ODC Learning
Centers

Our Outdoor Classroom has thirteen distinct learning centers, each designed to provide meaningful learning experiences in a nature-rich setting. Just as our indoor classrooms are divided into learning centers for individual, small-group and large-group play, likewise the ODC is organized into learning centers based on The Creative Curriculum.®

art kids and outdoor learning

NATURE ART

Vegetable stamping, leaf rubbing, paper mache eggs, fall walk collage, pinecone fairies, cornhusk dolls

kids building a castle

BUILDING

Tree block constructions, stick constructions, fairy houses, bird’s nest and bird house construction, bamboo teepee construction.

kid planting a lilly and impatients

GARDEN

Digging for worms, sowing seeds, measuring seedlings, smelling herbs, recording weather station readings, identifying stem, root, flower, leaf and seed, preparing and tasting harvested foods, collecting seeds for next year, preparing beds for winter.

 kids playing with the water sluth

kids on bench playing

WATER SLUICE AND PUMP

Interacting with the flow of water as it follows the natural slope of the land down a 35-foot log sluice, exploring the two dams to hold back water, dry rock pond and splash rock, using buckets to carry water from hand pump to pour down sluice, using rocks, sticks and leaves to build dams and observe the movement of these materials in the force of the water.

GATHERING AREA

Meeting at the center of the ODC, generating and recording children’s ideas and “I Wonder” lists, introducing each center and the rules of the ODC.

JULIENNE’S HOLLOW

Observing birds and wildlife in a quiet, secluded area; sharing stories and songs on an enormous fallen tree trunk.

lady singing

MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE STAGE

Scarf dancing, dramatic storytelling, playing drum and percussion instruments, enjoying in-school performances, puppet shows and holiday celebrations

kids learning on a wood log

kids in mud

MESSY MATERIALS AND WATER PUMP

Exploring soil, mud, shells, rocks, straw and bark to create three-dimensional nature art and mud pies, patterning using a variety of materials, digging.

kids dancing

BIRD’S NEST

Playing birds in their nest, dressing up with clothing and bird wings, observing wildlife from raised observation deck, story writing and drawing, group reading and singing.

kids on slide

CLIMBING BOULDERS AND EMBANKMENT SLIDE

Climbing up boulders of varying heights to scale, coming down via the slide, taking turns, launching from the crossbar at the top of the slide, landing in the soft grass.

kids on bikes

RIDING TRACK

Riding wheeled trikes and scooters, learning about riding rules and helmets, using traffic signs in dramatic play, running on soft track.

kids making mud pies

OUTDOOR KITCHEN

Mixing soil, water, mud and sand in pots, pans and plates to make kitchen creations, dramatic housekeeping play.

kids in the theater

OVERLOOK

Climbing to the highest point in the ODC with its bird-like vantage over all the other centers, seeing familiar space from a new perspective, map making, clipboard note-taking and counting.