Science Center Classroom Planned for Cherry Brook’s Courtyard

by Lynn K. McMullin

The excitement is beginning to grow over Cherry Brook’s new outdoor classroom planned for the courtyard. This week, Principal Andy Robbin, Math and Science Curriculum Specialist Lisa Deltano, and PTO President Kim O’Brien were happy to accept a $4,200 check from Westinghouse’s Charitable Giving Program to be used for the purchase of a new 10’ x 10’ utility shed, a space-appropriate lawnmower and snow-thrower, and recycled benches for the area. Along with the PTO’s ongoing financial support (and time and energy!), and the expert contributions of Jarlath Connolly, owner of Lawn Tailors, the science center is well on its way to becoming a reality.

What’s in the Works?

For awhile now, the CBPS community has talked about turning the existing, rather overgrown courtyard into a vibrant learning center where teachers can take their classrooms of students to experience and appreciate nature and earth science with a curriculum that is tightly-aligned to carefully designed features. Picture this: groups of students with magnifiers, rakes or shovels, and their writing notebooks, charting what they find and making predictions. They could be digging for earthworms, recycling in the compost bin, or growing food. They could be planting seeds in the greenhouse, noting how a solar panel takes in sunlight and produces energy, or releasing the butterflies they grew from larvae. They could be noting which plants have their seeds on the outside (a sunflower) and which plants have their seeds on the inside (a pumpkin). Where do you find the seeds of a milkweed? The over-arching objective of this project -- we want our youngest students to wonder about the natural world, to participate in it, and to begin to understand their ecological footprint.

If you’re not familiar with this space, the CBPS courtyard is in the center of the building, lined with classrooms on three sides and a corridor with floor-to-ceiling windows on the other. It is very spacious, 120 feet by 92 feet, and has some interesting nooks. After studying the area, we have mapped out two paver-stone pathways with teaching stations at either side. Each station would feature a semi-circle of recycled plastic benches for seating 24 students.

At one end, we’re planning to install garden features; at the other end, renewable energy features. Both are aligned with our K – 3 curricula. A composting bin, for example, would support science objectives for soil testing, recycling, conservation, and earthworm study. Students will plant and keep a simple garden. Naturalized daffodils (1000 bulbs were already planted by the PTO last fall), will illustrate “the life-cycle of a plant.” Milkweed, daylilies, and asters will support lessons on indigenous plant-life and plant classification. They will also provide habitats for butterflies (raised in the metamorphosis unit), and for other insects, toads, and birds. Kindergarteners will plant pumpkins and sunflowers in the spring, then, as first graders, measure the height, weight, circumference, and volume in their first math unit, checking their predictions about whether the largest pumpkins and the largest sunflowers faces have the most seeds. Solar-powered vents on the greenhouse we’re hoping to install and many solar-powered lights will support units on renewable energy sources. If all goes well, the area could also see a water pump, powered by a photo-voltaic cell, for a fish pond habitat, as well as bird houses made by the Garden Club and even a bat house.

Our teachers and an active group of parents who currently lead nature walks will be trained to use the courtyard science stations. We also have the commitment of Liz Butner, K-8 Science Consultant for the Connecticut State Department of Education, who has agreed to provide on-site professional development to help teachers get the most out of the new outdoor classroom, including during the winter months.

While beautification isn’t the primary goal, the newly-redesigned area will be beautiful, and certainly will offer wonderful opportunities for art, reading, and writing classes as well. Cherry Brook’s Garden Club, advised by Ann Atwood, will find many active ways to enjoy the center, and a bird house building workshop planned for the Torrington Lowe’s will only be the beginning of their involvement. Rick Murawski, the Manager of Lowe’s, is the newest member of the planning team.

So, that’s what all the excitement is about! Watch for an Open House event this spring.