A place for innovation in teaching and learning!
Bats are valuable members of our communities.They are good neighbours because they can consume their body weight in mosquitos! They are natural predators of many of the night flying insects that bite us and carry disease.They also help to maintain the balance of nature because they consume many lawn and garden pests.
There are a number of small birds that used to live in our meadows, marshes, and forests. Now that we have built our homes and communities in their former habitats, we need to enjoy those small birds to return and live amongst us. Small birds, like the House Wren (https://www.birdvancouver.com/b_house_wren.html), are valuable friends. They help control the spread of weeds by eating the seeds and they maintain a balance of nature by eating pests such as bugs, worms and mosquitos.
Students have limited opportunities to learn outdoors. For example, one school representative reported four picnic tables for 1,250 students. So when these students might have times during the day to enjoy the benefits obtained from learning outside, there were few places to sit or study or enjoy a conversation. While picnic tables have typically been used as outdoor furniture, they are not the most
flexible or comfortable form of seating. Also, they are not necessary ergonomically sound or easily moved! Over time, schools would like to increase outdoor learning opportunities by creating learning spaces that support learning, healthy lifestyles, and fitness.
What is an outdoor classroom? It is a gathering place for teachers and students to integrate nature into learning within the school grounds. It brings learning to life by situating formal learning within a school’s natural environment and giving students the opportunity to get outside and experience nature.
The classroom furniture may help or hinder collaborative learning. The ability to move furniture easily, quickly, and safety is important in classrooms wanting to create and support collaborative learning. When students are using digital technologies such as tablets or laptops, they need to be able to move around, connect to electricity, work in ever-changing groups, and use a variety of materials and resources. Also, recent studies suggest that sitting is the new smoking. From Smith Systems website: “movement can contribute to … concentration and is considered beneficial to
physical health”.