Dedication set for Nature Explore Classroom
The Chadron State College Child Development Center will dedicate its Nature Explore Outdoor Learning Environment during a ceremony at its new location east of the Burkhiser Complex. The dedication, which is open to the public, will be Thursday, Sept. 10, at 4 p.m.
The new outdoor “classroom,” which was constructed earlier this year on the Child Development Center’s playground, has a variety of attributes to help children of the day care learn about nature. The facility became the fifth certified Nature Explore Classroom in Nebraska and the 24th in the nation late this summer.
At the new facility, children can create visual masterpieces in a nature art area, climb and crawl on structures, build with natural materials, and practice their balance, agility, and creativity in designed areas.
Nature Explore Classrooms are part of the Nature Explore Program, a collaborative project of the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation. Developed in response to the growing disconnect between children and nature, Certified Nature Explore Classrooms are designed to help fill the void by educating young children using research-based principles for integrating nature into their daily learning. The first Nature Explore Classroom is located in the Tree Adventure attraction at Arbor Day Farm, the Arbor Day Foundation’s interactive conservation venue at Nebraska City.
The classrooms offer interactive elements – including climbing structures, musical instruments made of natural materials, wooden blocks, small waterways, and natural materials for building and creating art – that give children important and inspiring nature experiences. While connecting children with nature, such unstructured play and activities are shown to enhance concentration, develop creativity and problem-solving, relieve stress, and improve skills in many areas.
Outdoor classrooms designed according to principles described in the Dimensions Foundation’s Learning With Nature Idea Book are eligible to become certified Nature Explore Classrooms.
CSC’s outdoor classroom was created with funds from grants and donations.
Category: Campus News