p.
Reimagining Outdoor Learning Spaces: Primary Capital, Co-Design and Educational Transformation.
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks (Futurelab, Bristol, United Kingdom , 2008)
Provides a handbook for rethinking the use of outdoor spaces for a broad range of possible learning and play opportunities, and purposes aimed primarily at the elementary sector. This publication also attempts to highlight the potential links between capital investment programs and a range of other British initiatives and policies seeking to promote play and outdoor learning for young children. It also illustrates the need to approach school grounds redesign not as a separate entity, but as a vehicle to drive forward and mobilize some of the broader overarching educational priorities. Finally, the handbook identifies the opportunities that are presented for involving children and young people as co-designers in the process of redesign, not only identifying the learning opportunities that are presented but also highlighting that failure to engage them in the process is less likely to produce feeling of ownership of any space and therefore undermining the sustainability of the project. 59p.
Student Gardens and Food Service.
http://www.circleofresponsibility.com (Bon Appetit Management Company, Palo Alto, CA , 2008)
Advises on how to incorporate student gardens into the school food service. Sections of the document describe planning the garden, growing the produce, promotion within the school, social "bonding" over the garden, and improvement of the garden. A planning worksheets, sample invoice, and list of resources is included. 31p.
The Edible Schoolyard: Seed-to-Table Learning.http://www.edutopia.org/edible-schoolyard-video (George Lucas Foundation, San Rafael, CA, 2008)
This video profiles the "Edible Schoolyard," located on the campus of Martin Luther King Junior Middle School in Berkeley, California. This 1-acre urban garden and fully equipped kitchen are the home to a thoughtful, curriculum-based program designed to connect students with the earth, the environment, and an eclectic group of adults outside the traditional classroom. During kitchen classes students learn to prepare healthy foods using herbs and produce grown in the Edible Schoolyard. Educators involved in the Edible Schoolyard describe the program as a "seed-to-table" experience, referring to students' involvement in everything from preparing the soil and planting, tending, and harvesting crops to preparing meals using organically grown, in-season produce.
Schoolyard Planning and Design in New Jersey Enhancing Outdoor Play and Learning.
http://www.edlawcenter.org/ELCPublic/AbbottSchoolFacilities (New Jersey Institute of Technology, Center for Architecture and Building Science Research, New Jersey School OUtdoor Area Working Group , Aug 25, 2007)
Discusses the current state of New Jersey schoolyards and the importance of quality schoolyards for play, teaching, and community use. Five recommended strategies for creating more effective schoolyards are included, as is advice on the planning and design process, area and functional requirements, accessibility, parking, costs, and equipment. 25p.
DFES School Grounds of the Future: Final Evaluation Report.
http://www.ltl.org.uk/client_files/File (Learning through Landscapes, London, United Kingdom , 2007)
Evaluates the United Kingdom Dept. for Education and Skills' three-year School Grounds of the Future program, which encouraged schools to improve their school grounds. Evidence of best practices, value added to funding, impact on the educational program, and six recommendations for the future are detailed. 54p.
How to Start a Garden in a Local School
http://nationalgardenmonth.org/index.php?page=storyline-school (National Gardening Association, South Burlington, VT, 2007)
This explains how to start with an indoor school garden, form a garden committee, make a plan, find a site, and develop community support.
School Greenhouse Guide
http://www.kidsgardening.org/greenhouseguide/1.asp (National Gardening Association, 2007)
This online guide to school greenhouses is a basic overview of key issues relevant to educators planning to run—or currently running—a school greenhouse program. It covers both operational and horticultural topics. Includes information on different styles of greenhouses, solar vs. supplemental heat, figuring costs, selecting a location, glazing, environmental controls, light, air/soil, cooling, venting, and heating.
The Growing Classroom. Garden-Based Science. [Revised edition]
Jaffe, Roberta; Appel, Gary (Life Lab Science Program, 2007)
Teacher's manual featuring step-by-step instructions and strategies for setting up outdoor classroom activities and a garden-based science program. Topics include working together in the garden, growing, nutrients, garden ecology, climate, nutrition, gardening tips, food choices, and gardening tips. 496p.
TO ORDER:
National Gardening Associationhttp://www.kidsgardeningstore.com/11-4017.html
How to Choose Plants Kids Will Love to Grow in Their Classroom Project.
http://www.howtodothings.com/home-garden Nicholson, Casey (HowToDoThings.com, Seattle, WA , 2007)
Advises on plant selection for school gardens, addressing herbs, flowers, leafy plants, fruits, and vegetables. 2p.
Designing Schoolyards and Building Community.
http://www.schoolyards.org/text/Schoolyard.pdf (Boston Schoolyard Initiative, MA , 2006)
Reviews the work of the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, which has worked to transform the city's typically paved and uninviting schoolyards into centers for learning and life. It accomplishes this through a public/private partnership that promotes sustainable development, experiential education, open space stewardship, and enlightened public policy. The Initiative creates recreational centers for the community and sets an example for schoolyard development that can be replicated elsewhere. 20p.
Green Schoolyard Resource Directory.
http://www.ecoschools.com/Assets/Documents/GreenSchoolyard_ResourceDirectory_2-13-06_small.pdf Cooper, Tamar; Danks, Sharon (San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance , 2006)
Offers a green schoolyard directory that blends traditional school garden resources with green building and ecological design principles, to create a single resource for all types of innovative school ground greening projects. The directory includes contacts for relevant local organizations, businesses and individuals on a variety of themes including places to find: plants, soil, and other garden-related materials, solar panels, water conservation systems, recycled materials, green schoolyard design expertise, environmental education curriculum resources, grant opportunities, and many other related topics. 52p.
The Outdoor Classroom.
Harriman, Hilary (Corner to Learn, Swindon, United Kingdom , Jan 2006)
Advises on space needs, organization, design, program areas, surfaces, equipment, safety, and storage in outdoor learning environments for young students. The use of the outdoor learning environment in language skills, mathematical development, physical development, and creativity is illustrated, along with the role of the adult and three British case studies. 68p.
TO ORDER:
http://www.cornertolearn.co.uk/outdoorclassroom.html
Retrofitting the American High School Campus: Thinking Green at Corcoran.
http://web.archive.org/web/20060923032246 Gordon, Samuel (Master's Thesis, SUNY, Syracuse, NY , May 2005)
Explores the integration of the school curriculum with school grounds through the creation of a new environmental education center with associated outdoor learning areas within the Corcoran High School campus in Syracuse, New York. The project identifies specific precedents and programs and explores the application of these to the Corcoran site. The outcome of the project was the selection of a site for the new environmental education center, the development of program elements for the new center, initial site design explorations for the center, as well as a conceptual look at the future of the Corcoran campus. 70p.
Openluchtscholen in Nederland: Architectuur, Onderwijs en Gezondheidszorg 1905- 2005. (Open-Air Schools in the Netherlands: Architecture, Education, and Healthcare 1905- 2005)
Broekhuizen, Dolf (Uitgeverij 010, Rotterdam , 2005)
Profiles 100 years of outdoor, open-air, and abundantly daylit Dutch schools. Principles of the necessity of fresh air to health and sanitation are discussed, accompanied by a chronologically arranged selection of supporting school projects. 239p.
TO ORDER:
http://www.010publishers.nl/pages/about010.php
Do School Grounds Have a Value as an Educational Resource in the Secondary Sector?
http://www.ltl.org.uk/client_files/File Chillman, Barbara (Learning through Landscapes, London, UK , 2005)
Reviews research into the benefits of developing secondary school grounds into learning environments. The small amount of research evidence into the use of secondary school grounds suggests that the benefits to the formal curriculum are largely those which accrue from any outdoor learning: increased understanding through the use of real-life contexts; increased student interest and motivation, partly due to the novelty of getting out of the classroom; use of different learning styles; and more collaborative relationships between students and teachers. In addition, there is some evidence to suggest that the use of school grounds offers specific benefits, particularly to environmental and citizenship learning due to the sense of student ownership that can be engendered, and in facilitating integration between indoor and outdoor lessons to generate longer-lasting impacts on students learning. Includes 53 references. 43p.
Outdoor Learning Environments: Evaluating Need, Success and Sustainability.
Hodge, Stacey (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Texas, Arlington , Dec 2004)
Summarizes the needs for outdoor learning environments and the success in meeting those needs. Also provided is a list of critical elements, as determined by the participants, necessary to sustain successful outdoor learning environments. Since children spend an average of two thousand hours each year in at schoolyard which is commonly barren or paved, and seldom designed, the opportunity exists to give children, through outdoor learning environments, a place to establish attachments and daily contact with nature. Empowerment, a sense of ownership, experiential learning, community building, and lifelong learning are some of the positive effects that outdoor learning environments have on children, teachers, families, and communities. Participants in the research come from six different elementary and primary schools from Boston to San Francisco. The subjects consist of principals, teachers, students, and family and community members. The results of the research give insight into the design of outdoor learning environments with regard to needs, success in meeting the needs, and critical elements necessary for sustaining the outdoor learning environment. 133p.
Report NO: 1425131TO ORDER: Proquest, 300 North Zeeb Road, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106-1346; Tel: 734-761-4700, Toll Free: 800-521-0600, email: info@il.proquest.com http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb
Young Children's Relationship with Nature: Its Importance to Children's Development and the Earth's Future.
http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/childrennature.shtml White, Randy (White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO , 2004)
Cites the decline of involvement with nature in children's lives, documentation of the benefits of experiences in nature to mental and physical well-being, and the role that nature schoolyards can play in transforming education and child well-being. The nature schoolyard is also advocated as a means to instill environmental awareness in children. Includes 76 references. 10p.
Neighborhood Journeys, Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: A Teacher's Guide to Using the Built Environment at Key Stage 2.
http://www.cabe-education.org.uk/AssetLibrary/3043.pdf Williamson, Catherine; Hart, Anna (CABE Education, London, United Kingdom , 2004)
Presents ideas for four school neighborhood journeys with activities that use the local built environment as a context for learning. Each journey has a different destination, addressing historical and topical issues and providing opportunities for exploration of familiar surroundings in a cross-curriculum program. 54p.
Prototype: Enhanced Modular Childcare Facility.
http://www.designchildcare.com/pdfs/TITLE_P_WI_COPYRIGHT.pdf Davis, John; Nelsson, Anne; Philiposian, Diane; Anderson, Gretchen (The Design Institute, Louisville, KY , 2003)
Presents a prototype modular early childhood facility, featuring the rotation of one modular of a 3-modular unit to break up the repetitive, boxlike nature typical of modulars. The turning of one unit creates new habitable spaces that can used for outdoor learning and as transitional entrance areas. 12p.
Where Do Our Children Play? The Importance and Design of Schoolyards.
Iltus, Selim; Steinhagen, Renee (New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center, Newark, NJ , 2003)
The construction of new school facilities throughout New Jersey creates an enormous opportunity to address the need for outdoor facilities in New Jersey's poorest districts. This document summarizes some of the most relevant research on the need for outdoor educational facilities. It provides design guidelines for outdoor spaces for both preschool and elementary schools, and basic principles for design of outdoor facilities for athletics and environmental education for middle and high school students. 74p.
TO ORDER:
New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center, 744 Broad Street, Suite 1600, Newark, NJ 07102. Tel: 973-735-0523.
Chicago School Garden Initiative. A Collaborative Model for Developing School Gardens That Work.
Johnson, Katherine A.; Bjornson, Marti Ross (National Gardening Association, South Burlington,VT, 2003)
This best practices manual tells the story of Chicago's successful School Garden Initiative (SGI), which worked on a districtwide basis to create and use school gardens as a setting for active discovery. The manual explains how this model can be applied to other localities nationwide. 71p.
TO ORDER:
Chicago Botanic Garden, Center for Teaching and Learning, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe IL 60022; Fax: (847) 242-6330http://www.chicagobotanic.org/downloads/pubs
Empowering Learning Through Natural, Human, and Building Ecologies.
http://www.designshare.com/index.php/articles/empowering-learning Kobet, Robert J. (Design Share, Minneapolis, MN. , Jan 2003)
This article asserts that it is critical to understand the connections between human ecology and building ecology to create humane environments that show inspiration and creativity and that also serve diverse needs. It calls for efforts to: (1) construct an environmental education approach that fuses the three ecologies (natural, human, and building); (2) recognize trends toward physical learning environments that are not located in traditional schools; (3) include all stakeholders in the exploration of the physical environment as an extension of the curriculum; (4) expand the number and diversity of subjects benefiting from a comprehensive built environmental education curriculum; and (5) continue to seek ways to make visible how buildings function and how they are connected to the greater community and environment at large. 5p.
Shade Planning for America's Schools.
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/pdf/shade_planning.pdf (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA , 2002)
Assists schools in creating and maintaining a physical environment that supports sun safety by ensuring that school grounds have adequate shade. Information on planning and designing solid roof and fabric shade structures, as well as creating natural shade on school grounds is included. The effect of excessive sun exposure, the formation of the school shade design team, a shade audit, and funding are also described. 70p.
Science Facilities Standards K-12 (Texas Version)
http://www.utdanacenter.org/sciencetoolkit/safety/facilities.php Collins, James W. (Charles A. Dana Center, University of Texas, Austin , 2002)
This provides Texas educators with state guidelines for the planning, construction, and maintenance of indoor science facilities and outdoor learning areas for Texas schools. It includes examples of floor plans for classrooms, laboratories, and storage rooms. Chapters include: 1) Laws, Rules, and Regulations; 2) Safety Equipment; 3) Furniture, Fixtures, and Accessories; 4) Room Design Standards; and 5) Outdoor Learning Environments. 232p.
TO ORDER:
The University of Texas at Austinhttp://utdirect.utexas.edu/txshop/item_details.
Schoolyard Mosaics: Designing Gardens and Habitats
Pranis, Eve and Gifford, Amy (National Gardening Association, South Burlington, VT, 2002)
The book offers advice on involving students in the planning and design process, building community support, and integrating the project with curriculum and learning goals. Includes 11 garden plans — from butterfly oases to history gardens — with companion stories on each project, suggestions for implementing a variety of thematic gardens, and an extensive resource section. 56p.
TO ORDER:
National Gardening Association, 1100 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT 05403; Tel: 800-538-7476. http://www.kidsgardeningstore.com/11-4508.html
Schoolyard Habitats: A How-to Guide for K-12 School Communities.
(National Wildlife Federation, Reston, VA, 2001)
Three-ring binder that provides clear directions for those seeking to establish schoolyard habitats in new or renovated schools. Brief background and lists of further resources are provided on gardening for wildlife, teaching with schoolyard habitat sites, gathering information, assembling the elements and monitoring and maintaining projects once established. Includes a glossary, application for membership into the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) Schoolyard Habitat program and NWF contact information. 217p.
TO ORDER:
National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive
Reston, VA 20190-5362; Toll free: 800 899 3455
http://www.nwf.org/schoolyard/getstarted.cfm
Your School Grounds Handbook.
http://www.schoolscapes.co.uk/acatalog/Grounds_Handbook.html (Schoolscapes, Farnham, Surrey, England , 2001)
This handbook discusses the process of planning school grounds. It presents ideas for creating good educational landscapes and provides step-by-step procedures to achieve this goal. The steps include ground surveying and analysis, establishing community and school needs and wants, planning changes and preparing the design process, publicizing and consulting to get feedback on the proposals, selecting and establishing fundraising sources, implementing the plan and building its momentum, and incorporating maintenance and sustainability features in the planning. A checklist is offered to help planners assess whether the project addresses sustainability principles. Appendices focus on planning play areas. Topics discussed include play equipment, safety, surfacing, topography, and plants. Organizations are listed for addition information and support. 28p.
School Gardens: Raising Environmental Awareness in Children.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Brynjegard, Shira 2001
This paper explores the reasons for gardens and natural spaces on school
campuses and the effects that such exposure to the natural world has on the students. Blending
case studies, observational data, and personal experience, the paper discusses the impacts a
garden has on the students who participate in it. During the evolution from rough landscape
drawing to fully functioning educational environment, the balance of administrative, teacher,
parent, and student involvement is used to determine the lasting effects the garden has on student
attitudes toward environmental concerns. Elements of what makes a garden particularly effective
at bridging the gap between the children and nature is highlighted and evidence of increased
environmental awareness in the students is discussed. (Contains 17 references.) 30p.
Child's Play: An Empirical Study of the Relationship between the Physical Form of Schoolyards and Children's Behavior.
http://www.yale.edu/hixon/research/pdf/LFisman_Playgrounds.pdf Fisman, Lianne (Yale University, New Haven, CT , 2001)
Reviews existing literature on the importance of nature experiences in child development. Also described is an exploratory study performed with two Connecticut third grade classes to assess the way children utilize the playgrounds, whether or not there is a difference in the behaviors of pupils with differing "popularity," the types of playground spaces and amenities different groups of children desire, and to lay a foundation for studies of the efficacy of playground designs in promoting social integration. Includes 45 references. 44p.
Landscapes for Learners: School Ground Guidelines.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ George, Linda (Greening Schoolgrounds Program, Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada , 2001)
School grounds can and should support curriculum, protect children from health risks, and provide high-quality space in the community for educational and recreation. School community-based initiatives to green school grounds provide these benefits at comparatively little cost to school boards. These guidelines establish the educational rationale for creating landscapes for learners. The guidelines are primarily directed at school community groups (parents, teachers, students, and community members) who choose to design, establish, and maintain landscapes for learners on school grounds. Recommendations outline a pathway to change including the removal of barriers for school community-based initiatives on school grounds. The guidelines link the value of educational landscapes to the mandated British Columbia school curriculum. 18p.
Greening School Grounds: Creating Habitats for Learning.
Grant, Tim; Littlejohn, Gail, Ed. (New Society Publishers, British Columbia, Canada , 2001)
Features step-by-step instructions for numerous schoolyard projects from tree nurseries to school composting to native plant gardens, along with ideas for enhancing learning by addressing diverse student needs. The guide includes detailed articles on rooftop gardens, multicultural gardens, far north gardens, desert gardens, butterfly gardens, ponds, and prairie restorations as well as more than a dozen schoolyard habitat options.
For project planners there are practical tips on minimizing vandalism, maximizing participation, and raising funds. For teachers there are dozens of outdoor classroom activities and curriculum links, a bibliography of learning resources, and an up-to-date listing of funders and training organizations. 136p.
TO ORDER:
Green Teacher, P.O. Box 1431, Lewiston, NY 14092; Tel: 416-960-1244.http://www.greenteacher.com/gsg.html
Schoolyard Learning: The Impact of School Grounds.
http://web.archive.org/web/20070112130802 (Education Development Center, Global Learning Group, Newton, MA , Nov 2000)
This white paper utilizes a literature review and survey as the basis for comments about the influence of schoolyards on academic learning and child development. The researchers find that school grounds form an important albeit under-utilized part of the built environment. School grounds have a positive impact on social development, academic achievement, and on safety and physical well- being. The study also suggests characteristics that constitute outstanding schoolyards. It assesses the state of research on school grounds and presents a critique of existing knowledge. Appendices contain a partial bibliography, the survey on the impact of schoolyard learning programs, survey data, and a survey research summary table. 38p.
U.S. Access Board, Play Area Guidelines.
http://www.access-board.gov/play/finalrule.pdf (U.S. Access Board, Washington, DC , Oct 18, 2000)
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board has issued guidelines to serve as the basis for enforceable standards to be adopted by the Department of Justice for new construction and alterations of play areas covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The guidelines include scoping and technical provisions for ground level and elevated play components, accessible routes, ramps and transfer systems, ground surfaces, and soft contained play structures. Included is an amendment, dated November 20, 2000, which clarifies a potential "double-counting" problem involving the minimum number of ground and elevated level play components that must be located on an accessible route. Also included are tables of equipment and ground surface costs, typical maintenance frequencies and costs, and the number of small entities affected by the guidelines. 33p.
Final Accessibility Guidelines for Play Areas: Economic Assessment.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED450547 (U.S. Access Board, Washington, DC , Oct 2000)
Discusses and quantifies costs and benefits of the final accessibility guidelines for play areas issued by the Access Board. The guidelines are intended to provide minimum accessibility requirements for play areas designed for children ages two and over. The guidelines will affect children with disabilities, their parents, and owners and operators of play areas. The guidelines apply only to newly designed and newly constructed play areas and existing play areas that are altered. All newly designed, constructed and altered play areas must comply with the guidelines. 54p.
Environment-based Education: Creating High Performance Schools and Students
http://www.neefusa.org/pdf/NEETF8400.pdf (The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation, Washington, DC, Sep 2000)
The report consists of a collection of case studies of schools in Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Florida that are using the environment to motivate students to learn and bring new life and meaning into their school experience. These studies document current evidence supporting the premise that, compared to traditional educational approaches, environment-based education provides academic performance across the curriculum. Findings show improvement in students' academic achievement, declining classroom discipline problems and increased ability to transfer knowledge to different academic situations. Use of school grounds for environmental education is described. Research on environmental education is included in an appendix. 47p.
Developing an Earth-bound Culture Through Design of Childhood Habitats.
http://web.archive.org/web/20060312193215 Moore, Robin; Cosco, Nilda G. (Paper presented at Conference on People, Land, and Sustainability: A Global View of Community Gardening, University of Nottingham, UK. , Sep 2000)
A small but growing body of research indicates that daily experience of nature, spending time outdoors in the fresh air and sunlight, in touch with plants and animals, has a measurable impact on healthy child development. Nature must be seen as an essential component of the experiential world of childhood, designed into every childhood habitat, providing daily immersion in nature, putting children in close touch with the biosphere. Landscape designers should intervene in children's environments, involve children in the process, and create the necessary diversity of experience of the natural world to empower children as individuals to create a new, biologically wise society.
Magnuson Community Garden.
http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/magnusongarden/ (Barker Landscape Architects, Seattle, WA, Aug 2000)
Documents the community involvement process undertaken to establish designs for a community garden adjacent to a school and community center in Seattle. Design alternatives are provided, as well as a project budget.
Designing Schools Based on Brain Research.[Audiotape]Chermayeff, Peter; Townsend, Ted (Presentation at the Learning and the Brain Conference, Washington, DC , May 03, 2000)
An audiotape explains an Iowa rainforest project that promotes experiential learning for children, and explores the effects of the physical environment on the brain. The project is a one-of-a-kind private/public partnership that has created a fully integrated, seamless educational facility that combines a public school (prekindergarten through fifth grade), teacher development/training center, rain forest (five acres), aquarium and mixed-media, and a large screen theater. It is suggested that the school's great drawing power and the profit it generates will allow the combination rain forest/public school facility to be self-supporting without an ongoing tax subsidy.
TO ORDER:
Fleetwood On-Site, 31 Munroe St., Lynn, MA 01901; Tel: 781-599- 2400, Toll Free: 800-353-1830http://www.fltwood.com/onsite/brain
Planning School Grounds for Outdoor Learning.
http://www.edfacilities.org/pubs/outdoor.pdf Wagner, Cheryl (National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, Washington, DC , May 2000)
This publication covers the planning and design of school grounds for outdoor learning in new and existing K-12 facilities. It discusses the different types of outdoor learning environments that can be considered, the value of flexible spaces for outdoor learning, and resources for those interested in outdoor learning environments. Also explored are environmental education's physical impact on school grounds, considerations during school site development when outdoor education is to be included, and existing school site redesign for outdoor education. 7p.
TO ORDER:
National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, 1090 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005-4905; Tel: 888-552-0624https://www.nibs.org/index.php/resources/schoolfacilities
Design for Learning: Values, Qualities and Processes of Enriching School Landscapes.
http://web.archive.org/web/20071218122828 Johnson, Julie M. (American Society of Landscape Architects, Washington, DC , 2000)
This paper presents learning values of school landscapes, as well as design qualities and processes that may enrich these landscapes for children and community. Concepts and issues are introduced with references and examples. These concepts are used as a lens to view three Seattle, Washington, case studies that illustrate varied contexts of school landscapes. Conclusions focus on conditons that are needed to make enriched school landscapes an integral part of childrens' learning and community life. 83p.
TO ORDER:
American Society of Landscape Architects, 636 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001-3736; Tel: 202-898-2444, Toll free: 888-999-2752, Fax: 202-898-1185, Email: info@asla.org
http://www.asla.org/ISGWeb.aspx?loadURL=latis
The Need for Outdoor Recreational Space in Constructed and Natural Environments to Ensure Cognitive and Physical Well-Being.
http://www.edlawcenter.org/ELCPublic/AbbottSchoolFacilities/ Johnson, Liz; Steinhagen, Renee (Education Law Center, Newark, NJ , 2000)
In response to the ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court on school buildings in the Abbott District, the Public Interest Law Center of New Jersey and the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy are
providing urban school superintendents with the social science research and other support
needed to guarantee the inclusion of outdoor educational and recreational space in their 5-year facilities
plans. This is the preliminary research on the importance of outdoor play areas and athletic facilities for the cognitive, academic, social, and physical
development of children. 11p.
Playing in Place: Why the Physical Environment is Important in Playwork.
http://web.archive.org/web/20060220144406 Cosco, Nilda; Moore, Robin (14th Playeducation Annual Play and Human Development Meeting: Theoretical Playwork. Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK , Jan 26, 1999)
The aim of this paper is to set down some of the theoretical dimensions of the physical environment to encourage playworkers to consider space and its content as a versatile, valuable support in playwork practice. An inviting sense of place allows children to express themselves, to interact and unfold their curiosity for the external world, including relations with the people around them. Place-enhancing processes, activated through play, help elaborate the place beyond the confines of everyday life, providing children with a sense of belonging, identity, and ownership–the culture of the place. The body (our personal, most private space) has a very dynamic relationship to external space that is so commonplace we often gloss over it. As we discover the body-in-space, the body-in-time appears as the companion, helping to complete the totality of body skills. The richer and more diverse the world is, the greater likelihood that places acquire anima locii. Regarding the potential play value of a diverse, changeable physical environment, one could say that a play program can only be as good as its physical environment and the playworkers’ skill in managing it to maximize the programming potential with the children. [Authors' abstract]
Conserving and Enhancing the Natural Environment. A Guide for Planning, Design, Construction, and Maintenance on New & Existing School Sites. [Maryland]
Bice, Barbara; And Others (Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore , 1999)
Natural environments on school sites provide considerable multi-disciplinary educational opportunities, many of which are "hands-on" experiences that stimulate learning. This document presents guidelines on conserving and enhancing the natural environment on school sites. It provides guidance for developing the site requirements in education specifications and designs for new building construction and major renovation and/or addition projects for existing schools. Appendices address funding sources available to Maryland educators to support school site habitat projects; and Maryland organizations that can offer assistance such as the forestry service, soil conservation district offices; and a list of data about Maryland native plants. (Contains 55 references.) 80p.
TO ORDER:
Maryland Department of Education, School Facilities Branch, 200 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201; Tel: 410-767-0098http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/bus_svcs/sf/order_form
The Outdoor Classroom: Educational Use, Landscape Design, and Management of School Grounds. Second Edition. Building Bulletin 71.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Billmore, Brian; Brooke, John; Booth, Rupert; Funnell, Keith (Department for Education and Employment, Architects and Building Branch, London, England , 1999)
Bulletin on school grounds development, highlighting the potential of these grounds as a valuable resource that can support and enrich the whole curriculum and the education of all pupils. Appendices include a landscape survey checklist, a list possible site features, a landscape brief for a new school, and a management policy statement of objectives. 75p.
The Edible Schoolyard.
Capra, Fritjof; Comnes, Leslie; Cook, Esther; Hawkins, David; Jackson, Wes; McCullough, Yvette; Waters, Alice (Learning in the Real World; A Publication of the Center for Ecoliteracy, Berkeley, CA , 1999)
Introduces the Edible Schoolyard Project (ESP) in which students create a garden, watch it grow, and develop a bond with nature. Chapters include: (1) "Implications of the Edible Schoolyard Project" (Wes Jackson); (2) "A World of Possibilities" (Alice Waters); (3) "The Garden Experience" (David Hawkins); (4) "From the Kitchen and the Table" (Esther Cook); (5) "An Edible Schoolyard Recipe: Red Chard Wraps"; (6) "Nurturing a Climate for School Change"; (7) "A Conversation with Educators"; (8) "Developing Ecoliteracy" (Yvette McCullough); (9) "The Principles of Ecology"; (10) "Creativity and Leadership in Learning Communities" (Fritjof Capra); (11) "A Time-Tested Recipe" (Zenobia Barlow); (12) "About the Center for Ecoliteracy"; and (13) "About the Edible Schoolyard." 91p.
Play for All
Moore, Robin C.; Goltsman, Susan M. (MIG Communications, Berkeley, CA , 1999)
A CD-ROM provides a tour of some of the world's greatest play environments, presenting 94 photographic images that illustrate the key concepts and recommendations from Play For All guidelines. It is organized into 10 categories covering a range of play area settings, including play equipment, sand settings, water settings, play props, and animal habitats.
TO ORDER:
MIG Communications, 1802 Fifth St., Berkeley, CA 94710; Tel: 510-845-0953
Learning Through Landscapes School Grounds Toolkit and Activity Pack
Russell, Liz (Learning through Landscapes Trust, Winchester, England , 1999)
This packet provides guidelines to help schools make the most of their school grounds and contains: a handbook; a loose leaf activity pack; video; and poster. The handbook provides information on each stage of the school ground development/change process, offers the rationale for improving school grounds, and lists the various resources and organizations available for assistance. The activity pack provides basic activities to support each stage in the change process. 102p.
TO ORDER:
The Green Brick Road, 429 Danforth Ave., Ste. #408,
Toronto, ON, Canada M4K 1P1; Tel: 800-473-3638 or 416-421-9816.
Educational Landscapes: Developing School Grounds as Learning Places
Takahashi, Nancy (University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson Center for Educational Design, Charlottesville, VA , 1999)
In response to today's concern for the environment and growing curricular demands to teach about the natural world, educators are discovering the power of a school's surrounding outdoors area as a teaching tool. This book presents an overview of educational landscapes and examines the pervasive attitudes and practices that have led to the undervaluing of the schoolyard environment, identifies specific steps to create successful educational landscapes, provides insights for integrating the schoolyard more fully into the school culture and pedagogy, and discusses how to sustain educational landscape programs over time. Examples of built educational landscapes from the United States and Britain are provided to illustrate the range of possibilities for school grounds. 63p.
TO ORDER:
University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson Center for Educational Design, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Learning through Landscapes: Grounds for Examination. [Video]Young, Jane (Learning through Landscape Trust; Hampshire County Council, Winchester, England , 1999)
A 25-minute video describes the current condition of many of England's secondary school grounds and shows what can be done to improve them. Empowering students to help in redesigning the surrounding school grounds into a conservation area is described. Examples are provided showing how grounds influence student social relations; positively impact behavior; provide opportunities for specific nature clubs; and offer opportunities for physical activities, including those that consider students with physical and educational disabilities. Further, it explains the usefulness of school grounds for delivering the curriculum in environmental education as well as cross-curricular projects.
The School Site Planner. Land for Learning. Site Selection, Site Planning, Playgrounds, Recreation, and Athletic Fields.
http://www.schoolclearinghouse.org/pubs/schsite.pdf (Public Schools of North Carolina, State Board of Education, Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh , Jun 1998)
The report examines not only the site selection and planning processes, but also playground planning, recreation and athletic fields planning, and the North Carolina agencies and statutes that are involved. Specific considerations include analyses of the surrounding community or territory; of building access and security; of the surrounding natural environment and available support services; of landscaping, utilities, and vehicular traffic; and of playground equipment and safety. Final sections provide athletic field layouts for track and field events; football, soccer, and baseball fields; and basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts. 75p.
Digging Deeper: Integrating Youth Gardens Into Schools and Communities.
Kiefer, Joseph; Kemple, Martin; Manaugh, Melanie (Food Works, 1998)
This book provides educators with practical, clear information on how to develop youth gardens in schools and communities. It shows how school gardening is an ideal vehicle to meet high educational standards and achieve learning results. 144p.
The Boston Schoolyard Initiative: An American City's Approach to Sustainable Schoolyard Development.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Meyer, Kirk (Paper presented at the Learning through Landscapes: Grounds for Celebration Conference , Sep 21, 1997)
This presentation describes the development process behind the Boston Schoolyard Initiative: a 5-year, inner city, community-driven initiative to transform neglected and unwelcome schoolyards into active centers of school and community use. Each phase of the initiative is discussed from community organizing through design, construction, and ongoing maintenance. The initiative shows sustainable schoolyard programs need total involvement from all potential users in the design and development phases, a focus on the multi-use approach, the integration of the school grounds into the life of the school, and inclusion of the school yard in future budgeting allocations. 8p.
School Grounds: A Guide to Good Practice.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Funnell, Keith; Alford, Valerie; Denegri, Don; Johns, Sally; Young, Bob (Department for Education and Employment, Architects and Building Branch, London, England , 1997)
Limited financial resources and increasing pressures of competing claims on school outdoor grounds have created the need for greater quality enhancement of these areas to ensure they are used efficiently. This document addresses the issues and principles affecting school grounds, provides an analysis of the benefits of using and developing these areas, and outlines the processes necessary for successful school ground management as advocated by Learning through Landscapes. Chapters examine why ground surveying is important; how the National Curriculum provides a framework for the need to teach in the outdoor classroom; and why schools should develop a clear justification for their management of breaks and lunch times, as well as the special nature of this experience and its connection with student behavior. Additionally explored are recent research on the hidden curriculum and how school ground design influences behavior, different options and their contractual arrangements for school ground maintenance, and resources for planning grounds changes. It discusses the importance of the process of developing school grounds and of student involvement. 140p.
TO ORDER:
The Publications Centre, P.O. Box 276, London, SW8 5DT; Tel: 0171-873-9090; Fax: 0171-873-8200
Smaller Places for Special People?
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Firlik, Russell 1997)
As school enrollments increase, schools will need to expand their facilities and playgrounds. School
construction and expansion is a part of the "hidden curriculum" of schools and affects children's learning processes. When school expansion is combined with the move from half day to full day kindergarten and increasing the time children spend at school, outdoor space for free play is reduced. Results of a British research study called "Special Places: Special People--The Hidden Curriculum of School Grounds" showed the importance of external environments for shaping children's learning and values. Findings included children's preference for natural environments over built environments and manufactured equipment, and the discrepancy between children's and adults' attitudes toward the value of external
environments. American educators and administrators would do well to consider the extent to which children have freedom of access to external environments and to control this "hidden curriculum" for the benefit of the students. 11p.
Natural Learning: The Life of an Environmental Schoolyard. Creating Environments for Rediscovering Nature's Way of Teaching
Moore, Robin C.; Wong, Herb H. (MIG Communications, Berkeley, CA , 1997)
The "Environment Yard" project is a 10-year effort to transform an ordinary asphalt schoolyard into a lush, naturalized environment. This book describes the project from which a natural extension of the classroom was created, reducing student boredom and antisocial behavior as they became engaged in the landscape. It instructs on how to naturalize a schoolyard into an outdoor classroom, provides innovative ways of teaching the basics in outdoor settings, and offers ideas on creating engaging play areas that foster positive behavior. 280p.
TO ORDER:
MIG Communications, 800 Hearst Ave., Berkeley, CA 94710; Tel: 510-845-0953
Designing Landscapes for Learning: Transforming School Grounds Into "Special Places".
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Stine, Sharon (American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Meeting Proceedings, Washington, DC , 1997)
Research on playground design in Japan and England offers challenges to the logic behind how playgrounds in
the United States are designed. This paper presents observations of outdoor environments for children and youth in Japan and
England where the space is not only useful and safe but also contributes to learning and play that reflects the regional and
cultural elements of the surrounding community. It describes the educational, aesthetic, and environmental values embodied in
these playgrounds and discusses the implications for school-ground design in the United States. Observations from both
countries reveal a close connection between the inside and outside areas in playground design, but also show a very different
attitude towards child privacy and socialization needs. 7p.
Landscapes for Learning: Creating Outdoor Environments for Children and Youth
Stine, Sharon (John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York, NY , 1997)
The purpose of this book is to help designers and teachers think about the quality of outside school
environments as learning places. The first chapter defines the players' roles as: (1) the designer, a maker of school form; (2)
the teacher, the maintainer of the environment; and (3) the child, who is a major force in the use of the space. These
players, their roles, and their interactions are described, along with the forces that shape the players' interactions. Chapter 2
places the players in a setting and, by describing the dimensions of this setting, explores a common vocabulary. The nine
pairs of contrasting elements essential in any play environment are also introduced. Chapter 3 describes the process of
development of outside space in two schools over an 80-year time span, and Chapter 4 presents an analysis of the process
of finding a fit or congruence between a physical setting and the users of the setting. Chapter 5 describes four design
elements and summarizes their implications via case studies. Chapter 6 focuses on adults and research into the variety of
educational settings and adult responses to them. The final chapter focuses on the potential of outside spaces to be safe
settings for learning. 244p.
TO ORDER:
John Wiley and Sons, Inc., One Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08875; Tel: 908-469-4400
Understanding the Design Process for Outdoor Play & Learning Environments
http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/ Stoecklin, Vicki L. (White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, 1997)
This piece provides guidance to those who will be working with design professionals to create outdoor learning environments. The components of a design proposal are listed and explained and recommendations for the composition of a design team are provided. Information is intended to help site owners become better clients. 3p.
Children's Outdoor Play & Learning Environments: Returning to Nature
http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/outdoor.shtml White, Randy; Stoecklin, Vicki L. (White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group, Kansas City, MO , 1997)
Why typical playgrounds are designed the way they are by adults is discussed, including what the ideal outdoor play/learning environment for children is and how the outdoor space should be considered as an extension of the classroom. The paper emphasizes the importance of nature to children, discusses the criteria playground designers should possess, and explains why it is essential for the design process to include input from children, teachers, parents, and maintenance staff. 7p.
Grounds for Learning: A Celebration of School Site Developments in Scotland.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Kenny, Kate (Learning Through Landscape Trust, Winchester, England , 1996)
This manual contains ideas and descriptions of some of the best ways Scottish schools can use and develop their grounds. Chapters examine the process of change from getting started, planning, and making the changes necessary. Specific topics include setting up the management structure, surveying the school grounds, identifying needs and solution planning, implementing and adjusting the plans, dealing with multicultural issues, linking ground development with the curriculum, and addressing special needs issues. Case studies are included. 94p.
A Legacy of Us: Maintaining and Managing Your School Grounds.Layzell, Julie; Rogers, Nicola; Flatt, Graham (Learning through Landscape Trust, Winchester, England; Hampshire County Council Schools Landscape Project, England , 1996)
This manual and videotape provides guidance on establishing effective school ground maintenance and management practices that link the grounds development phases with appropriate management. The video provides an overview of the key issues by showing approaches adopted by five different schools, and the manual explores these issues in greater detail offering additional outline information on the practice of maintenance and management of school grounds as well as a resource directory of organizations and contacts who can give support to schools. 35p.
TO ORDER:
The Green Brick Road, 429 Danforth Ave., Ste. 408, Toronto, ON, Canada M4K 1P1; Tel: 800-473-3638.
The Challenge of the Urban School Site
Martin, Deborah, Ed.; Lucas, Bill, Ed.; Titman, Wendy, Ed.; Hayward, Siobhan, Ed. (Learning Through Landscape Trust, Winchester, England , 1996)
This guidebook provides information on improving urban school grounds to enhance children's lives. Chapters provide the experiences from other schools on the topics of greening the urban school grounds; the multi-cultural aspects of developing urban school grounds; organization of limited space; issues involving seating, shelter, and raised structures; and playground art. The unique difficulties involved in secondary school ground development are addressed in the areas of curriculum linkage, social needs, and the management and organization of change. Additionally discussed are areas of special consideration in urban school grounds development, such as vandalism prevention, school security, tarmac removal, and new surface installation. Resource information is provided along with a list of schools and their locations which have created winning grounds development schemes. 110p.
TO ORDER:
The Green Brick Road, 429 Danforth Ave., Ste. 408, Toronto, ON, Canada M4K 1P1; Tel: 800-473-3638.http://www.gbr.org/
Thinking about Seating in Your School Grounds.
Russell, Liz (Learning Through Landscapes Trust, Winchester, England , 1996)
The Learning Through Landscape Trust's CD-ROM explores the issues connected with choosing, developing, locating, and using seating in school grounds. Designed to be used by teachers with pupils of all ages, the computer program includes sections on resources, maintenance, history, and pupil activities.
TO ORDER:
The Green Brick Road, 429 Danforth Ave., Ste. #408, Toronto, ON, Canada M4K 1P1; Tel: 800-473-3638 or 416-421-9816.
Twenty/Twenty: Projects and Activities for Wild School Sites. An Ohio Project Wild Action Guide.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Schiff, Paul D. (Ohio Division of Wildlife, Education Section, Columbus, OH , 1996)
This book presents 20 projects and 20 activities designed to encourage students and teachers to use the school
site as part of an environmental education program with the focus on creating a place for wildlife. The projects and activities
coincide with other materials from Project WILD and are easily adaptable by teachers at any grade level. The objectives of
each project and activity focus on learner outcomes and hands-on application. They also provide opportunities for
multi-disciplinary resources. 117p.
Grounds for Sharing: A Guide To Developing Special School Sites.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Stoneham, Jane (Learning Through Landscape Trust, Winchester, England , 1996)
The Learning through Landscape Trust conducted research on the design and management of school grounds for children with special needs and has produced this guidebook detailing what research shows about ensuring that the school grounds benefit these students. It provides advice and information on developing school grounds that are long-term and sustainable, that help maximize and encourage abilities and overcome children's particular challenges, and involve children with diverse needs with their adult carers wherever possible. The outline of the research and its findings are provided followed by information on the school ground planning process; accessibility design of school grounds; landscaping design; animals that can be included, horticultural issues; and planning issues for enhancing social use, sensory experience, and physical activities. Concluding sections present nine case studies and resources for guidance in fundraising; and information on special needs, outdoor design, use and management, and help for construction and management work. 88p.
Report NO: 141
Weaving a Tapestry of Resistance: The Places, Power, and Poetry of a Sustainable Society.
Sutton, Sharon E.; Giroux, Henry A., Ed.; Freire, Paulo, Ed. (Bergin and Garvey; 88 Post Road West; Westport, CT 06881 , 1996)
This book examines the educational, social, and physical environment of two elementary schools that are located in contrasting socioeconomic settings, revealing the importance of "place" in human lives and learning. It draws from systematic observations conducted over a three-year period, presenting the schools and their inhabitants through a fictionalized narrative intended to help readers better understand how the material conditions of poverty and wealth impact children's world view without compromising the identity of the participants. The book concludes with the author's vision of education in a sustainable society, which is presented through three case studies of innovations in New York City. 236p.
TO ORDER:
Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881; Tel: 203-226-3571http://www.greenwood.com
Creating Environments for Young Children.
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/14/7e/09.pdf Sanoff, Henry (North Carolina State Univ., School of Design, Raleigh , 1995)
The planning and design of child care centers has been undertaken without sufficient knowledge of children's spatial behavior, resulting in centers not providing appropriate physical conditions for young children's developmental needs. This workbook contains exercises and other learning materials for young students that follow principles of good design in the following units: (1) "Goal Setting"; (2) "What Is a Learning Environment," including components of a learning center, along with how to create and rate learning centers; (3) "Playroom Design Principles," focusing on light and color, planning, and modeling the playroom; (4) "Building Image"; (5) "Planning the Facility"; and (6) "Planning Outdoor Play," including play zones, planning outdoor play (POP), playground safety, playground document scale, and mapping children's behavior. 124p.
Exploring School Nature Areas. [Video](Project WILD, Gaithersburg, MD, 1994)
This 13-minute video was produced in cooperation with St. Olaf College's "School Nature Area Project." It is designed to inspire students and educators to take positive action for the environment, and it provides examples of outdoor classrooms around the country. It also shows how science, social studies, math, art, and other subject areas are reinforced in school nature areas.
TO ORDER:
Project WILD, 707 Conservation Lane, Suite 305; Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878; Tel: 301-527-8900.
Special Places; Special People: The Hidden Curriculum of School Grounds.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery Titman, Wendy (World Wide Fund for Nature, Surrey, England; Learning through Landscape Trust, Winchester, England , 1994)
The research project, Special Places; Special People, is designed to provide insight and advice in the management of schools and their grounds for the benefit of children. This document describes the project's research methodology and findings, explores some of the wider implications arising from the study, and suggests ways in which schools might embark upon effecting change. Research findings are discussed on how children read the external environment and school grounds. Issues arising from these findings examine the importance of school grounds to children in a modern society, the messages school grounds convey about the ethos of schools, and children's attitudes and behavior that are determined by the school grounds and the way they are managed. 140p.
WILD School Sites: A Guide to Preparing for Habitat Improvement Projects on School Grounds
(Project WILD, Gaithersburg, MD, 1993)
This guide helps students and teachers learn about the importance of biodiversity, understand the basic steps of creating a wildlife habitat, develop a plan for action, and gain community support. The goal of this guide is to assist educators and their students in using school grounds to take responsible action to improve their communities for people and wildlife. 64p.
TO ORDER:
Project WILD, 707 Conservation Lane, Suite 305, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, Tel:301-527-8900.
Plants for Play: A Plant Selection Guide for Children's Outdoor Environments.
Moore, Robin C. (MIG Communications, Berkeley, CA , 1993)
This book presents guidelines in the design and management of children's landscapes and reveals the importance of plants as a resource for play and child development. It identifies plants by function, i.e. their sensory values, play values, food production, seasonal interest, shade quality, screens against natural barriers, wildlife enhancement, erosion control, and drought tolerance. Poisonous plants and pesticides are addressed as is information on plant hardiness by geographic location. An index of plant names is included. 121p.
TO ORDER:
MIG Communications, 800 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710; Tel: 510-845-7549http://www.migcom.com/pages/products
Wildlife and the School Environment.
(Learning through Landscapes Trust, Winchester, England , 1992)
This booklet explores various ways that environmental learning opportunities can be created at elementary schools by utilizing school facilities and surrounding school grounds. The first two chapters include advice that educators can use to develop proposals for improving the school grounds' environmental condition and some basic principles to consider when using school grounds for environmental teaching. Subsequent chapters explain how to create environmental learning opportunities using not only the school building, but hard-surfaced areas, ponds, grasslands, wildflowers, insect gardens, and woodlands. Five case studies are included along with a list of additional resources for further information. 35p.
Play for All Guidelines: Planning, Design, and Management of Outdoor Play Settings for All Children. Second Edition.
Moore, Robin C., Ed.; Goltsman, Susan M., Ed.; Iacofano, Daniel S., Ed. (MIG Communications, Berkeley, CA. , 1992)
These guidelines assist professional designers, park and recreation managers, and community groups when making decisions about the planning, design, and ongoing management of children s public play environments. The guidelines are updated to meet or exceed the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act Guidelines (July 26, 1991) and the revised Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines (1991). The first two of four parts cover site planning and design, and setting design and management. Part 3 examines the Play For All guidelines being used to help rebuild a public playground with emphasis on improving accessibility and providing amenities for all people. Finally, Part 4 provides an overview of play programming and management for integration of all children. 300p.
TO ORDER:
MIG Communications, 800 Hearst Ave., Berkeley, CA 94710; Tel: 800-790-8444
Playground Design and Mainstreaming Issues: Beyond Ramps.
Esbensen, Steen B. (Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Denver, CO , 1991)
This paper identifies issues confronting early childhood educators who
want to integrate children with special needs with others, and the
implications of such integration for the design of outdoor play settings.
The paper focuses on the ambiguity involved when developmentally
appropriate practice in early childhood education meets trends in
playground design. It is emphasized that playground equipment needs to
provide opportunities and challenges appropriate to the age and
development of children. It is important to create an outdoor play setting
abundant in: (1) aspects of nature; (2) furniture and shade that allow for
creative and social experiences; (3) a variety of surface textures,
materials, and loose parts for children to touch and manipulate; and (4)
space that allows children to move around, interact with nature,
socialize, and challenge their physical dexterity. 6p.
Learning Through Landscapes: Using School Grounds as an Educational Resource.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/ Young, Kirsty (Learning Through Landscape Trust, Winchester, England , 1990)
All schools need a variety of size, shape, type, and texture in their grounds to provide an opportunity for play, study, and shelter. This booklet provides 13 case studies of English sites illustrating some of the most imaginative work taking place in school grounds, and outlines action plans for changing grounds. Photographs and design drawings of grounds accompany each entry. Also provided are a pull-out chart outlining the grounds design action plan and information about the Learning Through Landscape Trust. 22p.
Planning Outdoor Play: A Manual Organized To Provide Design Assistance to Community Groups.
Sanoff, Henry (Humanics Limited, Atlanta, GA , 1982)
This manual, based on the collective experience of various community groups, explores the steps for planning community playgrounds from the original inspiration to the final workday. It covers the planning approach, including community meeting management, committee development, safety issues, equipment options, funding, site selection, and communication topics. Also addressed is publicity and putting the entire plan into action. Appendices present a playground design game, handmade equipment layout planning, and a case study of the design process. 97p.
TO ORDER:
Humanics Limited, P.O. Box 7447, Atlanta, GA 30309
School Zone: Learning Environments for Children
Taylor, Anne P.; Vlastos, George (School Zone Publishing Company, New York, NY , 1975)
Architectural solutions to some educational problems are explored and a systematic
method is presented for designing schools as learning environments for children.
The book demonstrates a way of using
curriculum as a design determinant and offers design ideas based on experimental
research. Based on the assumption that physical setting does contribute to learning, it
suggests ways to modify indoor and outdoor educational spaces so that they are an
integral part of the learning process. 144p.
Places for Environmental Education. A Report.
http://archone.tamu.edu/CRS/engine/archive_files/EFL/6000.0225.pdf (Educational Facilities Laboratories, New York, NY , Jul 1971)
Compiles conference discussions on the implications of various types of facilities on environmental education programs. The conference participants included architects, landscape architects, planners, government leaders and educators. The consensus of these 26 participants can be summarized as follows: 1) environmental education is not just a passing fad; 2) facilities facilitate learning; 3) the methodology of environmental education is best centered around an interdisciplinary approach; 4) major capital expenditures are not necessary for schools to mount effective programs in environmental education. 19p.
Farm to Fork. [School Lunches Go Back to the Land.]
http://www.edutopia.org/green-schools-food-service-environment Smith, Fran Edutopia; v5 n6 , p34-38 ; Dec 2009
Profiles the work of Anthony Geraci in the the Baltimore School District. He first converted the menu to present more locally sourced and fresh food. He then created the student-operated Great Kids Farm Up within abandoned city-owned greenhouses. Progress in creating a more sustainable and lower-waste food service in three additional U.S. school systems is also discussed.
Exploring Outdoor Education and Research in Architecture.
Rodriguez, Pedro; Boehme, Luis Open House International; v34 n1 , p94-103 ; Mar 2009
Examines a few exemplary cases from an ongoing series of trials, started in 1999 by the Department of Architecture at the Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, to assess the effective integration of outdoor learning environments with local studio-based learning culture. Architectural design pedagogy persistently looks outside the classroom for real-world problems to deal with, and exemplary solutions to learn from. Studio-based learning alternately takes place between indoor and outdoor environments as well as built and natural environments. The use of outdoor workspaces where students may generate and test their design proposals strengthens the case for a better understanding of human habitability and environmental sustainability. Nonetheless, outdoor activities are traditionally confined to on-site information gathering, whereas design and evaluation processes are carried out indoors simply as a desk-bound activity. In these cases, the empirical evidence to back up the problem modeling and the design decisions made inside the studio classroom is missing. In mainstream architecture education, indoor and outdoor learning experiences are operationally dissociated. The intent to create real outdoor studio classrooms not only opens a new research field in learning space design, but new challenges to the studio-based learning culture.
TO ORDER:
http://www.openhouse-int.com/volissudisplay.php?xvolno=34_1
The Building as the Teacher.
Mason, Craig Educational Facility Planner; v43 n4 , p31,32,34-36 ; 2009
Profiles Pioneer Middle School in DuPont, Washington. Through collaboration with administration and teachers, the building became a learning tool stressing environmental stewardship. Signage explaining how design reduces the building’s environmental impact, touchscreens that illustrate the buildings utilities usage, and outdoor learning areas are described.
Learning Outside the Classroom.
Nichols, Helen 21 Century Schools; v4 n1 , p47-57 ; 2009
Explores some of the drivers for change in outdoor learning, and reviews some British examples with pupil-led choice and responsibility at the heart of each offer. Examples include an inner-city nursery and children’s center, an early childhood school, two sustainable elementary schools, a secondary comprehensive school of engineering, and a city farm.
Playful, but Not a Playground.
Carlock, Marty Landscape Architecture; v98 n12 , p86B93 ; Dec 2008
Profiles the Boston Children's Museum's outdoor plaza, which provides an educational play area. The installation includes a pavement maze, native gardens, and rock formations.
Planning Ideas to Consider Prior to Construction and Renovation.
http://www.facilitymanagement.com/articles/design1-1008.html Releford, Devin American School and Hospital Facility; v31 n5 , p14,16,18 ; Sep-Oct 2008
Profiles thoughtful new landscaping and renovations at Atlanta's Lovett School, where scattered parking was consolidated into a new deck, creating room for LEED-certified new and renovated buildings and athletic fields, as well as a more sustainable landscape that includes stormwater retention and an outdoor learning environment.
Nature's Classroom.
http://www.peterli.com/spm/resources/articles/archive.php?article_id=1869 Beuttell, Kevin School Planning and Management; v47 n7 , p22-25 ; Jul 2008
Describes the advantages of natural landscaping on school grounds, including lower maintenance costs, environmental friendliness, and opportunities for outdoor learning. Advice on site selection and preparation, plant selection, and maintenance is included.
The Benefits of a Campus Arboretum.
http://www.peterli.com/cpm/resources/articles/archive.php?article_id=1875 Kollie, Ellen College Planning and Management; v11 n7 , p22-25 ; Jul 2008
Discusses the benefits of a campus arboretum to beautification, student and employee recruitment and retention, education, donor cultivation, school-community relations, historic preservation, and even food production. Advice on planning, funding, and maintaining an arboretum is also included.
Grounds for Health: The Intersection of Green School Grounds and Health-Promoting Schools.
Bell, Anne C.; Dyment, Janet E. Environmental Education Research; v14 n1 , p77-90 ; Feb 2008
Despite the growing body of research on green school grounds, relatively little has been written about their relationship with health promotion, particularly from a holistic health perspective. This paper explores the power and potential of green school grounds to promote health and well-being and to be an integral element of multifaceted, school-based health promotion strategies. Specifically,it brings together recent research to examine green school grounds as places where the interests of educators and children's health advocates can meet, inform and support one another. Highlights the growing body of evidence that green school grounds, as a school setting, can contribute to children's physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being.
TO ORDER:
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a790536911~db=all~order=page
Building Blueprints: Connect with Courtyards.
Lentz, Michael; Monberg, Gregory School Planning and Management; v46 n12 , p44,45 ; Dec 2007
Reviews benefits of thoughtfully designed school courtyards, and typical uses such as dining, outdoor learning, and special events. Suggestions for design, security, technology integration, and maintenance are included.
Landscape to Educate.
http://www.peterli.com/archive/spm/1622.shtm Jacobson, John School Planning and Management; v46 n10 , p20,22,24,25,27 ; Oct 2007
Reviews opportunities for community use and outdoor learning through thoughtful design of the school facility landscape. Examples of how three Maine schools provide outdoor learning and community access to athletic fields are included.
How Does Your Schoolyard Grow?: A Green Playground Extends the Classroom Outdoors.
http://www.edutopia.org/sustainable-schoolyard-design Rapaport, Richard Edutopia; Oct 01, 2007
Profiles the natural schoolyard and playground features of San Francisco schools, including a water pump set in a plot of dirt ready to make mud for castles, dams, flood plains, and related projects, as well as an edible schoolyard and planting of formerly asphalt areas. The movement to "green" California schoolyards is profiled also.
Your Outdoor Spaces.
http://www.childcareexchange.com/resources/view_article.php?article_id=5017706 Exchange: The Early Childhood Leaders' Magazine ; n177 , p76-81 ; Sep-Oct 2007
This article presents a sampling of great design ideas, using photographs and brief descriptions, of creative elements incorporated into outdoor environments. The design ideas were sent by readers of "ExchangeEveryDay" e-newsbrief from their early childhood programs and include the following: (1) pathway, garden, sound, or texture features; (2) elements that invite exploration, physical challenge; (3) special places for social interaction; (4) solutions to a challenging problem; and (5) ideas for inclusion.
The Feel of a Watershed.
Viani, Lisa Landscape Architecture; v97 n8 , p24,26-28,30-32,34-39 ; Aug 2007
Profiles the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, which teaches Seattle area students about their water supply, the watershed they live in, the water cycle, and conservation. Building and landscape features, as well as portions of the educational program are discussed.
Variety Is the Spice of Education! (Part 1)
http://www.schooldesigner.com/Articles Schooldesigner Newsletter; n11 ; Jul 2007
Addresses design of outdoor learning spaces, citing several exmplary American learning landscapes. Design basics, landscaping, and connection to their respective adjacent indoor spaces are discussed.
Four Strong Schools: Developing a Sense of Place through School Architecture.
http://www.ijea.org/v8i1/ Upitis, Rena International Journal of Education & the Arts; v8 i1 , p1-16 ; Jun 2007
The premise is that students should be schooled in built and natural environments that afford them ways of understanding how their daily physical actions and social choices affect the earth. Views of prominent philosophers and scholars in support of this premise are described. Next, four cases illustrate how schools can provide students with opportunities to develop ecological mindfulness through practical activities that are enhanced by natural and built environments. The examples--from Canada, the United States, and Australia--span the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of education. It is concluded that schools and curricula that focus on a sense of place are able to support the practical activities that lead to meaningful relationships between members of the community, and between people and the land. [Authors' abstract]
A New Urbanist Model of Learning.
http://www.peterli.com/archive/spm/1398.shtm VanderVoort, Mark School Planning and Management; v46 n6 , p74-77 ; Jun 2007
Profiles the Walker Creek Elementary School in North Richland Hills, Texas. The new school in a new residential development is conceived as a community center, and features outdoor learning areas, team teaching studios, informal gathering spaces, and commons areas instead of corridors.
Going "Green" for Sustainability's Sake.
http://www.learningbydesign.biz Learning By Design; n16 , p182 ; 2007
Narrates the experience of the Whitmore Lake, Michigan, community in building a LEED-certified high school that included preservation and moving of an historic farmhouse on the site and construction of a pond onsite that serves as a stormwater retention basin, outdoor classroom, and a component of a geothermal HVAC system.
How to Get Started with a School Garden Project.
http://www.howtodothings.com/home-garden Nicholson, Casey (HowToDoThings.com, Seattle, WA, 2007)
Advises on organizing a school gardening project, including choosing the location, obtaining the supplies, plant selection, and land preparation. 2p.
A New Slant on Preschool.
http://archrecord.construction.com/schools/0701_CS1_montessori-1.asp Sullivan, C. C. Architectural Record; Supplement , p104,105 ; Jan 2007
Profiles the custom prefabricated construction of the two-classroom Montessori Children's Center in San Francisco The spatial programming and design ideas respond to the curriculum by emphasizing the connection to nature and the distinction between indoors and outdoor. Plans, photographs, and a list of project participants are included.
Educational Facilities for Young Children.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/62/33/37697238.pdf Meade, Anne PEB Exchange; , p1-5 ; Nov 2006
Examines Maori cultural influences on indoor/outdoor spaces a learning in a New Zealand school, along with a multi-faith, multi-needs campus in Scotland that emphasizes shared facilities.
Why Outdoor Spaces for Children Matter So Much.
Wike, James Child Care Exchange; Sep-Oct 2006
Describes principles learned by a team of landscape architects and educators working together to provide outdoor settings for child care centers and schools. Case study of
a demonstration outdoor classroom in Nebraska City, Nebraska, that serves children from ages 2 to 10.
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Landscape Learning.
http://web.archive.org/web/20070706212738 Black, Susan American School Board Journal; v193 n3 , p46-48 ; Mar 2006
Describes a variety of school grounds landscaped for outdoor learning and the benefits these environments offer. Reluctance in some areas to create these environments is cited, as is research and observation into the nature and benefit of play to learning. A list of signs that indicate a successful learning landscape is included.
Down and Dirty.
http://www.edutopia.org/down-dirty Lucas, Cheri Edutopia; v2 n2 ; Mar 2006
Describes how schools have used schoolyard gardens to teach math, biology, and local history.
Seeds of Learning.
http://www.nea.org/home/12210.htm Flannery, Mary Ellen NEA Today; v24 n5 , p32,33 ; Feb 2006
Describes an elementary school classroom garden in Huntsville, Alabama, and the teacher and resources that made it happen. Tips for getting started are offered.
"Don't Come Too Close to My Octopus Tree": Recording and Evaluating Young Children's Perspectives on Outdoor Learning.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/16_2/16_2_08_OctopusTree.pdf Waller, Tim Children, Youth and Environments; v16 n2 , p75-104 ; 2006
Examines how children's experiences of an outdoor project can challenge our understanding of participation. It discusses and evaluates participative approaches and the inter-relationship between children's spaces, pedagogy and research. A critical discussion of participatory research with, rather than on, children, acknowledges children's agency and develops the concept of "children's spaces" in participatory research and early years' pedagogy. The paper also discusses the implications for adult roles and methodological design and suggests a model for research as an interpretive process of co-constructed knowledge starting from children's perspectives.
The Influence of School Architecture and Design on the Outdoor Play Experience within the Primary School
Armitage, Marc Paedagogica Historica ; v41 n4-5 , p535 - 553 ; Aug 2005
Since the very earliest times, schools have provided a place (the playground) and a time (playtimes) in which children can have time away from the direct involvement of adults and formal learning. Although the basic design of school grounds has changed in a number of ways over the years, from the subtle to the more direct, what effect these changes have had on the overall education of the child is less clear. Research has identified a number of positive effects on leaning that playtimes and the informal use of school grounds provides, yet it is also clear that schools themselves often greatly under-use this potential, or even actively restrict access to it, as a counter to what is often seen as the ‘problem’ of playtime. This paper will draw on recent research into ‘what’ happens on school playgrounds and ‘where’ it happens, using visual examples from the UK. The findings from this research will explore the direct links that have been found between school building design and children’s use of the outdoor environment for play. [Author's abstract]
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Living Curriculum-A New Concept in Green Building Design and Education.
Dolan, Thomas School Planning and Management; v44 n5 , pGB16,GB18,GB20 ; May 2005
Describes a school-based program that uses rainwater for toilets and sinks, then passes it through a variety of biological purification systems that are studied and cultivated for plant and animal life.
Learning Science Firsthand.
http://web.archive.org/web/20060323185449 Hankin, Carole; Sachs, Randi American School Board Journal; v192 n5 , p54-56 ; May 2005
Describes the Syosset Central School District's Geological and Ecological Research Facility (GERF), where a nondescript high school courtyard was turned into a science teaching laboratory with a variety of plant and mineral specimens. Students from of all grade levels from a variety of schools also use the facility.
Nature: The Space Provider.
Forstad, Anders Children in Europe; n8 , p14,15 ; Apr 2005
Discusses the pedagogic possibilities of nature, citing a Norwegian kindergarten that conducts a great deal of its program outdoors, even in bad weather.
Big Dots, Little Dumpsters.
Freeman, Allen Landscape Architecture; v95 n2 , p22,24-29 ; Feb 2005
Reviews the design of the "learning garden" at New York City's largest elementary school, PS 19 in Queens. The existing corrugated metal classrooms were painted with colorful random dots, corresponding circles were cut out of the asphalt schoolyard and planted, and many small dumpsters were installed as planters that are tended by individual classrooms.
The Edible Schoolyard.
http://www.edutopia.org/node/1131 Furger, Roberta Edutopia Online; Mar 11, 2004
On the campus of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, in Berkeley, California, students grow and prepare their own school lunches, getting a "seed to table experience" that reinforces the connection between the earth and the food we eat. The program is inspired and led by Alice Waters, organic chef and owner of Berkeley's Chez Panisse restaurant.
Transforming Inner-City School Grounds: Lessons from Learning Landscapes.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/14_1/fieldreports/field3.pdf Brink, Lois; Yost, Bambi Children, Youth and Environments; v14 n1 , p208-232 ; 2004
Relates the history of Denver's first Learning Landscapes project, at an elementary school, and the aftermath of its success as the program spread to schools throughout the district. The objectives, funding, educational programming, types of ecosystems created, social outcomes, and the role of the University of Colorado, Denver, are described, Includes 20 references.
Extending and Augmenting Scientific Enquiry through Pervasive Learning Environments.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/14_2/article4.pdf Rogers, Yvonne; Price, Sara Children, Youth and Environments; v14 n2 , p67-83 ; 2004
Presents findings from the Ambient Wood project where a woodland was transformed into a pervasive learning environment, enabling students to integrate and practice their scientific enquiry skills outdoors. The pervasive learning environment employs wireless and mobile technologies in the field to better integrate the various scientific processes. Traditionally, students have undertaken physical activities like discovering, collecting and recording of environmental/ biological processes in the field while higher level processes, such as analyzing, reasoning and predicting, have occurred afterward, when back in the classroom or lab. In combining these processes the goal is to encourage students to use more holistic, creative, and flexible forms of reasoning about the interdependencies underlying system processes. Includes 31 references.
Korea's School Grounds Project.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/48/26/34282934.pdf PEB Exchange; v2003/3 n50 , p19-20 ; Oct 2003
Briefly describes Korea's Green School Project and School Forest Pilot Project. Provides contact for more information.
Stewardship Begins at School.
http://www.asla.org/lamag/lam03/june/ecology.html Danks, Sharon Gamson Landscape Architecture; v93 n6 , p42-48 ; Jun 2003
Describes the ecological schoolyard of Cowick First School in Exeter, England. Asserts that it is among the best examples of well-rounded, hands-on ecological education.
Ross School, Ross, California.
http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/K-12/ Architectural Record; v191 n3 ; Mar 2003
Describes the title school building by EHDD Architecture, including the educational context and design goals. Includes information on the architects, manufacturers/suppliers, and construction team; a general building description; and a commentary on the design. Also includes the floor plan and photographs. A model of sustainable design is realized in this classroom addition that features daylighting. In lieu of air-conditioning, sloped roofs have an integral radiant barrier and flat roofs have single-ply white roofing both to reduce heat gain. Extensive native planting in the courtyard includes a habitat garden designed to attract a variety of insects and bird species and used in the education of the students. [Free subscriber registration is required.]
Grounds for Learning.
http://www.learningbydesign.biz/2003/grounds.html Corson, Cheryl Learning By Design; n12 , p12-14 ; 2003
Describes initiatives, including public private partnerships, in which existing schools are transforming their grounds into outdoor learning spaces. Discusses the recreational, social, academic, political, and environmental rationales for such efforts and how to get started. Also offers a list of additional resources.
Building Better Schools.
http://asumag.com/mag/university_building_better_schools/ Kennedy, Mike American School and University; v75 n5 , p30-35 ; Jan 2003
Offers ten ideas for schools and universities before embarking on a new construction project: defining a school, shared space, sustainability, outdoor landscape, geoexchange, a variety of spaces, student-oriented space, technology, community use, and security.
Children's Environmental Learning and the Use, Design and Management of Schoolgrounds.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/13_2/Malone_Tranter/ChildrensEnvLearning.htm Malone, Karen; Tranter, Paul Children, Youth and Environments; v13 n2 ; 2003
Examines school grounds as sites for play and environmental learning. It is based on a three-year project that involved 50 eight- to ten-year-old children at five Australian primary schools. Data collection occurred through multiple methods, including behavior mapping of children's play, interviews with children and teachers, and analysis of children's drawings of their school grounds. The findings show large variations between the schools, particularly in the types of play and environmental learning in which children engage. These variations are related to variations in the physical qualities of the schoolground, but the school philosophies concerning the use and management of the outdoor school environment are equally or more important. Includes 62 references.
Assignment: Eco-Friendly Campuses.
Calkins, Meg Landsape Architecture; v92 n7 , p38,40,42,43,90,91 ; Jul 2002
Discusses how institutions of higher education can use their campus environments as a teaching tool and laboratory for finding solutions to environmental dilemmas and ensure that their campus operations, including the landscape, are exemplary models of environmental practice--even if it means far fewer expanses of lawn. Includes a list of resources.
The "Nutritional Value" of the Outdoor Environment.
Christenson, James E. Facilities Manager; v18 n4 , p58,60 ; Jul-Aug 2002
Describes the incorporation of nature into Asia's urban areas and discusses the philosophy of Jens Jensen, a landscape architect who advocated use of native plants and small, scattered parks. Explores implications for campus facilities managers.
Greening from the Top Down.
Oberndorfer, Erica Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education; v14 n2 , p9-11 ; Spring 2002
Green roofs, with their topsoil and plants, improve insulation, filter air, reduce water runoff, and provide habitat for urban wildlife. They are compatible with schools because they save energy; schools' flat roofs are conducive to greening; and green roofs can be outdoor classrooms for botany, ecology, and energy efficiency. Although scarce in America, green roofs are common in Germany.
Rio Del Norte School, Oxnard, California.
http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/K-12/ Architectural Record; v190 n2 ; Feb 2002
The first new school built locally in over 35 years, Rio Del Norte School realized that critical to their success was the inclusion of the community in the planning process. Classrooms have been designed by Dougherty + Dougherty Architects to cluster around "tech" centers that encourage interaction, team projects, and group learning. Each cluster is linked to an outdoor classroom space that allows the teacher to take the students out of their traditional setting. Includes information on the architects, manufacturers/suppliers, and construction team; a general building description; and a commentary on the design. Also includes the floor plan and photographs. [Free subscriber registration is required.]
Courtyard Oases: Ecology at the Heart of the School.
http://www.asla.org/nonmembers/lam/lamarticles02/january02/ecology.html Danks, Sharon Gamson Landscape Architecture; v92 n1 , p36,38-41 ; Jan 2002
Explores ecologically planned school yards that provide students with places of wonder and exciting things to study, play with, and explore. The article describes three school courtyards that illustrate how schools can transform asphalt playgrounds and paved staff parking lots into stimulating play and learning areas for students.
The Great Outdoors.
http://asumag.com/mag/university_environmental_great_outdoors/ Layton, Rob American School and University; v74 n3 , p358-9 ; Nov 2001
Explains how outdoor learning opens new possibilities for expanding educational opportunities. Explores various lifelong skills that can be learned from outdoor environments, and presents ways to expand classrooms beyond the school building.
Schoolyard Lessons: More and More Schools Are Finding Ways To Take Education
Outdoors.
Boss, Suzie Northwest Education; v6 n4 , p37-38 ; Summer-Fall 2001
School gardens can teach kids about cooperation, nature, science, creativity, and
community service. Gardens also help teachers address students' diverse needs and interests.
Tips for school gardeners include: make it easy to use, keep groups small, be inclusive, build
partnerships, have clear rules, think year-round, have fun, and celebrate beauty.
An Educational Environment.
Hammatt, Heather Landscape Architecture; v91 n6 , p18 ; Jun 2001
Describes the development of a new 6,000 square foot outdoor learning environment at Cottage Lake Elementary School in Woodinville, WA, devoted to environmental education. The space includes a butterfly habitat, compost area and salmon habitat garden (4 illustrations included).
A Wide, Green Classroom.
http://web.archive.org/web/20060907174405 Singleton, Giles Clemson World Magazine; Apr 2001
This describes an outdoor learning project that is a partnership between Clemson University, South Carolina, and the community at Clemson Elementary. The project is being planned by faculty, parents and the children themselves. The grounds will feature four courtyards based on favorite books: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden and the Harry Potter series. Each includes scenes from the book, an outdoor classroom area and complementary plantings.
Into the Woods, Wetlands, and Prairies.
Tanner, C. Kenneth Educational Leadership; v58 n7 , p64-66 ; Apr 2001
Research shows that when students learn in outdoor settings (compared to classrooms), they learn more quickly, appreciate the experience more, and retain skills longer.
This article describes the University of Georgia's School Design and Planning Laboratory, a Georgia middle school's living history/wetlands project, and two other outdoor-learning programs.
Outdoor Learning Environments: Public Art.
Gould, Bill School Planning and Management; v40 n3 , p58-59 ; Mar 2001
Explores the use of student-generated outdoor art as a vehicle for building students' hands-on experiences in public art and architecture that can augment in-class work. Choosing activity levels that are age appropriate is addressed.
Playgrounds: They're Not Just for Fun Anymore.
Rittner-Heir, Robbin M. School Planning and Management; v40 n2 , p61-64 ; Feb 2001
Describes a playground classroom that helps children maximize their learning experiences through outdoor play activities while also offering opportunities for social interaction.
Mind Games.
Hammatt, Heather Landscape Architecture; v91 n1 , p70-77,89 ; Jan 2001
Discusses how an urban renewal project created a playground for the mind, inspiring the study of science, math, and technology. The area s use of its natural surroundings to inspire curiosity and evoke an interest in learning by stimulating the senses is described. Photos and diagrams are included.
Integrating Curriculum: The Cesar Chavez Garden.
http://web.archive.org/web/20031217184237 Marcellino, Sara EcoLiteracy News; Winter-Spring 2001
Describes a garden project at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in San Francisco, California. In this urban location , teachers are succeeding in using a garden to practice progressive educational theory while the garden's lessons remain linked to the classroom.
Ecological Schoolyards.
Danks, Sharon Gamson Landscape Architecture; v90 n11 , p42,44-47 ; Nov 2000
Presents design guidelines and organizational and site principles for creating schoolyards where students can learn about ecology. Principles for building schoolyard ecological systems are described.
Minimal, Not Simple
Bennett, Paul Landscape Architecture; v90 n6 , p22,24,26-27 ; Jun 2000
This article features a courtyard design for the Thomas Prince Elementary School in Princeton Center, Massachusetts, winner of a 1999 design award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Design decisions, plant selections, financing and construction, and the involvement of volunteer labor are discussed.
Grounds for Change: Learning through Landscapes in Britain.
Lucas, Bill NAMTA Journal (North American Montessori Teachers' Association); v20 n2 , p53-57 ; Spring-Summer 2000
Discusses the role of the Learning through Landscapes organization in Britain, which emphasizes the
importance of suitable school grounds and gardens for the effective environmental education of children. Also discusses briefly how school grounds can be used in geography, science, mathematics, and physical education instruction.
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Naturalization Service.
http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/ Dahlgren, Sally Athletic Business; v24 n1 , p32-33 ; Jan 2000
Explores how community parks and schools can cooperate to create natural environments for their schools. Examples are provided of schoolyard improvement partnerships for elementary schools. [Free registration required.]
Water, Water Everywhere!
Sible, Kathleen P. Young Children; v55 n1 , p64-66 ; Jan 2000
Describes how problems with water drainage on the playground, and the
resulting puddles, provided a wealth of learning opportunities, children's fun, family-school
communication, and challenges for one early childhood program.
Make the Most of Your Schoolyard
Coffee, Stephen R.; Rivkin, Mary S. Principal; v79 n2 , p31-32,33-35 ; Nov 1999
With the "greening of the schoolyard" gathering
momentum, it is important to build an understanding between
educators and facilities managers. Principals are advised to
avoid surprises, consider costs, plan for long-term
maintenance, consider safety and liability, address concerns
about physical security, and keep the neighbors happy.
Wilbert Snow School, Middletown, Connecticut.
Weathersby, William, Jr. Architectural Record; , p118-121 ; Nov 1999
Describes a Connecticut elementary school design that integrates the natural outdoor environment with the school, unites several buildings into a unified whole, and preserves forest pathways for public use. Photos and a floor plan are included.
Tutored by the Great Outdoors at a Southern Pines Playground
http://web.archive.org/web/20060414021947/http://naturalearning.org/nytimes.html Raver, Anne New York Times; Oct 07, 1999
The playground at Southern Pines Elementary School used to be four acres of thorny, barren land and some rickety play equipment. With the collaboration of children, parents, teachers and community members, guided by Robin Moore, an
urban planner who teaches in the school of design at North Carolina State University, the site is now a complete learning environment and playground used by the school and local community.
Developing Our Y.A.R.D. for Observing, Writing, and Other Learning Activities.
Stoicovy, Donnan; Kerrick, Kathy; Ankney, Jennifer PAEE Journal; v7 n3 , p12-13 ; Oct 1999
Discusses the Youth Activity and Recreational Development (YARD) Center
project, one school's efforts to return their school grounds to a more natural state in order to
support integrated learning in a natural area, provide an environmental education workstation and
writing laboratory, and have an aesthetically pleasing area for students and teachers to enjoy.
Schoolyard Habitat Sustainability: Discouraging Vandalism
Stout, Beth Clearing; n105 , p29-31 ; Fall 1999
Discusses vandalism to schoolyard habitat site areas. Finds that instances of
vandalism are few and the threat of vandalism can be kept to a minimum while students,
teachers, and community members enjoy a hands-on, outdoor learning opportunity.
Environmental Learning Centers: A Template
Vozick, Eric Taproot; v11 n4 p14-17 Sum 1999 , p14-17 ; Summer 1999
Provides a working model, or template, for community-based environmental learning centers (ELCs). The template presents a philosophy as well as a plan for staff and administration operations, educational programming, and financial support. The template also addresses "green" construction and maintenance of buildings and grounds and includes a natural resources inventory. Financing of ELCs should emphasize local community support.
Boston Effort Adds Some Green To Playground Blacktop.
http://www.edweek.com/ew/1999/39play.h18 Keller, Bess Education Week; Jun 09, 1999
In four years, the Boston Schoolyard Initiative has helped 16 schools convert their bleak grounds into spaces for play and learning that are open to the neighborhood as well as the school. Another 30 or so schools have embarked on the process.
The Schoolyard: Not Just for Recess Anymore.
Coffee, Stephen R. School Planning and Management; v38 n3 , p34, 37 ; Mar 1999
Explains the planning involved for converting a school's outdoor spaces into extended science classrooms. It addresses planning the schoolyard environment, arguing that the natural environment should be considered early in the planning phase, and stakeholder cooperation and adapting to changes that can affect the investment being made. Helpful websites conclude the article.
Arlington Rediscovers the Schoolyard.
http://www.arlingtonenvironment.org/programs/enviroed/article.htm Coffee, Stephen R. (Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment, Arlington, VA, 1999)
Discusses the activities of several Arlington County schools to utilize their outdoor environment, change their design and function, and incorporate the school's educational program into outdoor education. 5p.
Getting Physical.
Peterson, Erin Athletic Business; v22 n12 , p51,53-56 ; Dec 1998
Discusses how high schools are responding to the decline in student physical fitness with new facilities that attract students to fitness. Use of alternative sports, e.g., hiking, climbing, and in-line skating is discussed; as are creating new facilities that encourage student use through technology; and integrating physical education with other subject areas.
Learning under the Sky
Bishop, Axel American School Board Journal; v185 n10 , p38-40 ; Oct 1998
Statutes in at least 30 states require environmental education. Schoolyard
ecosystems bring nature into the everyday life of students and teachers. Describes some
outdoor sites in Colorado and lists information sources.
Hands in the Dirt and Hearts in the Community: Developing Successful Partnerships for Urban Environmental Education
Ballard, Crystie; Tong, Collin; Usher, Laurie Clearing; n101 , p18-20 ; Apr-May 1998
Describes an urban environmental stewardship project undertaken by students at a Seattle public school in an effort to make their school more beautiful, their environment more healthy, and their learning more tangible. In partnership with neighbors and the community, students transformed a section of the school grounds into a garden refuge. Interdisciplinary exercises fostered critical observation, cooperative decision making, and communication skills.
Green Laboratory Schools.
Pope, Jonathan Clearing; n101 , p24-25 ; Apr-May 1998
Presents schools as the perfect microcosms of the world of the 1990s: most work is done indoors, many resources are consumed, and schools sit surrounded by large chunks of land mostly devoted to grass and parking. Suggests that a school can serve as two perfect environmental education laboratories, one indoor and one outdoor. Describes how to design environmental education in these laboratories.
School Grounds
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/17/23/1821406.pdf PEB Exchange; n33 , p11-14 ; Feb 1998
Describes the direct effect between the way school grounds are designed and
managed, and the behavior and attitudes of the pupils. Discusses several countries' initiatives
regarding school grounds, the "Learning through Landscape Trust" program of the United Kingdom,
and findings from a conference regarding the importance of school grounds in education.
Developing Your School Grounds: A Planning Primer
Clearing; n100 , p.11-13 ; Jan-Feb 1998
Describes the planning steps and other practical considerations to establish successful trails, outdoor
classrooms, or other environmental education improvements on school grounds. Steps include determining needs and methods for promoting projects, resources, site assessment, property lines, safety, and maintenance. Possible projects described include greenhouses, butterfly gardens, wildlife-oriented projects, historical/cultural interpretation, and learning stations.
Building a Pond on the School Grounds
Pope, Jonathan Clearing; n100 , p14-15 ; Jan-Feb 1998
Describes the efforts of two teachers to construct a pond and woods on school grounds. The teachers
used specialized student teams for working on a wetland study and the building project. An advisory committee including teachers, the principal, and the custodian worked through maintenance issues. Includes ideas for creating outdoor science centers.
The Need for Nature: A Childhood Right
Moore, Robin Social Justice; v24 n3 , p203-20 ; Summer 1997
Discusses the factors restricting access to the outdoors and the social and
environmental aspects of the changing ecology of childhood. It calls for a new sense of
child-biosphere relations and points to the international conventions and other venues where this
theme is being taken up.
"Environments for Special Needs." Beginning Workshop.
Bunnett, Rochelle; And Others Child Care Information Exchange; n114 , p41-50,55-64 ; Mar-Apr 1997
Presents five articles examining creation of environments that address children's special needs: (1) "Getting to the
Heart of the Matter" (on changing from a deficit model to a competence model); (2) "Enhancing the Environment for All
Children"; (3) "Using Your Senses to Adapt Environments"; (4) "More Than a Playground: Accessible Outdoor Learning
Centers"; and (5) "Interest Areas Support Individual Learning."
Transforming School Grounds into Natural Learning Environments
Keetch, Tammy Clearing; n94 , p8-9 ; Aug-Sep 1996
Discusses the benefits as well as the concerns of changing traditional asphalt and turf grass grounds into educational resources. Benefits include an opportunity for hands-on learning, a softer and more creative area for play, a reduction in school ground violence among students, an ecologically improved landscape, and a reduction in maintenance requirements with a chemical free landscape.
Outdoor Classrooms: The Learning Links
Reading, Jeff; Taven, George Clearing; n94 , p11-13 ; Aug-Sep 1996
Discusses creating an outdoor classroom as a means to enhance the curriculum with outdoor, hands-on
learning. It is based on a project at Olympic Heights Elementary School in Calgary. Includes a list of pointers on how an outdoor classroom can integrate language arts, math, science, social studies, health, physical education, art and music.
Outdoor Settings for Playing and Learning: Designing School Grounds to Meet the Needs of the Whole Child and Whole Curriculum.
Moore, Robin C. NAMTA Journal (North American Montessori Teachers' Association); v21 n3 , p97-120 ; Summer-Fall 1996
Presents a list of imaginative design options for optimal outdoor learning as well as intimate contact with
nature. Focuses on entrances, pathways, signage and displays, barriers and enclosures, manufactured equipment and play structures, multipurpose game settings, ground covers and safety surfaces, landforms and topography, trees and vegetation, gardening settings, animal habitats, aquatic settings, and performance settings.
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Amphibian Oasis: Designing and Building a Schoolyard Pond
Gosselin, Heather; Johnson, Bob Green Teacher; n48 , p9-12 ; Jun 1996
Building a pond in a schoolyard is a rewarding way to help boost local populations of amphibians, to
increase the natural value of school grounds, and to serve as a locale for observing the life cycles of plants, invertebrates, and amphibians. This article outlines important considerations in designing and building a pond from siting through maintenance.
[Schoolyards]
Green Teacher; n47 , p1-50 ; Apr-May 1996
Special issue of bi-monthly journal devoted to transforming school grounds. Articles include: Outdoor Classrooms-the Learning Links; International Snapshots of Schoolyard Projects; Creating a Schoolyard Tree Nursery; Butterfly Gardens; How Schoolyards Influence Behavior;and Exploring Wetlands.
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Master Gardener Classroom Garden Project: An Evaluation of the Benefits to Children.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/12_2/12_2article9.pdf Alexander, Jacquelyn; North, Mary-Wales; Hendren, Deborah Children's Environments; v12 n2 , p123-133 ; Jun 1995
Analyzes data collected on 52 second and third grade students participating in this project that provides inner-city children in the San Antonio Independent School District with an experiential way of learning about horticulture, gardening, themselves, and their relationships with their peers. Qualitative interviews indicate that participation in the gardening project has had many positive effects on the school children. The children have gained pleasure from watching the products of their labor flourish, and have had the chance to increase interactions with their parents and other adults. In addition, the children have learned the anger and frustration that occur when things of value are harmed out of neglect or violence. Includes six references.
Tierra Buena: The Creation of an Urban Wildlife Habitat in an Elementary School in the Inner City.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/12_2/12_2article7.pdf Bradley, Lucy Children's Environments; v12 n2 , p102-110 ; Jun 1995
Describes an urban wildlife habitat in central Phoenix, created by elementary school student parents, teachers, administrators, and the surrounding community. The students now spend time in a natural setting, interacting with adults modeling environmental stewardship, and learning a specific and general knowledge of ecology. They are taking personal responsibility for creating and protecting this habitat and are having a positive impact on their environment. Includes 13 references.
Learning through Landscapes: An Organization's Attempt to Move School Grounds to the Top of the Education Agenda.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/12_2/12_2article6.pdf Lucas, Bill Children's Environments; v12 n2 , p84-101 ; Jun 1995
Describes the development of Learning through Landscapes (LTL) from a research initiative into an independent national organization promoting the widespread development of school grounds. It outlines LTL's philosophy and suggests a model for managing the process of developing school grounds; explores LTL's program of activities by describing its publications, research, and projects; and outlines its various membership schemes for the 8,000 or so schools it serves in the United Kingdom. Includes 20 references.
The Case For More High School Gardens.
http://www.cityfarmer.org/highschool77.html#highschool Fang, Wei Urban Agriculture Notes; 1995
While the use of gardens as educational resources has been predominantly limited to primary schools, the skills gained through gardening are beneficial to students of all ages. Since they involve experiential and cooperative learning, school gardens have long been advocated as effective learning tools by many educational philosophers and reformers. The high school garden serves as a foundation from which valuable lessons about the environment are learned. In doing so, it fosters and strengthens a community. The communal, environmental, and social discoveries made in growing a vegetable garden provide academic and personal challenges for high school students. [Author's abstract]
Architecture's Impact on Learning
Christopher, Gaylaird School Administrator; v51 n6 , p14-18 ; Jun 1994
Recent studies show that built environment is a key element in a school's overall
success. Since today's educators promote a thinking-based, integrated curriculum,
the learning environment is especially important. Landscape architects can create
ecosystems for students to explore, study, and adapt. Structural engineers can create
lessons in physics, geometry, and stress analysis, illustrating plutonic principles in a
meaningful way.
Building the Better Playground.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1994/02/16/21play.h13.html Cohen, Deborah L. Education Week; Feb 16, 1994
This article covers design, safety and community involvement aspects of over 100 Alabama elementary school playgrounds built by community and school groups with guidance from Tom Jambor. Jambor is past-president of the American Association for the Child's Right to Play and childhood development psychology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. [Free subscriber registration is required.]
The Learning Environment as a Three-Dimensional Textbook.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/10_2/10_2article8.pdf Taylor, Anne Children's Environments; v10 n2 , p104-117 ; Dec 1993
Describes how learning environments can be more educationally and optimally useful if the architecture of the built, natural, and cultural environments are used as teaching tools. Discusses how structures and the surrounding landscape can be used to teach physics, geometry, and other disciplines, enabling students to learn how to evaluate the environment. Includes ten references.
School's Out! New Initiatives for British School Grounds.
http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/10_2/10_2article9.pdf Adams, Eileen Children's Environments; v10 n2 , p118-135 ; 1993
Describes the thinking behind current initiatives in the United Kingdom to improve environmental quality and educational opportunity in school grounds. It explains the ideas underpin the research and development program of Learning through Landscapes, and summarizes findings from the research report (Adams 1990b). Themes include: the use of school grounds in relation to formal, informal and hidden curricula; the design of school grounds as an educational resource; the development of school grounds; participation in the design process; and interprofessional collaboration in education. Examples of primary and secondary schools where pupils and teachers have worked together with other members of the school community, artists and designers to change their environment are provided. Includes six references.
Changing a Schoolyard: Intentions, Design Decisions, and Behavioral Outcomes.
Weinstein, Carol; Pinciotti, Patricia Environment and Behavior ; v20 n3 , p345-371 ; May 1988
Describes the construction of a tire playground on an empty, fenced-in blacktop that had served as the schoolyard for a small primary school. The parents' and designer's goals for the playground, the way the playground supported these goals, and the impact on the chilren's behavior are discussed. Includes 30 references.
Making Your School Site an Environmental Smorgasbord.
Carman, Sam Bradford Papers Annual; , p39-44 ; 1986
Offers suggestions for outdoor learning projects for schools with little to plentiful available outdoor land. These projects focus on observation and testing of environmental conditions and creating wildlife habitats.
American Association for the Child's Right to Play.
http://www.ipausa.org The American chapter of this international association focuses on environments for play emphasizing universal access, leisure time facilities, programs that develop the whole child, play leadership training, toys and play materials. IPA/USA publishes an international magazine, PlayRights, and a USA Newsletter, and holds conferences, symposia and workshops around the US.
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
http://online.asla.org/scriptcontent/index_find_firm.cfm An on-line directory of ASLA members and firms, searchable by firm name, practice type, city, or state. Landscape architects plan and design school grounds, outdoor classrooms, parking lots, athletic fields, playgrounds, walkways, fencing, and lighting. They are trained in handicap accessibility requirements for outdoor spaces. States have varying requirements regarding licensure for work performed by landscape architects.
Boston Schoolyard Initiative.
http://www.schoolyards.org This public/private partnership is funded by the City of Boston and a collaborative of local foundations to revitalize Boston's underutilized schoolyards. It features a participatory design process, the creation of outdoor classrooms, and a sustainable design focus.
Case Studies: Buildings and Grounds. [England]
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/casestudies/SubCatHome.cfm?id=126&sid=105 Case studies of projects in England developing and using the school grounds to teach sustainability lessons.
Childrens Landscape, Norway [Frode Svanes Barnas Landskap - Aktivt Arkiv]
http://www.barnas-landskap.org This website links to a wealth of sources on childrens landscapes, including schoolgrounds, installations in forests, participation projects, nature playgrounds, etc. It also contains articles on child friendly cities, deschooling, the future of schooling, children's participation, building sustainable cultures and architecture in education. Text is in both Norwegian and English.
EcoSchool Design
http://www.ecoschools.com/ EcoSchool Design seeks to assist schools, and those who care about them, in transforming paved schoolyards into vibrant ecosystems for outdoor learning. The website includes schoolyard design ideas and information published in articles, books, and on this website.
Edible Schoolyard
http://www.edibleschoolyard.org The Edible Schoolyard is a non-profit program located on the campus of Martin Luther King Junior Middle School in Berkeley, California. The website includes information on how the garden, kitchen, and classroom work, educational resources, and suggestions and tips.
EE-Link
http://eelink.net/ee-linkintroduction.html EE-Link is a project of the North American Association for Environmental Education, and serves as an information clearinghouse for environmental education on the Internet.
School facilities information and potential opportunities for funding is included.
Environment & School Initiatives (ENSI)
http://www.ensi.org A decentralized network of the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, in co-operation with PEB and New South Wales Dep't. of Educational and Training, Australia, devoted to redesigning school grounds for environmental learning and to promote this international movement.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Environmental Education
http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/index.html This U.S. agency Web site has information on regional environmental education programs, a federal grant program, a calendar, educator training and other related resources.
Evergreen Foundation: School Ground Greening Program
http://www.evergreen.ca/en/programs/schools A national program which, since 1993, has been helping Canadian schools to
transform parts of their traditional asphalt and turf grass grounds into inspiring places of learning and play. Web site includes a resource package with planning, curriculum, and fundraising information, plus information on ordering publications, videos, Green Teacher magazine, and how-to guides.
Garden ABC's: The School Garden Share-Site
http://www.gardenabcs.com/ GardenABCs.com is a share-site for educators, parents, and community leaders who want to start and maintain school garden projects. It features a new garden project each month, and regularly post links, grants, how-to guides, garden examples, classroom activities, curricula, workshops, etc.
Garden in Every School Registry.
http://www.kidsgardening.com/School/register.asp Throughout U.S. schools are using gardens, greenhouses, and schoolyard habitats to enrich learning. Sponsored by the National Gardening Association, the Registry documents these projects and facilitates connections with other educators and students.
Greening Canada's School Grounds Program
http://www.treecanada.ca/programs/school/index.htm A partnership of Shell Canada and Tree Canada provides school groups the information and financial resources to successfully plan and implement a greening school ground project, a place to learn about and experience the benefits of a healthy environment. Web site describes the benefits of creating educational landscapes, community involvement, steps to greening a school ground, frequently asked questions, and includes photos and quotes.
InnoPlay – Innovative Playful Learning Environments
http://www.ulapland.fi/?deptid=23296 InnoPlay is part of the multidisciplinary InnoSchool (Innovative School Concept of the Future) research consortium coordinated by the Helsinki University of Technology (SimLab). The goal of InnoPlay is to develop the concept of Playful Learning for the future school. The concept relates to outdoor playgrounds – Playful Learning Environments – enriched by technological tools (see www.smartus.fi ). The objective is to study how technological solutions and playground applications facilitate teaching and learning processes. The pedagogical model of Playful Learning can be applied to both formal and informal settings.
kidsgardening.com
http://www.kidsgardening.com Web site of the National Gardening Association (NGA) providing information on gardening with children, creating schoolyard gardens, examples of schoolyard garden habitats, curricula, and programs, youth gardening grants, and a free online newsletter. The NGA is based in Burlington, Vermont.
Learning through Landscapes (LTL).
http://www.ltl.org.uk/ LTL is a British organization that works with schools, organizations, and individuals across the United Kingdom to help them improve and develop their grounds. This is achieved by undertaking research, giving advice, encouraging action and supporting all those who care about improving educational environments. LTL provides publications on school ground planning, management, and educational programming.
Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Fund
http://www.for-wild.org/seedmony.htm This fund of the
Milwaukee Foundation gives small monetary grants to
schools, nature centers, or other educational organizations
for child-centered projects that
create native plant landscapes or develop outdoor classrooms.
National Society for Experiential Education
http://www.nsee.org/ NSEE promotes experienced-based approaches to teaching and learning, and develops best practices for integrating experience into educational programs. Includes publications, resource center, NSEE Quarterly, and conferences.
Natural Learning Initiative
http://naturalearning.org/ The purpose of the Natural Learning Initiative is to promote the importance of the natural environment in the daily experience of all children, through environmental design, action research, education, and dissemination of information. The website includes publications, project ideas, links, professional development opportunities, and facts and findings. The initiative is a research and extension program of the College of Design, School of Architecture, at North Carolina State University.
Outdoor Classroom Development.
http://web.archive.org/web/20040206220118/ Photographs, a video, map, and sample plans of outdoor classrooms in Indiana.
Rediscovering the Schoolyard Newsletter
http://www.arlingtonenvironment.org/newsletter/schoolyard/index.htm This newsletter focuses on information linking the use of the schoolyard and the outdoors to the curriculum in the Arlington, Virginia, public schools. Features include profiles of school projects, ideas for classroom activities, community resource contacts, descriptions of resource materials, and a calendar of events. promoting the use of the schoolyard as a context for interdisciplinary, experiential education. Published by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment.
San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance
http://www.sfgreenschools.org/ The San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance promotes inclusive, community driven processes that create and maintain healthy, environmentally sustainable learning environments in San Francisco's schools. Website includes resources, links, events, publicity, and information on past work.
School Grounds Transformation
http://www.schoolgrounds.ca/home.html Website of the Canadian Biodiversity Institute, an organization that helps schools transform their grounds into stimulating, biologically diverse outdoor classrooms and healthy, enjoyable play and social spaces. CBI accomplishes this by developing demonstration school sites, providing comprehensive how-to materials, offering expert advice and training, and facilitating networking.
Schoolyard Habitats.
http://www.nwf.org/schoolyardhabitats/ The National Wildlife Federation created the Schoolyard Habitats project to assist schools, teachers, students and community members in the use of school grounds as learning sites for wildlife conservation and cross-curricular learning. The Web site features a certification program, funding options, curriculum ideas, and schoolyard case studies.
Urban Agriculture Notes: School Gardens
http://www.cityfarmer.org/schgard15.html Published by City Farmer, Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture, this page provides useful links to urban schoolyard programs and projects, a bibliography, and other related organizations.
White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group
http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/index.shtml Multi-disciplinary firm specializing in the design of children's play environments. Web site includes articles on the subject, images, and examples of built work.
Landscape Planning for School Grounds and College Campuses http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/landscape.cfm (National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, Washington, DC) Information on school landscape planning, including site design, traffic, parking, acreage guidelines, and outdoor accessibility, safety and security, compiled by the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities.
School Grounds Maintenance http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/grounds_maintenance.cfm (National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, Washington, DC) Information on managing and maintaining school and university campus grounds and athletic fields, compiled by the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities.
School Playgrounds
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/playgrounds.cfm (National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, Washington, DC) Information on the planning and design of playgrounds for varying age levels, including resources on safety, accessibility, equipment, surfaces, and maintenance.
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