Learning outside the walls of our classrooms
Posted on 10/21/2024
Learning in the Mehlville School District isn’t confined to the four walls of our classrooms. Many of our teachers are working to provide students with unique learning experiences using outdoor classrooms on our campuses.
Exploring to learn
At John Cary Early Childhood Center, teachers use the outdoor classroom daily to provide exciting lessons for our smallest learners.
IMAGE: John Cary teachers are able to provide a unique story time experience using the nature trail in their outdoor classroom. Each page of their story is at different stations along the nature trail. Students read a page, then enjoy the stroll to the next station.
“The reading walk gets every kid moving and exploring nature,” said Cathy Weber, a special education teacher. “They get used to following the trail and respecting nature while they’re reading a book. Some of the kids might have difficulty following along to a story while sitting down, but this gets them excited to go from page to page. Within the story, students are learning literacy and academic recognition.”
The outdoor classroom includes a nature trail, a treehouse constructed by Mehlville High School geometry in construction students, and activities for students of all abilities. Gerry Spitznagel, Mehlville School District’s head groundskeeper, a local scout troop and the Kiwanis Club of South County have all contributed to make the outdoor class a special place for students.
“The students get so excited to go out there,” said Kristen Ratermann, a paraprofessional. “Everyone engages in learning, and it’s something we all look forward to every day.”
IMAGE: Students water flowers in the outdoor classroom at John Cary Early Childhood Center.
The outdoor classroom at John Cary Early Childhood Center is also being used by neighboring Beasley Elementary School, as well as MOSAIC Elementary School kindergarten students and Oakville High School Science Honors Society students.
Learning on the prairie
The Wohlwend Elementary School GROWS project has transformed the school’s campus into a thriving natural habitat with many outdoor learning opportunities. The work was funded through a grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
IMAGE: The Wohlwend Elementary School prairie in bloom along Telegraph Road.
The highlight of the outdoor classroom is the prairie that can be seen from Telegraph Road. In addition to the vegetation and wildlife that are being used in students’ education, the prairie has also helped to alleviate drainage issues in the area. Wohlwend also has birdhouses, outdoor study nooks, a shade garden and a dry creek bed.
Another highlight is the covered outdoor classroom. Wohlwend Elementary School’s teachers have participated in professional development opportunities focused on experiential education and providing students with unique, outdoor learning opportunities.
IMAGE: Betsy Leeker’s fifth-grade students searched for fallen leaves. She challenged students to find leaves that looked like they fell at different times: that day, one day earlier, one year earlier, etc. After collecting leaves, students recorded their observations and explained their thought process in determining when each leaf fell.
Artists and authors
Second-grade students at MOSAIC Elementary School participated in a joint lesson between their library and art classes. Students learned about authors and artists who write and create art about nature. They searched the school grounds collecting leaves, sticks and other natural materials that were combined to create a piece of art.
Image: MOSAIC Elementary second-grade students show off a pepper they found in the school’s garden.
Pursuing new outdoor hobbies
The Adventures and Outdoor Pursuits class provides Mehlville High School and Oakville High School students with opportunities to learn new outdoor skills that can become lifelong hobbies. An alternative to traditional P.E. class, students learn skills like kayaking, archery, rock climbing and fishing.
This year, OHS students completed a unit on hiking. Students learned about hobbies associated with hiking, like bird watching. Using a cell phone app, they identified the birds on campus by recording their calls. Then, they applied the skills they learned in the classroom to the real world by hiking in Castlewood State Park.
IMAGE: Oakville High School Adventures and Outdoor Pursuits students use an app to identify birds on the school’s campus.
Into the cave
Dan Lamping, a social studies teacher at Mehlville High School, is an avid caver with more than two decades of caving experience. Since 2013, he has led his AP Human Geography students into Cliff Cave to explore and clean graffiti that was painted on the cave’s walls before the bat-friendly gate was installed in 2009. During the past few years, Lamping has also led MOSAIC Elementary School fourth-grade students into Cliff Cave during their unit on rock formations and caves.
IMAGE: A group of MOSAIC Elementary School fourth-grade students make observations about rock formations inside of Cliff Cave during the 2023-2024 school year.
Outdoor clubs
Our schools also provide students with extracurricular activities for those who love the outdoors. The Wohlwend Elementary School Hiking Club takes advantage of the school’s proximity to Cliff Cave Park.
IMAGE: Wohlwend Elementary School’s Hiking Club visits Cliff Cave Park.
The OHS Science Honor Society has previously worked on projects on the Wohlwend prairie. This school year, they’re working closely with students and staff at John Cary Early Childhood Center in their outdoor classroom. On a recent visit, they planted flowers that preschool students now get to care for.
IMAGE: OHS Science Honor Society students plant flowers in the outdoor classroom at John Cary Early Childhood Center.
Many of our schools also have gardens of vegetables on campus that are cared for by their Garden Clubs. Some schools, like Blades Elementary School, have students pick crops and share them with School Food and Nutrition Services staff to use in school lunches.
IMAGE: Blades Elementary School students pick vegetables from the school’s garden.