Green Schoolyard Network

Description

The Green Schoolyard Network believes that a schoolyard can be a sensory-rich creative learning environment for students. The typical outdoor classroom will have green spaces such as gardens, wild habitat areas & trees and will utilize water flow systems, renewable energy demonstrations, compost bins, weather stations and bird feeders to create a dynamic mini-ecosystem. Here, kids interact with primary source materials (i.e. a flower vs. a picture of a flower) in a real world setting, learn about synergies and connectivity with regard to complex problem-solving (pollination, decomposing, etc.), and through the use of touch, taste, hearing, smell and observation increase knowledge retention rates. Student engagement is off the charts because the outdoor classroom blurs the boundaries between academic learning and creative play. We believe that the fundamentals of systems thinking will be critical to the next generation as we grapple with issues that affect us and the planet we live on. Today's students will be the leaders and policy makers of tomorrow. An 8 year old will vote in 10 years.