THE ECOLOGY, FUTURES, GLOBAL COLLABORATIVE

1
The School Garden Integrating the Sciences and
Play in an Outdoor Classroom 2009 ACEI
International Convention and Exhibition
Jeremy Winters
Tracey Ring
jwinters_at_mtsu.edu

tring_at_mtsu.edu
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
2

WELCOME
3
The journey begins..

• An under-utilized space at a public elementary
  school inspires a project that evolves into an
  Herb Garden. This project reflects collaboration
  of the students, parents, teachers, a local
  university, and the community. The herb garden
  creates opportunities to integrate curriculum
  with aspects of play in an outdoor classroom.

4
The goals of the project are to

• Create an outdoor classroom
• Expose students to herbs and plants
• Provide unique learning opportunities
• Provide a realistic context for learning
• Support the existing curriculum as well as
  pioneer specific lessons

5
What is Play?

• A holistic learning alternative
• Meets students cognitive, emotional, physical,
  and social needs
• Can be unstructured or guided

6
Play in the Garden

• The garden allows for a playful attitude. It
  also allows for spontaneous events that could not
  occur inside the classroom walls.

7
Why teach outdoors?

• Given the opportunities, children will choose to
  engage in outdoor before indoor tasks, perform
  hands-on and manipulative activities rather than
  complete worksheets, and associate with relevant
  and personal meaning as contrasted with the
  abstract or symbolic.

8
The Outdoor ClassroomInstructional Uses

• A learning center
• A project-based station
• Area for observation
• Area for reflection

9
The Outdoor ClassroomThe Environment

• Man-made Materials
• Picnic Tables
• Gazebos
• Birdhouses
• Bricks

• Natural Materials
• Dirt
• Rocks
• Plants
• Trees

10
The Outdoor ClassroomResearch

• Frost (2005) indicates that in the outdoor
  classroom the senses are heightened,
  consciousness is narrowed, self-consciousness
  disappears, and the person becomes absolutely
  absorbed in the activity (p. 9).
• The outdoors afford a particular variety of
  physical and personnel resources, invites
  naturalistic inquiry, ensures a range of
  observation and data collection opportunities,
  and provides aesthetic experiences (Burriss
  Foulks, 2005).

11
The Outdoor ClassroomResearch (Continued)

• The Curriculum Principle in Principles and
  Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM), reports
  that mathematics needs to be important and
  transferable to settings outside the class walls
  (NCTM, 2000).
• Lieberman and Hoody (1998) found that utilizing
  the environment can improve understanding of
  mathematical concepts and content, better mastery
  of math skills, and more enthusiasm for studying
  math.

12
About the Garden

• Located at Homer Pittard Campus School in
  Murfreesboro, TN
• A distinct area within a Nature Trail (1km long)
  surrounding the school building.
• Garden Details
• Dimensions- 8 x 8
• Edging- Railroad Ties
• Center- Tree stump with a sundial on top
• Subdivided into 4 areas by rectangular bricks
• Various herbs planted within the 4 sub-regions
• See diagram on next slide

13
8 feet
Herbs
Herbs
8 feet
Tree Stump (Sundial)
Bricks
Herbs
Herbs
Railroad Ties
Click to see Sample Herbs or Full list of Herbs
Herbs
14
About the Garden

• Utilized by the Kindergarten classrooms
• Used to study
• Annuals
• Perennials
• Herbs
• Insects
• Bees
• Pollination

15
Sample Lessons from the Herb Garden

• Sundial- Roman Numerals/Time
• Rocks- Art Hand painted by each child
• Seasonal- Annuals vs. perennials Changes in
  leaves Rocks, insects, bees pollination
• Cooking- Using herbs to cook various items
  following recipes, measurement, etc.
• Writing Stories- Writing about observations and
  experiences

16
Meeting Math Standards

• Number and Operations Children use numbers,
  including written numerals, to represent
  quantities and to solve quantitative problems,
  such as counting objects in a set, creating a set
  with a given number of objects, comparing and
  ordering sets or numerals by using both cardinal
  and ordinal meanings, and modeling simple joining
  and separating situations with objects.
• Geometry Children interpret the physical world
  with geometric ideas.
• Measurement Children use measurable attributes,
  such as length or weight, to solve problems by
  comparing and ordering objects. (NCTM, 2000, p.
  12)

17
Sample Math Activities

• Counting and Sorting Seeds to be planted
• Counting number of plants that grew and number of
  herbs picked in the garden
• Counting activities associated with herb biscuit
  recipe (translating between oral, written, and
  symbolic) Herb biscuit recipe
• Common fractions associated with the herb biscuit
  recipe and in the sub-regions of the garden

18
Sample Math Activities(Continued)

• Roman numerals associated with the sundial
• Comparing and Ordering
• Calculating the amount of herbs produced by each
  plant
• Comparing and ordering according to productivity
• Size of the herbs
• Length of a leaf
• Volume of the plant
• Exploring and analyzing shapes found in and near
  the garden

19
Meeting Science Standards

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Understanding about scientific inquiry
• Properties of objects and materials
• Position and motion of objects
• Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism
• Characteristics of organisms
• Life cycles of organisms
• Organisms and environments (National Academies
  Press, 1996, p. 105-106)

20
Sample Science Activities

• Hypothesis Testing
• What herbs/plants will grow the fastest, grow the
  tallest, grow the fullest
• What area of the garden will be the most
  productive
• How does exposure to sunlight effect the
  herbs/plants
• Time exposed to sunlight
• Direct versus indirect sunlight

21
Sample Science Activities(Continued)

• Charting and classifying
• Locating herbs/plants in the garden
• Characteristics of organisms in the garden
• Differences and similarities of the herbs/plants
• Exposure to the scientific method.
• Observations of the seasons
• Observations of the life cycles of organisms in
  the garden

22
References

• Burriss, K.G. Foulks Boyd B. (Eds.). (2005).
  Outdoor learning and play Ages 8-12. Olney, MD
  Association for Childhood Education
  International.
• Frost, J. L. (2005). Introduction. In K.G.
  Burriss B. Foulks-Boyd (Eds.), Outdoor learning
  and play, ages 8-12. (pp. 9-12). Olney, MD
  Association for Childhood Education
  International.
• Lieberman, G.A. Hoody, L. (1998). Closing the
  achievement gap Using the environment as an
  integrating context for learning. San Diego
  State Education and Environment Roundtable.
• National Academies Press (1996). National
  Science Education Standards.
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
  (2000). Principles and standards for school
  mathematics. Reston, VA.

23

• Must we always teach our children with books?
• Let them look at the mountains
• and the stars up above.
• Let them look at the beauty of the waters
• and the trees and flowers on earth.
• They will then begin to think,
• and to think is the beginning of a real
  education.
• - David Polis

24
Sample Herbs found in the Garden
Mint
Rosemary
Sage
Dill
Parsley
Basil
Thyme
Click here to return to previous slide
25
All the Herbs in the Garden
Mint Rosemary Sage Basil Thyme Dill Parsley

• Catnip
• Garlic
• Chives
• Hyssop
• Lavender
• Lemon Balm
• Marjoram

Click here to return to previous slide
26
Herb Biscuit Recipe

• PREPARATION
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spray cooking oil on cookie sheet. Using a
  large dinner fork, stir together self-rising
  flour, mayonnaise, sage, thyme, garlic, parsley,
  basil, and milk until combined.
• Drop dough onto cookie sheet using large serving
  spoon.
• Bake in oven for 10 15 minutes.
• Serve warm.

INGREDIENTS Cooking oil spray 2 cups
self-rising flour 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1
Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped or 1 teaspoon
dried sage 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped or
1 teaspoon dried thyme Dash of garlic 1/4
teaspoon of parsley 1/4 teaspoon of basil 1 cup
milk
Click here to return to previous slide