Learning Landscapes

 

Learning Landscapes is a multifaceted experiential education program that creates outdoor classrooms on public school grounds along with detailed curricula that are linked to Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs). Learning Landscapes not only builds and maintains the outdoor classroom areas at each school but also implements a fully developed curriculum that is tailored to each grade level. As standardized testing has become an evermore present part of the public education system teachers are pressed for time and flexibility. Our goal is to give teachers and students a way to meet their testing goals using integrated subject matter, experiential learning and the natural environment. Learning Landscapes provides students of diverse learning abilities and styles the opportunity to flourish by catering to the whole child.

 

Each Learning Landscapes outdoor classroom is different as they are tailored to the individual interests, needs and physical site of each school. Additionally, each outdoor classroom is made up of multiple components which occur in different combinations at each school. These components include: classroom pavilions, pollinator gardens, vegetable gardens, rain gardens, small ponds and aquatic gardens, compost piles, nature trails, GLOBE Weather stations, and wildlife feeding/viewing stations.

 

Learning Landscapes has an individual program for each grade level that corresponds to the classroom material being covered at the time of year the gardens are planted and harvested. Most of the elementary programs center around planting gardens in the spring and returning the following fall (in the subsequent grade) to harvest, prepare and eat what they grew. This model not only follows the growing season but provides continuity from one grade to the next so that students are continually building on what they have previously learned.

 

Unfortunately, due to funding shortfalls, ASD is unable to offer programs or maintenance assistance at schools this spring.  It is very important to us that we maintain our commitment and involvement in our existing programs as much as possible.   We are assisting the schools in transitioning the outdoor classrooms and gardens to community run programs, but we are unable to provide the ongoing support of  ASD’s Learning Landscapes staff.