Photos: Learning in an outdoor environment
Echo Rodriguez, 3, watches as Rashid Macias, 4, uses a magnifying glass to look for earthworms in the loamy soil of the Brooklyn Early Education Center’s outdoor classroom in East Los Angeles. Outdoor education is a way to connect children to nature and make learning fun. The classrooms must be certified, and the teachers are specially trained. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Youngsters wait to change their boots and clothes after working in the soil at the outdoor classroom. It features a winter garden with squash, pumpkins, cauliflower, tomatoes and green peppers, a greenhouse with artichokes and lettuce, a sand pit and the ever-popular mud pit.
See full story (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Teacher Beatriz De La Torre leads children in the garden area at the classroom. “We tell parents if their children come home clean, they didn’t have a good day,” Principal Ranae Amezquita said. “Parents know this is how it is and this is how they learn.”
See full story (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Joshua Silva, 3, looks at the grape vines at the outdoor classroom. Since the classroom was established three years ago, behavioral problems have largely been eliminated. Children participate longer in activities and develop problem-solving skills.
See full story (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Youngsters examine the loamy soil. The results at the center have impressed Los Angeles school district officials, who want to add 50 more outdoor classrooms using bond funds. Each costs between $100,000 to $200,000 from design to opening, said Whitcomb W. Hayslip, the district’s assistant superintendent for early childhood education.
See full story (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
