August 2007 - Volume 68, Issue 8
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Connecting Kids with Nature continued...
Many Missouri kids learn much of what they know about nature from television. That’s why during classroom discussions of snakes, for example, kids are more likely to talk about anacondas and boa constrictors than any of the species native to Missouri. At Truman Elementary School, however, students have actually seen Missouri’s snakes, along with Missouri’s turtles, snails, bugs and lizards and a variety of other animals.
Recent research shows that outdoor exploration is a necessary component of a healthy childhood. Outdoor activity also can have a calming effect (particularly on those diagnosed with ADHD and other disorders), reduce obesity and relieve pressures that lead to depression.
Building an Outdoor Classroom
Many schools across Missouri have built outdoor classrooms to stimulate learning while developing a love of nature. The students at Truman have taken ownership of their project from the very beginning. They started by having a school-wide election to name their outdoor classroom.
Since then, students have designed and mapped the trails (with the help of the USGS) and named the paths for famous Missourians, Missouri state symbols or famous locations in the state.
On one of the newest trails, Wilder Way, summaries created and illustrated by the students depict stories and the history of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the “Little House” series of books while living in Mansfield.
The area’s 1-acre prairie was cleared of trees, and the students planted it one cupful at a time. Students also improved the forest and school grounds by selecting and hand-planting tree species that benefit wildlife.
“If you take care of your plants, the animals can have good habitat and will come in your yard,” a student said.
Connecting the Outside With the Inside
The faculty at Truman Elementary School eagerly jumped on board. They developed curricula for outdoor classroom workshops that are tied to the state’s grade-level expectations. Three of the newest faculty-designed projects at Truman’s Backyard include a decomposing log, a food chain/web weaving game and a life-cycle table.
Learning outdoors helps students gain a better understanding of the natural world and score higher on state achievement tests.
About This Article
Author
CAROL MAHAN is the conservation education consultant for Truman Elementary in Rolla and other schools in the northern Ozarks region. A former teacher from Illinois, Carol appreciates the wealth and diversity of natural resources in Missouri. She spends her free time running, hiking and reading.
CHRIS SCHMIDGALL is an educator and outdoor classroom coordinator at Truman Elementary in Rolla. Her passion for hands-on learning in the outdoors led her to establish an outdoor classroom center and an active after-school environmental club. She and her husband, Gary, enjoy kayaking the beautiful rivers of Missouri.
Photographer
Photographer DAVID STONNER, shown working on aerial photographs of the Mingo Basin in southeast Missouri, joined the Department of Conservation in May 2007. He lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Angela, and one year-old daughter, Maggie. David enjoys weekends sailing on Stockton Lake and angling for fish anywhere he can cast a dry fly.
