Gold Award Spotlight: The Discovery Garden Outdoor Classroom

Girl Scout Ambassador Claire Pittman, recently earned her Gold Award by developing a creative way for preschool students to learn while getting outdoors. She completed a project she titled, The Discovery Garden Outdoor Classroom, and created a new hands-on learning area for the students of Peake Early Childhood Development Center (PECD), a not for profit preschool in Hampton, VA. PECD’s mission is to “nurture young children by providing affordable, quality preschool programs that develop the “whole child” and foster school readiness.” Claire has a passion for watching children grow through interacting with the world around them and knew that she could make a big impact for the preschoolers at PECD. 

The outdoor classroom is inside of a fenced playground area at PECD and features play kitchens, raised garden beds and a portable drawing station to help make the preschoolers’ learning experiences more fun! 

“My project enhances learning outcomes for students by giving them the opportunity to learn outdoors and also provides teachers with an expanded range of curriculum,” Claire said. “Learning only indoors deprives students from the greater stimulation that is found outdoors. Research also indicates that experiences in nature foster positive attitudes towards learning and fosters improvements in physical and social development.”

 

Claire’s project was funded completely through donations and she received enough materials to build an extra outdoor play kitchen with the surplus. 

“I was very skeptical about my ability to get building material donations because of supply shortages due to the global pandemic, but that didn’t stop the generosity of all the wonderful sponsors I gained, particularly the local sponsors,” she said.

Claire’s outdoor classroom is a permanent fixture at PECD and is available for students and teachers to use for lessons and play. She unveiled the classroom in October 2021 and students at the ceremony at PECD got a first look at their newest school addition.

From Claire's October 2021 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony