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.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten gardeners planted, cared for, and harvested a variety of edible plants, including Éclair and Chandler strawberries, cabbage, Swiss chard, onions and lettuces.  They also planted a big patch of milkweed in one of their square beds to attract Monarch butterflies.  Kindergarten also participated in outdoor imaginative play, building with the large outdoor building blocks, creating natural protective shelters, and taking a story walk in the tree hall.

First Grade

First grade gardeners planted, cared for, and harvested a variety of plants, including parsley, mint, marigolds, oregano, lettuces (frisée, romaine, red leaf, and mesclun).  First graders also used items from nature to create their our flower fairies!  Families joined the first grade classes to enjoy a picnic in our beautiful outdoor space at the end of the school year.

Second Grade

Second grade gardeners planted and maintained native pollinator plants (e.g. wild bergamot, pussytoes, wild geranium, yarrow, salvia, lyre leaf sage, coreopsis, daisies, hoary skullcap, mountain mint and other treasures).  They also explored the native wildlife, conducting an insect hunt around our green space.

Third Grade

Third grade gardeners used their garden bed to plant, maintain, and harvest oregano, thyme, parsley, onions, cherry tomatoes, and lettuces.  Students engaged in nature journaling that focused on observing changes in plants around the building, appreciating the natural resources around us and imagining what animals see and do around the schoolyard. Kids were hooked on sitting peacefully outdoors writing, while others seemed to prefer bouncing around the rocks or trees with an occasional peek at something in nature.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade gardeners planted, maintained, and harvested oregano, thyme, parsley, onions, cherry tomatoes, and lettuces in their u-shaped garden bed. They also planted and cared for day lilies, Easter lilies and other flowers in the bed outside their classroom.  Fourth graders also engaged in nature journaling to observe change and explore the nature around the school's outdoor space

Fifth Grade

Fifth graders engaged in nature journaling to observe change and explore the nature around the school's outdoor space.  They also designed and redesigned bird nests around the schoolyard, and are were impressed with birds as engineers.  They also focused their planting efforts on pollinators.  They added some milkweed varieties and other summer/fall species to the no mow area on the hillside by the track. This area is mowed once a year (last year in February or March), which will disperse the seeds so that they can grow again the next year and also keep invasive species from taking over. Keep an eye out for butterflies, moths and other pollinators in these places throughout the spring and summer!