Potted strawberry plans await planing.
Fresh air lessens symptoms of both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression, according to environmental psychologist Louise Chawla. And kids who spend time outdoors often develop better social skills, says Sarah Leibel, a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
These and other research findings make a great case for taking teaching and learning outdoors when possible, concludes the New York School Boards Association in its Study Break series https://soundcloud.com/user-308199334/go-ahead-fool-with-mother-nature-the-outdoors-is-an-effective-learning-tool, which provides quick audio suggestions to school leaders. And an excellent way to do that is by building outdoor classrooms, the school boards association says.
We at the Vegetable Project agree and want to do just that – starting at Myers Middle School, where we have been leading gardening programming since 2009. Please take a look here https://vegetableproject.org/myers-middle-school-outdoor-classroom/ for information about what we are working on and check back in now and then for updates as we move forward.
And please join us if you can tomorrow, Sunday, March 19, at the home of Julia Farrant, 38 Brookline Ave., Albany, for food, friends and conversation about this exciting project.
–Bill Stoneman
