1. The Potential for Schoolyard
Outdoor Education
Presented by: Samuel
H. Sage, Atlantic States
Legal Foundation

2. About Atlantic States Legal
Foundation
 Onondaga Creek
Revitalization Project
 Education Initiatives
with the Dunbar
Association
 Environmental Health
Projects including lead
education

3. Onondaga Creek Revitalization
Program
 ASLF, OEI, SUNY-ESF, community
members and other organizations are
developing a creek revitalization plan
 The results of this plan can incorporate
outdoor education initiatives
 Fowler High and Clary Middle are perfectly
located to utilize neighboring creeks

4. What other School Districts are doing
 Forest Kindergartens in Europe, since the 1950s
 Berkeley school system, Edible Schoolyards Project
 Finger Lakes National Forest and Hillside Children’s
Center
 Boston Schoolyard Initiative, www.schoolyards.org
 Missoula, Montana, schoolyard habitats
 Springfield, Ohio, curricular gardens
 Many thousands more!

5. Why do this here?
 Syracuse City schools are becoming
‘greener’
 A connection with nature is essential to a
child’s mental and physical well being
 Addresses growing concern about our
children’s ‘nature deficit disorder’
 Engage students more with the community
and the natural world
 Hands-on learning experiences

6. Syracuse is the 17th Greenest City in
the U.S. – National Geographic’s Green Guide
 Great Green things are
happening here
 Immense potential for
increased learning
 Schools, community
and environment can
be linked through
education

7. Building the Outdoor Classroom
 Involve students in
planning and design of
a schoolyard habitat
 Grow native plant
gardens
 Take advantage of
existing natural areas
(i.e. Harbor Brook and
Onondaga Creek)
 Build butterfly gardens

8. Cross- curricular learning
 Involve all studies
 Map soil, survey existing plants and animals
 Design and build gardens, pathways, etc.
 Create outside curriculum for each grade level

9. What Schoolyard Education Looks Like

11. How Children will Benefit
 Reconnect children with the natural world
 Correct the “nature deficit disorder” as
described by Richard Louv
 Take advantage of great educational
opportunities presented by school grounds
 Extend and expand ‘green’ efforts already
being done in Syracuse schools

12. Potential for Outside Funding
 More than 100 schools
will receive grants from
Lowe’s Charitable and
Education Foundation
 www.lowes.com/community
 National Forum on
Children and Nature
 Many others

13. How ASLF can help
 Create outdoor education programs
 Provide program assistance
 Work with school officials to secure outside funding
 Help build collaboration with other local
organizations
 Integrate the schoolyard classroom program with
greening the schools and the safe route to school
initiative

14. Additional resources
 www.cnaturenet.org
 www.schoolyards.org
 www.lowes.com/community
 www.cefpi.org
 www.king.berkeleypta.org
 www.sfgreenschools.org