Outdoor Classrooms: Links
What is an outdoor classroom? | Benefits of learning | Grants & funding | Examples | Teacher resources | Helpful links
The School Garden Project
Science educators have long recognized the value of school gardens in motivating students to study science. Recent studies show that school gardening programs also boost students’ scores on science achievement tests.
National Gardening Association
Contains discussion forums, a school garden registry, grant resources, classroom success stories, fact sheets about plants, frequently asked questions.
National Wildlife Federation
The site provides educator resources, a free email newsletter, school examples, and basic tips on how to create a school habitat.
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Download a copy of their 133-page publication called Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide.
American Horticulture Society
This KidsGrow Page, as part of the Rockefeller Center TreeTop Science Project, provides information about butterfly gardens and why they are important.
Learning Through Landscapes
The schoolyard "movement" began in UK in the early1990's.
Center for Environmental Education
Exemplary school guidelines; bibliographies of books and curricula; sample articles from Nature's Course newsletter and various web links.
Boston Schoolyard Initiativ e
Lists success stories and models of how Boston supports schoolyard projects with capital funds, staff and training.
Classroom Connect
A site for K-12 teachers that provides access to email lists and discussion groups for online lesson plans and curricula. It also includes funding resources.
Project WILD
Sample activities and links. The program emphasizes wildlife as well as its importance as a basis for teaching how ecosystems function.
Learnscapes
A non-profit organisation dedicated to helping schools develop their grounds for learning.
Project Learning Tree (PLT)
In response to the growing interest in encouraging children to get outside, PLT has launched a national initiativeEvery Student Learns Outside™ and website www.learnoutside.org to help educators make outdoor experiences part of their everyday lesson plans.
To access PLT’s Branch EE Newsletter visit www.plt.org/cms/pages/36_124_110.html