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BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Bloomfield Hills’ Johnson Nature Center recently showcased its new outdoor classroom to the community during a ribbon-cutting and exhibition of learning.
The learning space has a covered area, a fort-building area with sticks, an art easel and chalkboard for art-based learning, a creative mud and water play station, a building and construction zone, and two raised garden beds.
“We view the environment as the third teacher,” Education Specialist Brooke Larm said.
Since December, the classroom has been used for TreeSchool, a nature-based preschool for students ages 3 to 5. Larm said the program prioritizes “hands-on exploration” and “connection with nature.” TreeSchool operates September through May.
The space can also potentially be used for small community programs, birthday parties, Scout groups and summer camps.
“We know nature lowers stress and it improves focus. In light of a lot of research being done on the impacts of technology on kids, the outdoor classroom time in nature is a really nice balance,” Larm said.
Due to Michigan’s climate, TreeSchool students encounter varied weather. Larm said there was a lot of wind this year. She said it helps build “resilience and adaptability,”
“It teaches kids to thrive in all sorts of conditions,” Larm said.
Other life skills students learn in the outdoor classroom are curiosity, risk taking and problem solving.
While learning in an outdoor classroom has its obvious differences, there are also some consistencies. Larm said, “same rhythm, same subjects,” adding that the students learn art, literacy, science and other subjects students would learn in a traditional classroom.
With the classroom being outside, the students have the opportunity to observe wildlife and explore nature.
“There’s always something interesting happening. It teaches kids to be really strong observers,” Larm said. “We’re really focused on that inquiry. The teachers are guiding the inquiry, but not necessarily directing the learning. They’re creating that environment and pointing things out and making tools available to help the kids kind of direct their own experience.”
Alan Jaros, the director of the Bowers School Farm and the Johnson Nature Center, estimated the project cost to be $50,000.
“The outdoor classroom was funded entirely by donors who were interested in contributing to this as part of our master plan on the site,” Jaros said.
Among the donors are the Bloomfield Hills Rotary Club, metro Detroit Realtors, the friends of the Johnson Nature Center and The Alix Foundation.
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