Welcome back! It has been a crazy few months, quarantining and social distancing, but we are so excited to welcome back our preschool students! We missed them and so did our Outdoor Classroom!
While you have been gone, there have been a few changes/updates happening around our Outdoor Classroom. Right before quarantine started, we had finished renovating our Sand/Dirt area. We had made this area a much larger space with a waterfall table, benches, and a large boat for extended play and exploration. We also added a separate dirt area with a mud table, so we could have lots of fun in the mud! Our students have been really enjoying these new areas and we hope to have a Mud Day at some point this school year!
We have also been slowly creating our Sensory Garden which includes a climbing spider web, sensory path, sand box, music and movement area, wooden play structure with a slide and tunnel and rope swings. Coming soon will be garden beds to create a space where the children can dig, plant and watch their plants grow! This whole area is designed for children to channel and explore all of their senses!
We are currently in the process of re-doing our Building/Construction area to give it a fresh new look. It includes wooden tables and a double-sided magnetic wall where their creativity and critical thinking can run wild! Our students love to build and create in this area with legos, block, shells, rocks and more!
The most exciting project we are working on right now is our new butterfly garden! We are partnering with Lukas Nursery to create an interactive butterfly garden that includes a variety of pollinator plants as well as host plants for caterpillars, butterflies, bumblebees and so many more critters! Children will be able to walk through this area, observing the various plants, feeling the different leaves, and smelling the assorted flowers. They will also be able to water the plants throughout the week to keep our garden alive and thriving! We look forward to all the discovering and learning that will happen in this area!
