Outdoor Classroom

Our Outdoor Classroom

The teachers and students at West End IB World School have a vision we wish to share with you...  
 
Envision a classroom where there are no walls. There is no ceiling.  Envision a classroom with no limits on learning opportunities. Where would such a classroom exist? Right here, on our beautiful, historic campus. Our vision transforms a patch of grass into a multi-station learning center filled with a variety of gardens, composting sites, fruit trees, certified wildlife habitats, bird sanctuaries, a weather station, and an art garden.   
 
The outdoor classroom at West End IB World School will enable our teachers to enhance their learning environment by providing students with creative, hands-on learning opportunities that aren’t available within their regular classrooms. The outdoor classroom will be integrated into the curriculum of all our teachers. Envision a typical day in the West End IB World School outdoor classroom:  In art class, students will create leaf drawings using native plants from the rain garden. Language Arts teachers will discuss nature in poetry and students will write a poem about how the warm sunshine feels on their skin. Math students will calculate the dimensions of a garden plot  and Humanities students will use that garden plot to grow food just as the  Native Americans did. Science students will observe the life cycle of the butterfly in its natural habitat and not from a diagram in  a book.  Students will learn responsibility and the importance of making healthy food choices in their physical education class. In our outdoor classroom learning becomes fun. Our students will connect with their natural world in a stress-free environment in which they can wonder, inquire, explore, communicate,  think, and reflect.     
 
With the help of our parents, our business and community leaders, and community members,  the vision of the outdoor classroom will become a reality for our teachers and students at West End IB World School. The possibilities are endless! If you have questions or comments, please contact Julie Prince at prince8809@bellsouth.net.
 
Invest wisely.  Invest in our future. Invest in West and support our outdoor classroom.

To view a slideshow of our recent Garden Party, please click here.