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Ecology Courtyard Oases
"It is nice to be able to go outside and work with plants and nature, instead of getting all of our information from a textbook.... This is a good class for kids, especially if they like getting dirty and they have a lot of energy." —7th-grade student Sand, clay, and straw squish between the toes of the cheerful seventh and eighth graders as they knead an adobe-like mixture into a building material called cob. Handfuls of the muddy substance are slapped onto a structure that has been growing for several months. Bare hands, knees, elbows, and feet are used to shape the emerging bench into a seating area for 15 students, complete with squirrel and bird nesting holes carved into the back and sides. A bubbling stream can be heard nearby. Jays, towhees, and flickers call from the adjacent trees and shrubs, a squirrel scampers through the undergrowth, and butterflies feed on the inviting flowers. This lively, seemingly rural scene is not out in the secluded countryside—it's at the heart of Rowe Middle School in Milwaukie, Oregon, in its well-designed central courtyard. When students look out the windows of most elementary, middle, and high schools today they see asphalt playgrounds and paved staff parking lots. Yet school grounds can be places of wonder, filled with exciting things to study, play with, and explore. In short, they can be "ecological schoolyards" that speak to the local environment and teach students about sustainability, food production, resource conservation, and ecological design. …To read the entire article, subscribe to LAM! |
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