Outdoor classroom verses kids in nature

By Denise Dick

Parents, teachers, pupils, donations and grants made the outdoor classroom a reality.

POLAND — Union Elementary School second-graders bounded through the woods for the official opening of their outdoor classroom.

“This is so exciting,” said Indika Torma, 8.

The classes gathered Thursday afternoon for a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the wooded space where pupils learn about nature and enjoy quiet time.

Work on the area behind the school started last year with help from several parents working on weekends to clear the area. Teachers and pupils joined in the preparation effort.

Grants from the Mahoning County Green Team and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources helped foot the bill, and a donation from the Poland Seminary Class of 2007 helped buy benches for children to sit.

“We teach the seasons,” said Principal Carmella Smallhoover. “What better way to teach the seasons than for them to be out here and see how the seasons change.”

Sometimes they identify animal tracks and various leaves they find in the outdoor space.

Children sit on the benches to write in science journals, listen to stories or read, said Linda Watts, a second-grade teacher.

Her pupils Indika, Luke Fulton, Catherine Sicafuse, Owen Hernon, all 8; and twins Luke and Lexie Tsudis, A.J. Pepperney, Ellie Blasko and Makayla Sherman, all 7; talked about their outdoor adventures.

“We use it to learn about science,” Luke said.

“We listen to the different noises,” Ellie added.

Sometimes they play a hide-and-seek-like game where they portray different animals in predator-prey scenarios. And sometimes they just sit and listen to the sounds of nature.

“One time we saw a squirrel and it was really close to us,” Lexie gushed. “He just sat and watched us.”

Classes use the space year-round.

“We’re very fortunate to have this kind of an area because not all schools do,” Smallhoover told pupils.

Anthony Lattanzio, 12, a sixth-grader at McKinley Elementary, drew the stencil of the bulldog paw prints used to paint along the paved path to the classroom as well as on the baseball field’s dugouts.

A group of families asked Anthony to lend his artistry to the outdoor facilities. Brian DeLost, a member of Boy Scout Troop 2, Poland, spread wood chips around the forest floor. He’s pursuing his Eagle badge.

Watts said her classes use the natural setting about three times per week during the school year.