AG 2005 05 23 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Outdoor Learning Classroom We appreciate the oppottunity to make this presentation. The concept and vision for the Outdoor Classroom was! conceived due to lack of this type offacility for students and the community at large. A grant application was! submitted to the North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation Districts !\I1d subsequently approved. In 1967, the Cabarrus Spil and Water Conservation District sponsored the first conservation field day. ,Over the last 36 years, conservation field days have not only offered students a hand~-on opportunity to learn about natural resources, but also the opportunity to have con,lact with resource management professionals and volunteers as role models. However, !this program has been restricted to 6th grade students. The challenges in contiJ;1uing to offer this prograrn were inadequate numbers of professionals and volun,leers to donate the time required to individually visit the increased number of schools and Interact with the increased number of students. Additionally, the state competency goals ~equire that even supplemental educational programs work to meet these goals so tha~ students perform well on End of Grade Tests. Due to the constraints of the Conservation Field Days, the Cabarrus County Agribusiness Council stepped up to coordinate one large scal\l event by bringing the 6th grade students from their schools to on,e central location (Cabarrus Arena and Events Center) for hands- on science experiments. The outdoor environmtjIlt enhances the restrictive classroom atmosphere and expands the resources available to s,tudents. While in the natural environment, students retain more educational informatio$. because they use their senses to "touch, feel, see, and do." North Cabarrus Park w~s chosen as a perfect site for this project for the following reasons: . Location - acce~sibi1ity by all schools in the Kannapo1is and Cabarrus School districts, and cilizens within the community. . Amenities - restrooms and walkways, paved parking for school/private vehicles, and its passive recreation ambiance, ie. no ball fields etc. . Conservation l~arning sites - pond ( aquatics), wildlife, soil, forestry, nature trail, ecological studV, and how weather affects the environment (three rain gauges stationed around the park that are monitored by students at different times throughout the ~ear). i These conservation le~ing sites are not meant to be invasive, rather it affords the "student" the opportu~ity to observe and apply conservation and preservation principles. The learning sites wil1!be designed not only to blend into the natural environment, but with the least amount Of disturbance to surrounding areas. This project will be ~-11