Introduction to this project
Believing that education has the most impact when our children see the connections between what they learn in the classroom and the world outside of the school building, the Outdoor Classroom Committee was begun in 2009 to encourage more environmental study by providing support for integrating nature around our school into the curriculum.

School Year 2010-2011

The gardens have been growing strong all summer and are ready for the students and teachers to return to school.  The volunteers have worked hard watering and weeding to have the outdoor classroom in good shape.

Highlights to look for:

How many milkweed plants can you find at Johnson?
Edible Garden:
Can you identify all of the vegetables?

Plant and Animal Interactions
Look for the aphids in the native garden.  You might see some lady bugs having their lunch.


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Goals: It is the goal of the Outdoor Classroom Enrichment Committee to provide multi-disciplinary educational enrichment opportunities for the Johnson School children through the establishment of a teaching garden, the restoration of the wooded land around the school and the creation of perennial beds which improve and sustain the biological diversity of the school grounds.

Procedures for implementing the project:
It is the role of the Outdoor Classroom Enrichment Committee to create and maintain an educational garden which has curricular connections.  Environmental education will take place through learning about invasive plants and their removal and the creation of perennial and shrub beds that are beneficial to wildlife.   The members of the Committee will educate themselves about particular elements of the project so that they can be a resource to the teachers.  They will provide information to the teachers in order to assist teachers whenever possible with projects.

Contact information:
Johnson School Staff Member:  Justin Tourangeau
Committee Chairperson:  Mary Estella
Anyone interesting in joining the committee or in joining an e-mail list for information on the gardens should contact Mary Estella or Kathy Lee
Outdoor Classroom Committee members:  Jennifer Takasaki, Kathy Branagan, Darrah Bryans, Sarah Gregorian, Kathy Lee, Jen Wise, Mary Estella, Sharon Lesher, Kris Taylor, Earlina Jamison

Contact information for web page:  Kathy Lee [email protected]