Directory of Gardens

Bales Intermediate School Outdoor Classroom

Bales Intermediate School is located in Friendswood, southeast of Houston. The following article was submitted by Bales teacher Cathy Corley:

The Outdoor Classroom at Bales Intermediate School
by Cathy Corley

One very special teacher at Bales Intermediate School in Friendswood Independent School District had a vision of a place where children could study nature in action and conduct real-world experiments. Tierni Sager, who is now a 6th grade science teacher at my school, had a vision that became a reality when she received the district's blessings to begin construction. Grants, fundraisers and many hours of hard work by volunteers paid off with a beautiful area to study wildlife and plants at a nature center on our campus. I have mostly taught lesson plans and promoted use of the nature center. Responsibility for maintenance goes to our master gardener.

Building the Center

After receiving this grant, my part in this was to gather and put together a "hands on" curriculum that could be used at the 5th grade level. It needed to meet two criteria: 1) The activities had to comply with the TEKS. 2) The curriculum had to incorporate possible career paths the students could study and consider.

It is hard to believe that the center has only been in existence for three years. The plantings were carefully selected and grew quickly. Our nature center seems like another world and it is so peaceful, beautiful, and lush. It is filled with life and it is hard to believe there are streets along two sides of it since the area is so beautifully screened off with flowering vines, and trees.

The goal of the "Nature Center" is to study wildlife and plants that attract and support wildlife. We established a certified wildlife habitat through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

We have planted a large selection of native plants, trees, herbs adapted to our climate, and flowers that attract a variety of birds, butterflies, and other animals. We have a pond with fish, turtles and aquatic plants. We have two seating areas, several benches, an observation room, an equipment shed, and a triple compost bin, all along a winding walkway. We have a Purple Martin house, a Bluebird house, and a bat house as well as bird feeders.

Children Love It

Taking children outdoors puts most kids in their element: They are comfortable there and eager to share what they know. They also want to know everything you know. Sometimes I can't get over how excited they are about everything! I usually have three or four trying to tell me something or show me something. Every single hummingbird, caterpillar or chrysalis is a marvel! Nesting killdeer fascinate them. The Green Heron that visits is a real thrill. They will sit for an hour looking through binoculars and excitedly pointing out each new discovery.

The students' excitement is what excites me when I teach outdoors. They love turning the compost and looking at all the different bugs. They love finding the name of the caterpillar, butterfly, or bird they just saw in the field guide and finding out why it is there and what flower, plant, or bug is attracted to it.

I do not think children are as absorbed by reading about these interactions or watching them on a video. Watching a butterfly emerge on television is not the same as watching it in real life! Digging in the soil and finding earthworms or the critters living in the compost is not the same as reading about them in a book.

Troubleshooting

We have our challenges. Weeds are a major challenge and require frequent attention in order to control them. Overfeeding of the fish is another challenge since it seems like every class is taking out bread. Keeping kids out of the center when school is closed has been a problem since they climb over the fence.

Last year the compost bin became a challenge when the pest control people decided it was too close to the building and it had to be moved. We finally convinced them it was the dumpster outside of the cafeteria that invited rodents and not the compost pile. These rodents do like to sleep in it because of the warmth.

The heat during the warm season does seem to a problem especially for me, since I usually wear pants during the warm season. It does not seem to bother the kids if they have on shorts. Last, but not the least of our challenges, is the weather. I have had a class out when the bottom fell out of the sky without much warning!

Outdoor Management

Student behavior is a problem that needs to be handled. Most of the time I do not have any trouble if the students know exactly what they are to do once we are in the nature center. I have found that I have to go over the activity in great detail before we get outside since it is much more difficult to maintain their attention when we are outside. I usually put students in pairs to work and to share materials if we are doing an experiment such as testing the soil or pond water. They are given a time limit and I periodically tell them how much time we have left while we are outside.

The most common problem I have had with students is maintaining a quiet voice; they just do not think that it applies outside. Noise will scare away wildlife. There are some days when students cannot settle down, they have trouble with their partners, or they just have the sillies. This last behavior is not tolerated. I usually let the assistant principal know we are heading out and to expect any behavior problems to come her way. Sometimes the student remains in the office or he/she is sent in to sit in another teacher's room with a dictionary or encyclopedia to look up material that pertains to the lesson they are missing outdoors. I usually assign a one or two page report on the topic we are studying when they are unable to remain at the nature center.

Safety is another concern. We have posted rules of behavior such as no running or horseplay. I usually find out if any students are allergic to any plants or to bee stings. I take a first aid kit with band-aids, tweezers, etc just in case. The students know exactly how the equipment is to be used, and any other use results in either loss of equipment or removal to the office.

Our Study Tools

We keep all of the standard gardening tools in the shed such as a wheelbarrow, shovel, rakes, hoes, trowels, spades, buckets, watering cans, etc. We have a clipboard, binoculars, hand lenses, microscopes, field guides for butterflies, birds, insects, and animal tracks. We also have soil and water testing kits, weather station equipment, dip nets, butterfly nets, flower and leaf presses, bug viewing boxes, measuring devices, clinometers, thermometers, probes, digital cameras, video cameras, and other standard lab equipment (funnels, sieves, test tubes, beakers, etc.)

 

2311 Canal St., Suite 122, Houston, TX 77003
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