Scenario:
It’s 2063 and the last of the 1960’s prefab classrooms are being decommissioned. You have been given the brief to redesign a classroom that has direct access to the school yard, veggie patch and chooks.
Answer:
Finally schools are moving beyond the classroom and realising that learning can take place anywhere…… even if it’s just 5 steps outside the classroom.
Providing students/the class with their own veggie patch is such a brilliant idea as it teaches students a variety of things including sustainability, nutrition, the environment, the list is endless. It is a fun and engaging way for students to learn and I like the way the reading ‘ Part 3: What is our garden for?’ states ” [it] achieve [s] a good balance between education and production.” As well as having a veggie patch, the school would want to provide students with chooks. This is also a great way to teach students about responsibility and again, provides many learning outcomes throughout the curriculum. Students would love looking after them and playing with them so this can also be a motivational tool.
The childcare that I work at has a veggie patch and the children love playing in that area. They are constantly gardening and planting, shovelling and playing with the dirt as it is one of the most popular areas in the yard. Each childcare room also has 2 birds in it and children help look after them with a adult around. So seeing first hand how children react to these things, just shows how effective and fun a veggie patch and chooks could have on the students in the school environment.
In order for this to occur, I would love to have bi-fold doors facing the veggie patch to give the classroom and more natural and open feel. I also would love to have an area were students can study and do some work outside so they are not stuck in the classroom all day, surrounded by the gardens and chickens. This will go under a shaded area.
Below is the link to my learning space design and what I feel is necessary for this space. The main focus is the garden and chicken area but I included a classroom design to how each space flows together. I wanted the classroom to be a collaborative learning space.
Veggie Patch and Chooks Design: http://pl.an/m6pt5p
Website: Part 3: What is our garden for? Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0218e/A0218E04.htm
My Learning Space 
Great to hear about your own experience with children and chooks!
It is all part of getting back to our connection to the land-where our food comes from-not from a supermarket!
Children innately love being outdoors and getting grubby.
My two kids’ favourite game is ‘having an bath’ in muddy puddles!
Having an area that can be accessed by bi-fold doors is ideal as it also allows a lot of natural light in and easy access to the outside.
Thanks for sharing!
Nuala
Thanks Nuala 🙂
I think every childs favourite game is playing in muddy puddles….. it’s fun to watch but a pain to clean sometimes haha
I loved the idea of bi-fold doors and thought it was a good thing to incorporate into my plan but what I’m struggling with is how to make the classroom an efficient space that relates to this scenario. I would love to hear your thoughts. From the above scenario, I was hoping to make it a more collaborative space yet still keep the open feel to the room.