Development and Utilization of the Enabling Outdoor Classroom for the Orchard Lane Elementary School in the New Berlin Public School System

The purpose of this project was twofold. The first part was the research for and the development of the Enabling Outdoor Classroom for Orchard Lane Elementary School in the New Berlin Public School System. The second part of the project involved developing environmental education activities that would encourage teachers to utilize the site. The methodology started in early spring 1994 with the initial concept of an outdoor classroom that would be fully accessible for all students and teachers on the Orchard Lane Elementary site. A landscape consultant surveyed the Orchard Lane Elementary School area and made suggestions. Approval was granted from the New Berlin Public Schools Buildings and Grounds for the development. A committee was sought and financial support was requested from the Parent Faculty Council. The Parent Faculty Council supported the Enabling Outdoor Classroom development. A committee was formed that was responsible for the research, design, financing, installation, and a long range maintenance scheme for the outdoor classroom. School goals for the integration of environmental education were established. A second environmental education committee was formed to evaluate existing materials and write a set of specific environmental education activities for utilizing the Enabling Outdoor Classroom at Orchard Lane Elementary School. Eight inservices were offered in the area of environmental education and emphasized integration into other curricula. A preliminary survey related to the use of the site for 1995-96 school year was given. A post survey related to the 1996-97 school year evaluated the use of the site, environmental education infusion activities, and the related activities such as Earth Week. The hypothesis: When teachers were provided with an outdoor school site that was accessible to everyone, environmental education school goals, additional training, and supplemental resources including the New Berlin Public School Orchard Lane Nature Scene Environmental Education Activities Guide, then a post survey, in comparison to a preliminary survey, would show an increase in the amount of time that environmental education was infused into the Orchard Lane Elementary School K-6 curricula. The results indicated a slight increase in the amount of environmental education infused into the curricula through the utilization of the site; however, the evaluation did not compare the usage of the outdoor site and environmental education integration before the development was in place. Earth Week activities/resources that utilized the site showed the next highest usage rate beyond the actual planting and development for the site. In conclusion, this project showed that when teachers were provided with an outdoor school site that was accessible to everyone, environmental education school goals, additional training, and activity resources, that there was a positive impact on the amount of time environmental education was infused into the curricula. A majority of the Orchard Lane Elementary School teachers felt that New Berlin Public Schools Orchard Lane Nature Scene Environmental Education Activities Guide helped them utilize the outdoor classroom