GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It’s January, it’s 17 degrees and kids at the Potter’s House school in Grand Rapids are learning — outside.
Thursday morning, students in the wonder class were discussing changes at Plaster Creek.
In their outdoor classroom, it’s something they do almost every day.
“It's really awesome. We get to come out here three, four times a week,” said seventh grader Megan VanDorp.
The outdoor learning space was designed to give the students an immersive learning experience.
“It's pretty cool. Like, we come out here to, like, read sometimes and, like, just kind of explore and journal about stuff that we see,” said sixth grader Louis Diepstra.
Teacher Kathy DeJong sees the benefits of having her students spend some time outside.
“It's also such a wonderful break from being inside all the time. Kids are inside way too much and they need fresh air and they need to play outside. They need to learn outside,” said DeJong.
And the kids don’t even mind the cold.
“Well, it is cold, but the snow is really beautiful, and it's cool seeing, like, the onions, like, sprouting through the snow,” said sixth grader Lydia Youngs.
“It's a lot more fun when it's a little warmer. But I'm really glad that we can come out here when and just experience all the seasons,” said Megan.
The students say they look forward to being able to learn for an hour or two outside.
“We're really with nature. ... We're sitting on these stumps with, like, this wood that we built around us. So we just get to be together in community with each other, which is one of the funnest things,” said Megan.
“You never know what you're gonna do. We could be down by Plaster Creek, or we could be up here talking about Bible or social studies or reading,” said Lydia.
They just bundle up and experience what nature has to offer.
“We will be out here tomorrow, twice," said Ms. DeJong.
The Potter’s House is still adding to the outdoor space. In the spring they plan on having a garden and a reading deck.
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