Red Hill Outdoor Learning
At Red Hill Elementary School, great instruction happens everywhere, including outdoors. Learning outdoors promotes physical activity, environmental stewardship, social skills, and academic growth. Our teachers work hard to design experiences aligned with state standards and have partnered with organizations like Project Wild and Wildrock to ensure research-based and creative experiences for all of our learners.
Here are some great examples of outdoor learning at Red Hill.
Outdoor Learning at Red Hill Elementary
2025-2026
Red Hill School-Wide Outdoor Experiences 2025-26:
Goats and Sheep
Goat Week captured student curiosity and brought immense joy and novelty to the daily school routine. By observing the goats, students gathered real-world data for academic analysis while naturally cultivating empathy, patience, and social-emotional wellness. The project seamlessly integrated into our existing outdoor curriculum, utilizing community partnerships with local farmers and families to enrich the educational experience. Ultimately, this initiative thrived as a living extension of our curriculum, reinforcing our commitment to land stewardship and joyful, connected learning.
Our outdoor learning program expanded this spring during Sheep Week, featuring an extended stay that allowed for an even more immersive student experience. This initiative truly captivated our community as students took on an active, hands-on role learning how to herd the sheep across campus. By establishing a dedicated "no-mow zone" early in the spring before the grass began to grow, we gave students a front-row seat to observe real-time environmental changes and the sheep's natural impact on the land. Local families and agricultural partners teamed up with us to enrich the project, grounding the students' daily observations in real-world community wisdom. The entire experience beautifully deepened our curriculum, leaving students with a profound connection to land stewardship and collaborative learning.
Check out our video library below with highlights of our outdoor learning with the goats and sheep:
Grade Level Outdoor Learning Experiences 2025-26:
Kindergarten
Outdoor learning in kindergarten included opportunities to engage with farm animals, explore and use their imaginations in our green space, visit the creek at the neighboring farm, and plant a garden. Red Hill was visited by goats and sheep, which kindergarteners observed and about which they wrote. We even got to witness chicks hatching in an incubator! Students utilized the mud kitchen to cook up some nature creations, explored the flow of water with the water tables, used the outdoor easels to paint, took a story walk in the tree hall with their family, and they put their engineering skills to work using the bamboo and outdoor blocks to make forts and paths to walk. In the fall, students also took a nature walk to Mr. Powell's farm next door to the school, and they visited the habitat of the south fork of the Hardware River which runs through his property. Kindergarten gardeners planted, cared for, and harvested a variety of edible plants, including peas, kale, cabbage, rainbow chard, Chandler strawberries, broccoli, and carrots. They also observed the return of the big patch of milkweed in one of their square beds to attract Monarch butterflies; they watched a Monarch caterpillar form its chrysalis and emerge as a butterfly in the fall.
First Grade
This year, first grade embraced hands-on learning through meaningful outdoor experiences. Students planted seeds and watched them grow into flowers, observed a maple tree through the changing seasons, and explored push, pull, and force through outdoor play and investigation. We visited the creek next door to observe nature using our five senses and recorded our discoveries in nature journals. Students also nurtured caterpillars as they transformed into butterflies before releasing them outside. Along the way, we enjoyed watching and learning about the goats and sheep nearby. These outdoor experiences encouraged curiosity, observation, exploration, and a deeper connection to the natural world around us.
Second Grade
From Tiny Seeds to Thriving Ecosystems: 2nd Grade’s Green Year
This past year, our second graders have blossomed into dedicated young environmentalists! Their journey began in the fall, as they carefully collected seeds from our local landscape, which they then spent the spring nurturing into new life.
Building a Sustainable Future
Our green initiatives were fueled by several incredible community partnerships:
- Let’s Go Compost: A generous grant allowed us to welcome a colony of hardworking worms to our classroom to create nutrient-rich soil for our garden.
- Piedmont Master Gardeners: With their support, we added a professional grow light to keep our seedlings healthy and installed a "Bug Hotel" to provide a safe habitat for our local pollinators.
- Native Flora Seeds & Hummingbird Hill: We are so grateful to Native Flora Seeds for providing native seeds for our expanding meadow, and to Hummingbird Hill for the beautiful native plants that now call our school home purchased through our outdoor learning funding.
Science in Action
Beyond the garden, our students have become keen observers of the natural world. Throughout the year, they have used their science journals to document the wonders of our local environment. From tracking the life cycle of tadpoles to recording findings during our creek visits, these young scientists are learning to collect data and appreciate the beauty of our local watershed.
The Power of Native Plants
Student learning has centered on the vital role of native species. By prioritizing plants that belong in our local environment, our second graders are actively inviting more pollinators and creating a more diverse, resilient ecosystem for our school.
We are so proud of these students for their hard work, curiosity, and commitment to making our world a little greener!
By combining hands-on restoration with reflective journaling, our 2nd graders are developing a deep "sense of place." They aren't just learning about science—they are living it!
Third Grade
Third graders started with planting a variety of vegetables which included potatoes, carrots, lettuce, onions and radishes. We also conducted a soil experiment, where students had to plant seeds in 4 types of soil ( topsoil, rocks, sand, silt). Over 3-4 weeks, students measured, observed, and cared for their plants. Finally, each student wrote a letter to Mrs. Gately offering a recommendation about which soil would be best for our gardens so that they produce healthy plants.
Fourth Grade
The fourth grade students used their scientific observation skills to investigate animals living in and around the creek. This investigation led the students find fish of various species, turtles, crawfish, and other living creatures. Students could see what resources these animals use in the creek habitat. In addition, fourth graders established a Three Sisters Garden, where students actively participated in planting, tending, and (in the fall) will harvest crops. Rooted in Indigenous agricultural traditions, the Three Sisters Garden consists of corn, beans, and squash—plants that support one another’s growth in a sustainable ecosystem. This hands-on project provided students with meaningful, cross-curricular learning experiences that integrated science, social studies, and literacy. Through their work in the garden, students deepened their understanding of plant life cycles, symbiotic relationships and the wisdom of Indigenous farming practices. Additionally, the garden fostered collaboration, responsibility, and environmental stewardship as students cared for the plants and observed the interconnectedness of nature.
Fifth Grade
This year, our 5th graders continued their connection to the natural world through a variety of hands-on outdoor learning experiences. Students harvested the Three Sisters Garden they planted as 4th graders, shucking, drying, and popping the corn they had grown themselves. During fall and spring visits to the creek, students conducted investigations related to motion and mass while exploring the diversity of aquatic life through river critter identification. They also planted a winter garden filled with colorful pansies that brightened our school grounds and thrived throughout the colder months. These experiences allowed students to deepen their scientific understanding, develop stewardship for the environment, and discover the joy of learning beyond the classroom walls.
