Classroom With a View
New school will teach science in nearby wildlife sanctuary
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You don’t have to be a hands-on learner to agree the best place to teach about nature is actually in nature. Rather than learning about local ecology from a desk covered in wood-looking laminate, students in Big Cove, Alabama will get to learn about natural science firsthand in a 300-acre wildlife sanctuary classroom.
The new school will be built near the Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary and students in science classes will head outside to study the land and wildlife. The sanctuary is home to lots of critters like a thriving beaver population as well as deer, wild turkeys and nesting hawks. Along with the Flint River and tons of swamps and ponds, we wonder how it’ll be possible for these kids not to become budding John Muir’s.
We must admit, we’re really quite taken with the school’s outdoor aspirations; we’re all about getting kids outside like with our Summit for Someone benefit climb series that sends inner-city teens into the wilderness.
Plus, the program makes mountains of sense. Call us crazy, but doesn’t it just seem right to learn about photosynthesis under the sun instead of fluorescent lighting? Thanks for the inspiration kids, we’re going to spend the rest of the day “learning” on some of the trails in our own backyard.
–Morgan Keys
New elementary school to get 300-acre outdoor classroom (The Huntsville Times)
Image credit: sherseydc