LIFE ON THE BAY, December 2021

There is a new place in Duxbury for healing and learning called the Outdoor Classroom. An outdoor classroom is a place for children to connect to the natural world and learn from what nature has to teach them. The Outdoor Classroom is located behind Alden School down a path called the Outdoor Learning Center.

The Outdoor Classroom is a project that was brought to the schools by third-grade teachers Erin Miele and Kathy Hanlon. After all the difficult months of teaching and learning during the pandemic, they wanted to do something positive. Since students were at home and behind screens for lengthy periods of time, they knew that students and teachers could benefit from time spent outdoors.

Erin and Kathy researched outdoor spaces in surrounding towns and figured that the space in the middle of the Outdoor Learning Center would be the perfect place for a classroom. The teachers wrote a grant to the Duxbury Education Foundation, and after many months of planning and researching, they were thrilled when the project was approved. The main elements of the project were to have trees and brush cleared, wood chips put down, a fence installed to define the area, rock and log seating installed and a mural put up. Upon completion, the Outdoor Classroom was beyond their expectations. It is a beautiful and peaceful place.

The added final elements include windchimes, a sundial, books with lesson ideas for each grade level, and a welcome sign that will be installed soon. The teachers took their students out for a preliminary visit and their reactions were priceless. The timing of the project also fits in beautifully with the newly installed story walk done by the Duxbury Free Library.

Erin and Kathy hope that the space can be used by the schools and the community for years to come. Erin and Kathy would like to thank the following supporters of the project:

Duxbury Education Foundation - provided grant money to support the project

Ed O’Donnell - donated and created handcrafted wooden benches and installed them

Kris Brennen - created the art mural, and selected the stones for seating

East Coast Fence - installed a fence to define the area

DPW - removed trees and shrubs and put wood chips down

PTA - partnered with us for a yearly clean up day to maintain the space