TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — After two years of learning from home, children struggled to pick up where they left off.
“We noticed a lot of children having trouble playing with each other, getting along, knowing how to play with toys,” said Annette Campbell, School Psychologist at Emily Meschter Early Learning Center.
Teachers say the isolation and increased screen time from the pandemic made students feel disconnected from their environment.
“One of our kids, he was just so bored being outside in the nature area,” Campbell said.
So employees at Emily Meschter Early Learning Center decided to create an outdoor classroom. They’re still in the process of developing the area, but teachers say it will have an archeology site for students to dig up bones, a pollinator garden and a house of bugs to take care of, and much more.
“The space will be full of different centers of learning that the students can engage with their teacher and peers,” said Jessica Jankowski-Gallo, a teacher at Emily Meschter Early Learning Center.
Students have already helped plant five trees. They water them every few days with their teachers.
“There’s a big open space where you're able to regulate and figure out what you're able to do with your body,” Jankowski-Gallo said.
The students will go outside for one class a day, starting in January. In addition to the educational benefits, teachers hope this will create a newfound love for the outdoors.
“I think kids wont be afraid to be outside, they’re going to build confidence in themselves and be excited about seeing things,” Campbell said.
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