EXAMPLES OF OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS
'You will often find students sitting on the stump during a reading lesson, and you will always find students playing here at recess and lunch time. They love redesigning the space by moving the rocks' (Kinsman, 2015).
Matthew Hobbs (2015, Teacher at Herne Hill Primary School) stated that "designing and building an outdoor classroom is hard work that requires community support and time but the benefits far outweigh the barriers we faced along the way. We started with three existing trees in the back corner of the school and we added large volcanic before planting any plants and erecting the fence.We continued to add elements as we could and now we have what we call an outdoor classroom".
'The students made their own musical instruments out of spare materials from around the school' (Coulter, 2015).
THE WERRIBEE OPEN
RANGE ZOO
The Werribee Open Range Zoo hosts a variety of outdoor learning spaces ranging from a formal outdoor classroom to replicas of animal habitats where children can play and learn how animals live and behave. The zoo hosts school excursions and provides lessons to the students that align with AusVELS standards.
If you are interested in implementing an outdoor classroom in your school and you would like to see how your students respond in such an environment, contact the GEELONG BOTANIC GARDENS.