Nature Explore Classroom at the CA
Montessori Children’s Center in Islandia, NY
Enhancing services for their associates’ children, CA Montessori Children’s Center inIslandia, New York, has certified a new Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom designed byThe Natural Playgrounds Company® where children can develop deeper relationships
with nature. Located on CA’s headquarters campus, the CA Montessori Children’s
Center takes advantage of its natural beauty to stimulate children’s interest in the
natural world.
Whether playing with tree cookies and stumps in the gazebo or tending perennials in the garden, children continually develop a deeper appreciation of nature.
Paths, sand and pebbles at water’s edge, and wooden fences border the separate
areas within the Outdoor Classroom. Relaxing on a wooden bench in The Quiet Area, a
young girl may ask her teacher about a leaf she found on the ground or look at a book about insects. The Amphitheatre and Music Area is designed for a group of children to sing for an audience of parents and other family members, or for the staff to use for picnics and meetings.
Distinctive textures in the classroom’s different areas — grassy furrows in The Labyrinth, The Sand Garden’s grainy particles, loose soil in The Garden, small rocks in the creek — appeal to the children’s senses. They can choose whatever most attracts them from a broad range of activities: improving large-motor skills as they trot around the labyrinth, listening for the mockingbird who lives in the woods, picking and eating berries from The Garden, or comparing the soft leaves of a doe’s ear plant to the prickly seed scales of a pine cone.
Grassy furrows in the labyrinth offer children ample space to improve their balance and experience a strong sense of physical accomplishment.
Classroom furniture is made from natural wood and tree stumps. The open design
allows teachers to follow their children’s movements at all times. Children easily move about from one area to another along winding paths covered with smooth stones or hardened paths.
Thoughtful landscaping maximizes the areas’ natural elements. Indigenous trees and
plants impart a tranquil quality to the space while providing habitat for birds and
butterflies. Boulders and a river bed help punctuate the space and give children an even better chance to discover the diversity of nature, and a 300’ long sound barrier berm planted with grasses and shrubs keeps interstate noise at bay.
The Natural Playgrounds Company® provided numerous opportunities throughout the
new Nature Explore Classroom at Islandia to teach children about nature’s influence in our lives. Wherever children turn, they are met with views of the gardens, fields, trees,and water — making nature a daily experience at Islandia.
Benches, a hammock, a birdhouse, a Long Path with bridges, a water play area, and
numerous other features designed by The Natural Playgrounds Company® capture the
variety of opportunities that await children outdoors.
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