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Werling, Donn PaulEnvironmental Education and Your School Site.Open Lands Project, Chicago, Ill.73100p.Open Lands Project, 53 N. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL60604 ($3.00)

HP-$C.75 HC-$4.20 PLUS POSTAGECommunity Involvement; Conservation Education;Elementary Grades; *Environmental Education; *Guides;*Land Use; Natural Resources; *Outdoor Education;Science Education; *Site. Development

ABSTRACTThis handbook, designed primarily for use in the

development of existing elementary school sites, has the overallobjective of defining a process approach to the development of aschool site for use in environmental education. This approachinvolves the student body, school personnel, and the community in theplanning, development and use of the school site as a green islandfor school and community use. Specific objectives of the handbookare: (1) to establish a rationale for developing school sites for usein environmental education: ecological, instructional, economic, andcommunity benefits; (2) to provide guidelines for organizing a schoolsite development effort; (3) to point out pitfalls one may encounterin site development efforts; (4) to provide strategies, ideas, andtechniques for teachers to use in order to draw the mostinstructional benefit from the development and use of the schoolsite; (5) to point out ways to achieve the maximum number of spin-offbenefits from the development of the site; and (6) to provideselected references to written materials and available institutionaland human resources. This handbook is written with the belief thatone motivated individual can rally the school and community interestand support necessary to cooperatively develop a school site.(Author/BT)

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A arant to the Open Lands Project from the Illinois Institutefor Environmental. Quality provided the basic funding for thedevelopment of this book.

Stemming from its interest in environmental education, theProject played a catalytic role in bringing the necessary re-sources together.

The Open Lands Project is a non-profit citizen associationorganized to enhance the quality of the environment of thegreater Chicago region in three ways:

1) By the permanent preservation of open space in publichands through direct effort; through assistance to othergroups; or, through efforts to protect and assure betteruse of existing public open space.

2) By assisting the public schools, local colleges andother educational institutions in creating programs onenvironmental problems, assisting teachers in increasingstudent awareness of environmental opportunities, andpromoting the use of existing public open space as anenvironmental study area.

3) By serving as a resource center and referral agencyfor individuals, citizen groups, government agencies andprivate interests seeking information about environmentalproblems and opportunities, open space preservation, andrelated matters.

(1OPENLANDSPRQJ ECT

Environmental Educationand your School Site

$3.00

Open Lands Project53 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chica-4o, Ill. 60604

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Environmental Education

and yourSchool Site

Donn Paul Werling

1

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

published by theOpen Lands Project,Chicago, Illinois

in cooperation with theIllinois Institute

for Environmental Quality

1973

illustrated by Joe Liles

SW tor( pumastt

Lunn Paul Werling

first printing November 1973

Gunnar Peterson copyright I973 by Donn Paul WerlingOpen Lands Project and by the Open Lands Project

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

He who plants trees loves others besides himself.

anonymous

printed on 100% recycled paper

BEST C.C.t- t. 7

Foreword

Although our public school system Isone of the largest land holdars in thestate, too little consideration hasbeen given to the impact which theconditions of school sites have on theenvironmental quality of our communi-ties, and the potential resource whichthe school site offers for environmentaleducation.

It is In response to the growinginterest of educators and their In-creasing awareness of the importanceand potential of a progressive schoolsite development program, that thishandbook has been written,

iv

Preface

This handbook has been written onthe basis of the author's own experi-ence with school site development pro-jects in the states of Illinois anlMichigan, as well as the research ofschool site development efforts in thestate of Michigan where, for over thepast ten years, school districts havebeen involved in extensive school sitedevelopment projects.

The research and writing were donepursuant to a grant from the IllinoisInstitute for Environmental Quality tothe Open Lands Project, Chicago,Illinois.

Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges the many in-dividuals and organizations whose dedi-cated efforts made the writing of thishandbook possible. Sincere appreciationis expressed to the Following peoplewho, in sharing a common vision of whata school site can become, contributedtheir time,.talents and energies.

Eima Douglas, Julien Drayton, TonyFilips Ora McConnor, Richard C. Wnekand the students and staff of the Ray-mond Elementary School, Chicago PublicSchools;Lee Botts, Gunnar Peterson and WayneSchimpff of the Open Lands Project,Chicago;Anthony Tyznik and members of theMorton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois;Virginia Beatty, Robert P. Wintz andmembers of the Chicago HorticulturalSociety;Angela Imberman and the Illinois institute for Environmental Quality;Drs. Karl W. Grube, William B. Stapp,and Russell E. Wilson of the Universityof Michigan;

Dorothy Cox, Norman Marsh, Tim Speyer,and Steve VanMatre for the use of theirmaterial;

Carolyn Kennedy for her photographicassistance and materials;my family, and especially my wife Dianefor her editing, patience, and love.

My wish to you the reader is that,in following the process of school sitedevelopment, you have the good fortuneto meet, work with, learn from, andshare the experience with as manywonderful people and groups as I have.

qf E

SOP`tANIA11015.

Contents

FOREWORDPREFACE

INTRODUCTION

1. WHY SCHOOL SITE DEVELOPMENT?

IvV I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1 RATIONALE1 OBJECTIVES2 SCOPE

3 ENHANCEMENT OF THE INSTRUCTIONALPROGRAM

4 ECONOMICS5 IMPROVEMENT OF THE MICRO-CLIMATE6 AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION6 AESTHETICS6 COMMUNITY USE6 CeoMUNITY RELATIONSrj

PLOY AREAS

2. THE PROCESS OF SCHOOL SITEDEVELOPMENT 11 INITIATION OF THE PROJECT

12 SECURING INITIAL APPROVAL12 FORMATION or A SCHOOL SITE cowing=12 Composition of Committee14 Committee Guidelines15 Force Field Analysis Form16 matron or SITE RESOURCES16 DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL

SPECIFICATIONS18 DEVELOPMENT OF A MASTER PLAN18 Site Plan19 Instructional and Community Use19 Maintenance19 Implementation20 DEVELOPMENT OF A PLAN FOR SECURING

RESOURCES, AND FUNDRAISING20 Human and Material Resources21 Fundraising23 PRESENTATION OF THE MASTER PLAN FOR

APPROVAL23 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASTER PLAN23 Projects To Be Contracted Out23 Projects To Be Completed by

Individuals or Groups24 Guidelines for Planting27 CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE

OF THE SITE

3. CASE STUDIES 31 AN INWER CITY SCHOOL35 A SUBURBAN SCHOOL37 SCHOOL/PARK COMPLEX ON THE URBAN

FRINGE

VI

4. USE OF THE SITE FORENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION 41

4242

44444648

52

5.SPIN-OFFS FROM THE SCHOOL TOTHE HOME, TO THE COMMUNITY 55

APPENDIX A 61

APPENDIX B 66

APPENDIX C 68

APPENDIX 0 76

APPENDIX E 79

SELECTED REFERENCES 8791

BIBLIOGRAPHY 92

INITIAL USE OF THE SITE'DEVELOPING A KNOWLEDGE OF THE

ENVIRONMENTTeaching StationsDEVELOPING ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY

"Discover and Investigate""Acclimatisation"

ACTION PHASE OF ENV:RONMENTALEDUCATIONEnvironmental Encounters

INSERVICE TRAINING AND ON-SITEASSISTANCE

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM SITE POLICY (Model)

TEACHING STATIONS --Tips on TheirConstruction and Use

ENCOUNTER FORMAToutlined by Dorothy Cox

GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL SITE PLANNINGby Richard MacGown

SCHOOL SITE ANALYSIS FORM SLUTSdeveloped by U.S.D.A., SoilConservation Service

IMPROVISED PLAY AREASby Tim Speyer

PUBLISHER ADDRESSES

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VII

OEST

"We travel together, passengers on a littlespaceship, dependent on its vulnerable sup-plies of air and soil . . . preserved fromannihilation only by the care, the work, andI will say, the love, we give our fragilecraft."

--Adlai Stevenson It

Introduction

Earth Day is a memory; ecology is

now a household word. There are statestatutes mandating that environs ntal

education be taught in public elemen-tary and secondary schools, and stateplans have been written. Now, what

does an educator do to bring environ-mental education and students together?

While a completely satisfactory def-inition of environmental education hasnot been established, it is generallyaccepted that the emphasis must be ona process approach which will producea citizenry that is knowledgeable aboutthe environment and ecological prin-ciples, has the skills necessary totake effective, action to help solveenvironmental problems, and is moti-vated to do so.'

RATIONALE

In less than half a century ournation has changed from a predominantlyrural to a predominantly urban society.At the same time, our technology andaffluence have made us more comfortableat tremendous cost to the; environment,

upon which all life depends. If we areto respond to these conditions, we mustcultivate a new set of attitudes towardour earth and its resources.

Our earth is like a spaceship. It isa relatively closed system containingall the necessities for life (soil,

water and air) we will ever have. This"spaceship earth" concept can do muchto help us recognize that the land

lu.s. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare.Office of Education, Environmental Education Hand-book (Washington, D.C., 1972), p. 3.

AVR11,01

around us is not simply land to be

built upon, but that it is land whichmust be carefully husbandet because itis an integral part of our life supportsystem. A spaceship earth philosophydemands more than simple recognition,however. If our citizens are to makeinformed environmental decisions andconsumer choices, they must also beprovided with an experiential base thatwill equip them with the knowledge,motivation and skills to deal with in-creasingly complex environmental prob-lems. Our public school systems have aunique opportunity and responsibilityto provide this experiential base. An

effective way in which schools can do

this is through the process of schoolsite development.

OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of this hand-book is to defire a process approach tothe development of a school site foruse in environmental education, i.e.,

an approach which involves the studentbody, school personnel and community inthe planning, development and use ofthe school site as a "green island" forschool and community use.

Specific objectives of the handbookare:

to establish a rationale fordeveloping school sites for use

in environmental education:ecological, instructional, eco-nomic, and community benefits;to provide guidelines f':r or-

ganizinga school site develop-ment effort;to point out pitfalls to avoidwhich you may encounter in yoursite development efforts;to provide strategies, ideasand techniques for teachers touse in order to draw the mostinstructional benefit from thedevelopment and use of theschool site;to point out ways to achievethe maximum number of spin-offbenefits from the developmentof your site; andto provide selected referencesto written materials, and in-stitutional and human resourceswhich are available to assistyou in your efforts.

SCOPE

While the handbook is designed pri-marily for use in the development ofexisting elementary school sites, theprocess approach which is outlined canbe easily adapted to upper grade levelsand to the development of newly ac-quired sites. The sections coveringthe rationale ( Chapter 1 ), the thirdcase study included in Chapter 3, themodel school district policy ( Chapter5), and Appendix C should be of specialinterest and assistance to the latter.

UM 11111111

This handbook is written with thebelief that one motivated individualcan rally the school and communityinterest and support necessary to coop-eratively develop a school site into amodel of sound environmental practiceand a living laboratory for learning.Whether it's in the heart of Chicago,the open prairie or the suburbs ofSpringfield, development and use ofyour school site can serve as a vehiclefor environmental education an educa-tion of the very best kind, because itwill be by experience.

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Chapter One

Why School Site Development?

-.8 o'clock Monday morning. You

pull into the parking lot, walk throughtne door, sign in. Another week ofkids, papers, books and learning beginsin your school, which is located on yourschool site, which is part of the thinmembrane'ofthe spaceship earth on whichall life depends.

Pick up almost any recent magazineor book and you'll probably find the

words "ecology," "environment," and theneed for a "land ethic" and building abetter environment mentioned. Now takea look outside classroom window. Is

your school site a model of the kind ofenvironment which our generation mussset about to build --or is it a model,instead, of what careless attitudestoward land and our environment havebrought about?

Sad to say the state of most schooisites does not reflect the concernwhich our citizens have today for theenvironment. Environmental educationthat talks of oil spills, pollutingsmokestacks and a land ethic withoutaddressing itself to its own corner ofthe world is missing the point entirely.If environmental education is to betaught effectively, the school siteitself should be a model of sound en-vironmental practice, a model whichcan be used in developing the knowledgeand problem-solving skills needed towork toward the solutions of the manyenvironmental problems which communi-ties everywhere face.

Take another look at your schoolsite. Is it a model of sound environ-mental practice? Following are somefacts and problem areas which may, per-haps,indicate the need for a school site

iR

development project at your school,

ENHANCEMENT OF THEINSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM

no of thc, primary pupo.,vh of a ,choralI5 odwation. LR,,,auso C,choots ftivo lim-

ited resourcw-, and budat-sts, educator-,

maho lho bo:.,t use of what they

have in. doveloD ing their r,duk.:ational

program. Dovolovnent of tho

lrounA for oduc3tional nof

an ociciti,,nal financial ',train. :in

for tr,w bi; or

r 1 iro two way-, in whi, h

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:..through Development of the Site

One of the fundamental tenets of a

..school site development effort is that

the process of developing and maintain-ing the site can be as much an educa-tion, or perhaps even a better educationtnan what is formally taught throughuse of the school site. By using aprocess approach to the development ofthe site (i. e., an approach which in-volves the student body, school person-nel and community in the planning,development and use of the scnool site),students can develop much neededproblem-solving skills, as well as

build up their self-concepts of whatthey can do and be.

...through Use of the Site

There is little dispute amorg educe-

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tors that teaching via experience Isthe best way to teach. Students alsoare in complete agreement. The problemhas always been and still is the deliv-ery system. How can a teacher providea wealth of learning experiences giventhe realities of the classroom, thecrowded curriculum and the tight schoolbudgets of today?

Because environmental education isabout man's relationship to his environ-ment, part of a student's educationshould include experiences in and withthe outdoor environment. Althoughfield trips and school camping havebecome widely accepted as ways to pro-vide effective environmental learningexperiences outdoors, the .expense ofrenting a bus, justification to andapproval by the principal and dis-trict superintendent, and other redtape involved make such experiences,at best, an infrequent occurrence for afortunate few.

There is, however, no red tape orcost involved in the use of the schoolsite once it has been developed. Ithas, in fact, already been reserved- -a priori, twenty-four hours a day, 365

. days a year-- for educational purposes.ll's there at the doorstep whenever thelesson of the day or student interestcalls for it, and is familiar to teach-ers and students alike. Use of theschool site is neither an expensivesimulation nor a second-hand experience;experiences with it are exciting and,real.

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'at OA..0 I as,4,4'sw

At your dooreter...whenever the lesson of the day orstudent interest calls pr it

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Al! aspects of the curriculum can beenhanced by the experiences which a welldesigned school site offers. The manyformal and informal learning experien-ces which can be developed, therefore,can provide a significant addition tothe school's instructional program.The outdoor education movement pion-eered many effective teaching practiceswhich can be used to teach in theout-of-doors. ''Lands for Learning"braame a motto which L. B. Sharp, apioneer of outdoor education, madefamous. Teach indoors that which canbest be learned there, and teach out-doors that which can best be learnedin that environment, is a motto pro-moted by Julian Smith which can be putto more practical and effective use ifpart of the school site has been devel-oped as an outdoor classroom.

ECONOMICS

School boards have both a legal anda social obligation to their communi-ties to be good neighbors. Research inTexas has found that well maintainedand designed parks stimulate bettermaintenance of housing units surround-ing the park. It was also found thatelementary school/park combinationsincreased the value of surroundinghouses and the tax revenue faster thanany other park or park complex.2 inMichigan and Wisconsin, another studyhas found that property values andproperty tax revenues rise much fasteraround open-space school sites thanaround matched schools which have notset aside the land for the community.Some of the specific conclusions ofthis study were: that the developmentof the site for educational and commu-nity use had a significant effect uponthe market sale prices of houses aroundthe elementary sites studied; the siteand the degree of site developmentpositively influenced the value ofhousing units as far as four blocksaway; and that over a thirty yearperiod, a well developed open-spacesite would generate sufficient addi-

*William S. Wagner, Ben 4. Evans and Matthew A.Nowak, Shelter fcr Physical iducation L.:oltegeStelon, Texas, 1961), p. 30.

tional tax revenue to pa.,- for the cost

of the additional land and its develop-ment and maintenance. Even small, welldeveloped school sites exerted a posi-tive influence upon property value.

This study also found that personswhose houses adjoin "green Islands"move much less frequently than others.sMobility in our society is a cherishedright, but every teacher knows how dis-rupting teaching in a highly mobilecommunity can be.

Both of these studies indicate thatthe idea of a school site as a "greenisland" is not a lavish proposal orsomething to be considered as an extra.Rather, it is a sound investment inthe community which will pay back notonly the initial cost, but will reap aharvest of other benefits as well.

IMPROVEMENT OFTHE MICRO-CLIMATE

In traveling across the countrysideof Minas, one can easily pick outthe residences of the early pioneers.One sure sign is the windbreak of

evergreens located on the windwardside of the house and a number of

large deciduous trees in the front.

Few of our forefathers would havespent these lavish amounts of time andmoney on landscaping if there wasn't asound, practical reason for doing so.In most school districts, however,landscaping of schools is a low prior-ity item and is usually the first thingto be cut from the budget.

How effectively have trees and vege-tation been used on your site? Becauseof a brief period of relative energysurplus, we have often forgotten someof the more common sense things of

life. As a result, many school build-ings are left exposed to the naturalelements. Without windbreaks, thewindchill factor has a very real im-

pact. For example, the chill of a

Nor, Gnat's, Economic Influences of ElementarySchool Sites an Residential Property Tax Revenue inSelected Urban Neighborhoods (Ann Arbor, Mich.,1973).

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12mph

3mphi

2h

BARRIER WILL REDUCE WINDVELOCITIES NEXT TO BUILDINGS

50°F. day with an 8 m.p.h. wind is

equivalent to that of a 32°F. day withno wind. Trees planted in wlndbeltscan reduce the wind velocity by 80 %.'In summer, natural vegetation has anopposite effect. Due to the tremendousamounts of heat energy used by plantsin the biological process of transpir-ation, hundreds of gallons of water arepassed into the atmosphere. One largetree thus provides the same coolingeffect as several large air condition-ers. Further, deciduous trees locatedon the south side of the buildingeffectively serve as "automatic" windowblinds, letting in the warmth of thesun's rays in the winter and providingshade and cooling in the summer.

Translated into dollars and cents,it makes a great deal of financialsense to utilize alternatives to largeexpenditures made for such things asdrapes and blinds, heating and airconditioning. Not only will this meanfinancial savings (research indicatesup to 305) , but, by landscaping aschool site In a way which takes advan-tage of nature's climate control mech-anisms, precious fuel supplies will

last longer and there will be less airpollution from the heating and air con-ditioning of our schools.

bkilllam S. Hendon, et al., The Sociological u '

&manic Impact of Urban Parka in Dallas, Texas(Lubbock, Texas, 1967).

'Gary 0. Robinette, Plants /People / and Environ-mental ()mail) (lessbington, D.C., 1972), p. 99.

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AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION

How have trees and vegetation beenused on your site to control air andnoise pollution? Research studies havefound that the amount of dust borderinga tree-lined street is 75% less than ona street without trees; and that treescan reduce concentrations of sulfur di-oxide by 70%, nitric oxide by 67%, ozoneby 40-60%, ragweed pollen by 80%.Plants can also reduce the Sound oftrafrIc noise by 8-10 decibels. Freescan even act as a shield against radio-activity. Synopses of the specificresearch studies which document theserather startling statistics can befound in the publication, Plants/People/and Environmental Quaity.6

STREETS WITH TREES

1000TO

3000DUST

PARTICLESPER LITER

ti 10.000 TO 12,060 DUSTPARTICLES PER LITER

AESTHETICS

STREETSWITHOUT TREES

Economic and environmental researchsaid., pp. 50-56.

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data which is now becoming availablepoints to the importance of well de-veloped and well maintained schoolsites. The importance of beautyshould, however, be a reason in itself.The beauty which a single large treecan add to a sire, for example, re-flects a unique quality of life. Thesound of wind and rain on foliage, therhythm of sunlight and shadows playingon the foliage, the scent of flowers,the fail of autumn leaves, are altaesthetic experiences which trees andvegetation provide. They also aresculptural features which soften theenvironment and provide much neededspatial reliaf. A school and its siteshould be a beautiful place because ithouses our most precious resource, ourchildren.

COMMUNITY USE

A public school site Is land whichhas been taken off the property taxroles, and is available for public use.In many areas it is also part of ascarce commodityopen space. Pre-sently, however, most public schoolsites are used by the community to onlya Irction of their potential.

Have your students survey the extentto which your school site is beingused. A conservative estimate is thatschool sites are used to only about 10%or 15% of their pote.ntia1.7 Dependingupon the availability of other alterna-tive public land in your community, thismay or may not pose a problem. The"unused potential" of most public schoolsites is, nevertheless, a waste of pub-lic dollars in that a well designed anddeveloped site should attract studentsand community members for educationaland recreational purposes during andafter school hours and on week-ends aswell.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

There are few schools left whichare sc stable that their educators

7RussEd E. Wi Isc,n an:.' June c. Bromn, "20,:olsern Be Green IsIP3nds," 11!:chiLianvol. 42, no. i6 (Apr. 1905), p. 20.

at.1 NIIA11131.1.

PIP doolli".-

don't have to worry about their rela-tionship with the community.. Whilethis may be more a problem of humanrelations, neighbors who ignore or areunwilling to report or help curb schoolvandalism, for example, make the prob-lem an environmental one, e.g., boardedup windows, unsightly graffiti. Byinvolving the community in the develop-ment of the site, the school can be a

symbol as well as a source of communitypride.

The concept of private property hasbecome so ingrained in our society thatpublic property is considered to belongto the government.9 The school siteis thus viewed as something which be-longs to school people. By opening thedoor to the community through a schoolsite development project, schools canhelp to break down this fragmented viewof our world. A citizenry which feelsa sense of ownership and stewardship ofits public land (and among the mostvisible public land is our school sites)is a long way down the road toward aspaceship earth perspective in whicheveryone feels a part of, and thus aresponsibility for, the total environ-ment.

How this translates into more tan-gible factors such as the passage ofbond issues is an item of speculation,but experience of school systems whichhave maintained an open-door policy tothe community would indicate a positive

'Russell E. W;Ison, et It., rchcci Sit,9 FesearchProject tUrpulisci research prcpDsal.

411EA711171

" 711,111%. II

correlation.9As a case in point, an elderly lady

whose property bordered the Lincoln Ele-mentary School in Coldwater, Michigan,came to an open meeting at which thedevelopment of the school site was dis-cussed. Her response to the presenta-tion on the plans fcr the site was (asrecollected', "i've been voting downschool millage requests for twentyyears, but now you're doing something1 can identify with." 'Whether or notshe voted for the next school millageis not recorded, but she did make a

sizeable donation of several hundreddollars that evening to the project.

PLAY AREAS

Schools are built for children, butthe s.te and play areas seem to be moreoften than not either built for theconvenience of the maintenance man ordesigned by planners with little or nocommunication with the youth who willuse them. Studies at the University ofMiChigan have indicated that the topfour site preferences of youth, whenasked, are a water area, wildlife,trees and change in topography.

The importance of a rich and diverseenvironment for the healthy developmentof children has only been recentlyrealized. What does the environment

'Elmer Welts, 7arldaZizm and 7:1;o74no.c: :nncvatin?Strategies A-c.:12E7 C,:ct Zchoo:s (was"-,Ington,1971), p. 47.

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What do the children want? What do they need forhealthy develcpment?

of the playground on your site looklike from a child's viewpoint? Arethere numerous different and excitingthings which keep children active andhelp them to develop essential psycho-motor skills, sucn as hand-eyecoordination?

Many schools now have learning dis-ability labs where children go to walkon balance beams and the like, toimprove their psychomotor skills. It

seems almost a moot question to ask whysomething like a balance beam couldn'tbe permanently installed on the schoolsite as a part of the playground appar-atus, which would invite children toits use not just on a scheduled basisbut every day and weekends as

This question is seldom asked, how-ever. Instead, thousands of dollarsare being spent on the storage andpurchase of the equipment necessary torun an indoor version of what couldperhaps take place more efficientlyoutdoors on the site. Such equipmentfor outdoor use can be bought commer-cially, but the expense of such itemshas led many schools to build their ownfrom telephone poles, tires, and otherreadily available materials. Detailscovering the organization and develop-ment of improvised play areas can befound in Appendix E.

Take another look a+ your siteduring the next recess period. Is theplayground, in fact, an environmentalproblem? The fights, bloody noses andboredom which result from a playground's

sterility are as much an environmentalproblem to children as the air pollu-tion alert that cancels recess.

WM NO NMI 11111,

By now you realize that school sitedevelopment is discussed here in itsbroadest sense, and that it entailsmuch more than just the development ofa nature area for the science teacher.Environmental education must addressitself to all problems which occur atthe interface between man and his en-vironment. It is up to you to Iden-tify which problems are most crucialat your school. The second step isthen to do something about them. Toparaphrase a statement made by MayorDaley of Chicago: It's easy tocriticize, but do.you have a plan fora better idea? The following chapterswill t'elp you to formulate such a plan.

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SCHOOL SITE DEVELOPMENTSuggested Time Table for the First Year

Sep,

Octgather information; obtain initial approval;contact resource people

Nov conduct site inventory; develop siteeducational specifications

Dec,Jan develop master plan; obtain final approval

Feb,

Mar raise support and money

Apr,

May,

Junebegin Implementation of master plan

Remember, take time. Two to three years to getrolling is not unreasonable.

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Chapter Two 3227 CM

The Process of School Site Development

Because of its more technical naturethe casual reader may wish to skim thischapter, returning to it for a thoroughreading at a Later time to digest thepractical guidelines it contains. Dueto its importance in the site develop-ment process, however, the contents ofthis chapter should not be neglected.

Now you go about developing yourschool site is just as, or perhaps evenmore important than what you develop.A project in which only one or two per-sons do the work may develop a func-tional site, yes, but with a lot moresweat and a lot less education andeffectiveness than if more people hadshouldered the joys and burdens of theeffort.

5y involving students, teachers andthe community in the process of de-veloping the site, the experienceitself can become an environmentaleducation lesson of the very best kind.The problem-solving skills which aschool site development effort cancultivate are the same skills needed towork toward the solutions of the manyenvironmental problems which communitieseverywhere face.

Vandalism is another key considera-tion. As a rule of thumb, the morepeople who meaningfully participate in

the development effort, the less likelyit is that vandalism will occur or, if

it does occur, the more likely it isthat it will be reported and the vandalsapprehended.

The importance of student, teacherand community involvement in the processcannot be overstressed.

Each school and each school sitedevelopment effort is unique. Thereis, therefore, no cookbook approach toa successful development effort becausethe ingredients (i.e., who does or ap-proves what) may differ. The process,however, remains the same. Followingis a breakdown of that process.

Step 1: Initiation of the projectStep 2: Securing Initial approval and

backing of administrationStep 3: Formation of a school site

development committeeStep 4: Inventory of s,te resources

by the committee and by a re-source specialist

Step 5: Development of educationalspecifications for the site

Step 6: Development of a master planStep 7: Development of a plan for

securing human end materialresources, and fundraising

Step 8: Presentation of the masterplan for approval

Step 9: Implementation of the masterplan

Step 27: Continued development andmaintenance of the site

STEP 1INITIATION OF THE PROJECT

f

The most important step in any pro-ject is the initial one. It has beensaid that nothing good was ever accom-plished without someone first gettingexcited about it. A school site devel-opment project can be an exciting andmeaningful experience for the entire

BEST CCP? r,1 1

BEST COPY AVAILABLEschool community, but it won't justhappen. it takes people.

STEP 2: SECURING INITIAL APPROVAL ANDBACKING OF ADMINISTRATION

Talk to other members of the staffat your school who may have an inter-est in such a project. Pass thispublication around, exchange Initialthoughts and then, together, approachthe principal and school board forinitial approval to proceed with theplanning phase. (Note: Board approvalto begin the planning phase may not benecessary in all districts, but it isrecommended.) As an assist in secur-ing this approval, provide them withsome of the available literature onschool site development. Again, thispublication, along with other availableliterature on site development shouldserve the purpose.

In addition to seeking administra-tive approval, consult your chiefcustodian regarding his feelings towarda site development effort. His supportwilt be very important in the planning,development and use of the site.

After initial go-ahead is obtained,present the idea before the studentbody and staff, either through opendiscussion, slides or a film. One ofthe two films listed in the SelectedReferences, Introducing the Idea, shouldbe appropriate.

12

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STEP 3: FORMATION OF A SCHOOL SITEDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

The next step is to form your schoolsite committee. The committee is muchmore than just a formality, so it'sworth the extra time and effort to re-cruit persons who are both interestedand representative of your school andits operation.

Composition of Committee

Students, faculty representing thevarious disciplines, administration,school maintenance staff, parents. andcommunity resource persons should allbe included within your committee.Having a board of education member orlocal businessman on your committee canalso be an important asset.

Participation of students is muchmore than a token gesture. After theidea of site development has been pre-sented to the school, representativesfrom each grade level should be elec-,ted. Students from third grade on up(though sometimes even younger) havebeen found to makc the most meaningfulcontributions to the effort. As theprimary target of every school effortshould be the children, it is indeedheartwarming to see the way in whichstudents respond to the opportunityto become involved when their contri-

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Duties of student .representativesshould include more than just presenceand participation i.n the meetings.They should report back to their con-stituency after each meeting as welland, in the most real sense of theword, be representatives. Studentsare usually more familiar than anyonewith their school sites, thus thetrouble-shooting insights which theycan bring to the analysis and locationof facilities on the site is inval-uable. For example, in the developmentof one inner city school site oflimited size, a problem arose in tryingto fit everything, Including the oneexisting ball diamond, into the site.A baseball - playing fourth grader madethe unexpected suggestion that the balldiamond be divided up into other uses.With 2,000 children in the school, theball diamond had become a source ofbitter fighting among rival groups com-peting for the playfield. By dividingup the ball diamond into basketballcourts, climbing'and quiet play areas,the avai 1 abie area could serve morestudents in a much happier and healthierway.

Another important contribution whichstudents usually make is their parents.There is no better way to get parentsout for an evening meeting or a Saturdayworkday (detailed in Step 9) than tohave a son or daughter who Is interestedand involved.

A key person on your committee shouldbe your custodian. Don't be hesitantabout approaching your custodial staff.Too often we remember the custodian

only for the times he has said "no" toschool activities. By emphasizing thepositive and explaining the potentialthat a school site development effortcan have in changing the attitudes ofchildren toward school property, youmay gain an invaluable asset to youreffort. Custodians have a great dealof practical experience to contribute,and have ,the contacts and access totools and materials which are so nec-essary to the success of the project.

Community participation is anothervital ingredient. Without communityapproval and support, the guidelinespresented here cannot be successfullyimplemented. It is important to re-member, however, the necessity ofinvolving community people who have aninterest in the problem and are will-ing to work. Simply because an indi-vidual has been a leader in other pastcommunity activities does not neces-sarily mean that he or she will be agood member of this committee.

Use of high'sChool or college stu-dents on the committee may help to pro-vide extra energy If that is needed, butone must be careful to keep the com-munity informed of their activity andworking in cooperation with them.They will otherwise view the students'work as being only academic, ratherthan an investment In which thecommunity can share.

It is vitally important to identifya professional resource person to workwith your committee in the developmentand execution of your project. Ideallya professional landscape architect whohas had specific experience In develop-ing school sites as defined in thishandbook should be retained to workwith the committee. Few school dis-tricts, however, have developed theresources to employ such a person,especially for existing sites. Yourlocal Soil Conservation Service agenthas had specific training in site de-velopment and is willing to work withlocal school districts in site devel-opment efforts. He can help in theselection of suitable sites, developa conservation plan for the area, aswell as provide technical advice and

13

BEST COPY AMIN Finservice trainiro for leachers. 1°The local arboretum is another sourcefrom which you may be able to securethe necessary assistance.

Other potential resource persons arelane planners who may reside in the com-munity or who are connected with yourechool as e parent. or a spouse of thestaff. If your school is part of aschool-park complex, the park districtmay provide still another route forassistance. In any case, the reviewaed input of a professional land plannerie vital, as he will shape your plansinto blueprints for success off thedrawing board as well as on.

Time may not permit the attendanceof your resource person at all meet-,ings, but it is important to gain theperspective which such a person canbring in developing the initial ideasfor the site and in finalizing themfor presentation.

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A source of "historical" profes-sional advice available to existingschools is the original plan for thesite developed when the school wasbuilt. In many instances the moneyfor implementation of the landscapeplan never became available. As a re-sult, many well designed plans werenever accomplished. This is not tosuggest that these plans should nowbe implemented as originally designed,but rather that the plans may provehelpful in organizing and structuringyour site development effort, particu-larly as it relates to the area imme-diately adjacent to the school.

Committee Guidelines

!.'eet often, but don't committeeyourself tc deah. Once every twoweeks is a good time span. Use groupdynamics techniques such as brain-

LaGoratcr;ese" I ".f,r,^a4- I or **enQranc.1;.:1^-11.-!....(Cnr.t,..;:cs i t I., . ;

14

storming or writinc ideee down en largeeneete of paper, ee everyone partici-pates as much at} pos_iule. Have anagenda of tasks to to eccomplished andtry to get materials cul tc eonedtieemembers prior to each meeting. Keepnotes faithfully end, juet as impor-tant, appoint an "efficiel photographer"(or ask the camera club, if one exists)to keep 3 pictorial record of the de-velopment project. Before and aftershzts, both slides anc black and whiteglossies, will be invaluable assets inpromoting and publicizing, aS well asin enjoying and remembering a greatexperience.

Keep in mind that the scope of yourcommittee, no matter how together andhow polished, is still only advisory.Boards of education and designatedschool officials have the legal re-sponsibility and the final authorityover what can and cannot be done. Thecommittee's effectiveness will, there-fore, be largely dependent upon thecase which is developed for the project.

As was stated earlier, each schooland school site development effort isunique. In order to help your commit-tee surface a strategy which is bestsuited to your situation, take thetime to make use of an effective tool,a "force field analysis," which willhelp you to get a clear picture ofyour goals, strengths and weaknesses,and your restraints. A copy of ananalysis sheet is included here foryour ease of reprouuction.

Keeping in mind the various stepsoutlined in this chapter, complete aform yourself initially in order toget the feel of the way in which itworks, but bring only blank copies tothe meeting for analysis by your entireschool site committee. By having eachcommittee member complete a form andby then sharing their analyses, notonly will you have a broader perspec-tive, but people will begin to feelmore a part of the effort.

In developing a strategy from theresults of your analysis, keep in mindthat it is usually easier and more ef-fective in the long run to deal withyour restraints than it is to totallyignore them and try to build up addi-tional support to compensate for them.

Problem

What is the current status of your effort?

Drivirg Fcrces

8fS1 COPY AlliilLACLEGoal

What would you like the situation to be?

(e.g., self-COMmitmenttO--theenvironmental movement) Self

Restraining Forces

(e.g., current involvementin too many other projects)

Rank them according to the ones you'd go after first.

(e.g., opinion leaders are on (e.g., the administration isyour side) Others I- negative to the idea)

(e.g., student body is all for it

(e.g., conduct a fundrais$TIOdrive to raise the additionalmoney and build support)

Have Access to

Situation

!Possible Actions]

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(e.g., available money is limited)

Need:

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STEP 4: INVENTORY OF SITE RESOURCESBY THE COMMITTEE AND BY A RE-SOURCE SPECIALIST

An inventory of the natural and his-torical resources of the site should hemade with the assistance of your re-source specialist. The purpose of theinventory is to find out what featuresexist on the site that can be used inthe educational program of the school.

Characteristics which should benoted in the inventory include thetopographical features (land forms),soil, vegetation and natural areas,wildlife habitats, water areas andsources, as well as historical remnantssuch as old interurban line roadbeds,orchards or grape arbors and the like.Potential sites for ponds, and projectareas for items like weather stationsshould also be noted. The Soil Conser-vation Service has developed a three-page site analysis form which lists allthe information to be gathered in theinventory (see Appendix D). The com-pleted inventory will supply the basisfor developing the educational specifi-cations for the site.

4

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An hiztorioal record of mane useof the lend may be found above andbelay grozetd.

Background information which stu-dents can gather in preparation forthe site inventory includes informationon the history of the area, geology andvegetation of the site, and the poten-tial number of students and communityresidents who will be using the site.For example, what was on the site be-fore It became school property? Whatis the history of man's use and mani-pulation of the land on which theschool is located? By having studentsgather this Information either fromcity records or by interviewing long-

16 OESI c::;

time community residents cr teachers,not only will you be more aware ofwhat to look for by way of historicalremnants when making a site inventory,but an educational process will beestablished which will enable studentsto put the use of the school site intothe historical perspective of man'srelationship to the land.

1

The school site -- a life -eise teaching cred With nostomp or retrieval problems

STEP 5: DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONALSPECIFICATIONS FOR THE SITE

Educational specifications have longbeen used by educators as a means ofcommunicating to building *architectsthe kinds of educational spaces neededinside a building. Seldom have educa-tional specifications been developedfor the school site. Their develop-ment for the site is of prime impor-tance, however, for they will conveythe types of teaching stations (coveredin Chapter 4) and outdoor areasdesired.

Outdoor study areas can be developedfor science, math, art, dramatics andall other aspects of the curriculum.Educational specifications for therespective subject areas should be de-veloped by the various curriculumcommittees of your school. This pro-cess will help to broaden your base ofsupport, as well as increase the in-volvement of others.

Educational specifications should bedeveloped for resources which are al-ready part of the site, as well as forareas of the site which could be de-

BEST COPY AVAILABLEveloped. In writing the specificationsfor your school site, ask yourself twoquestions: What is there on the sitewhich should be retained, utilizedand / or perhaps modified? What addi-tional things would you like to see onthe site?

Where applicable, educational speci-fications should cover the followingpoints:

The objecilve of the activity .

associated ckith the spaceHow the space will be used(i.e., by groups, individually)How much area is neededThe spatial relationship toother areas on the site (i.e.,what, If anything, should it benear or far away from)What sort of special equipmentwill be used that may affect thelocation or design of thespace. 11

Following are sample educationalspecifications for the development cfinslructional areas or teaching sta-tions on school sites.

- A compost which Individual stu-dents and classes can use tolearn about and practice naturalb:ogeochemical recycling shouldbe constructed in an area hiddenfrom public view (either by lo-cation or by plantings), butnear the kitchen, garden areaand a water source. It should,nowever, be far enough away frommajor activity areas in theevent a foul odor results due topoor management.

- (Desired number of) gowearpiant-era for use by (desired) grade(s),

which are wide enough to permityoung children to work on eitherside but narrow enough to allowa child to reach the center fromthe edge, should be located sothat the nature; beaLity of theflowers is displayed to the pub-lic but far enough off the mainapproaches to the school S3 thatvandalism Is not Invited. Theyshould be near a water sourceand, if possible, visible from

"Guide for Planning Educational Facilities(Columbus, Chic, Sep. 1969), p. 49.

inside the building by classesthat wilt be involved in thegardening program.

- A weather station for the studyof the atmosphere and the asso-ciated problems of air pollutionshould be located, where possible,

a minimum distance of 50' frombuildings and dense vegetation.It should be located in full

public view to discourage van-dalism, with enough surroundingopen area to accommodate a classof 35 students.

(Guidelines for the development and/orconstruction, ps well as for the in-structional use of the above and otherteaching stations, are contained in

Appendix A.)

41

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Because you have read literature onschool site development, it may be easyfor you to come up with various sugges-tions for the curriculum committee asto what should be done. it is impor-tant, however, to aliow OTlitr.' to comeup with "their own" ideas, cles4Ite thefact that you may already have them inmind. Every individual has certain in-terests and strengths. By working upthe !dons for the site together, theinterests and strengths of the variouspersons will compleme each other. In

addition, because each individual willfeet more a part of the process, he orshe will be much more likely to followthrough on ideas. For example, an artteacher who feels it was his or heridea to develop an outdoor area com-plete with benches, will not only bemuch more likely to accept responsi-bility in developing the site, but willalso be more likely to use the areathan if the idea for development andlater use of the art area had been sug-gested to him or her.

Simple, common sense one might callit, but common sense too often getslost when the excitement and momentumof getting something done startsrolling.

DES!17

WEST COPY AVAILABLE

STEP 6: DEVELOPMENT OF A MASTER PLAN

There are five aspects which shouldbe covered in your master plan:

Site Plan (a blueprint or layoutof the site)Instructional UseCommunity UseMaintenanceimplementation

Site Plan

Based upon the site inventory andthe educational specifications devel-oped by the various committees, yourresource specialist will be able todevelop a site plan. in developingthis plan, consideration should begiven to the importance of keepingmaintenance work down to a minimum viagood design and by initially limitingthe size of high maintenance areas.(Note: Vegetable or flower gardens re-quire more upkeep than natural areahabitat groups such as wooded areas,which require little or no maintenanceonce they are established.) While aformal review of the site planningprocess is not intended here, the fol-lowing strategy will help you to makethe most instructional use of the siteplanning phase of your development ef=fort. (For a formal account of the siteplanning process, see Appendix C.)

Landscape architects and other landplanners spend many years developingthe skills necessary for the planningand development of land. In order togain an understanding of the planningand development process, students canand should participate in the planningfor their school site. The desiredend result is not to have studentsdraft the actual site plan, but rather,through h i s process, to establish aprofessional-client relationship inwhich they can gain insight into thedecision - making process and importanceof environmental planning.

.

18 BEST Cr

Reference was made in Step 4 to waysin which students can assist in thepreliminary inventory and analysis ofthe site, for use in development ofthe site plan. Another way to helpstudents gain an understanding of thesite planning process is to ask yourresource specialist to give a briefpresentation on environmental planningto the student body. In order to makeuse of his limited time, this could beschedu,ed for the day on which he willbe at the school to conduct ti,e siteinventory. Slides of the school site,a large scale model made by students,or a map of the site should be madeavailable in order that abstract con-cepts can be presented using sceneswith which the students are familiar.(Note: Recording this presentation onslides, tape and/or film can make anexcellent teaching aid for students touse in environmental studies In thefuture.)

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A student-made model helps bring blueprinte to life.

Professional planners are becomingmore and more aware of the importanceof surveying what it is their clientreally needs or would like. Anotherway in which schools have involvedstudents in the site planning processis by having a class or small groupdevise, administer to all students,and tabulate a simple questionnaireto determine what the student bodywould most like to see on their site.This data, along with other Informa-tion 'collected about the site, can sup-ply valuable :nformation for use in

OW COPYdeveloping the site plan. It can also

be used in the request for support andapproval of the master plan.

Depending upon the time commitmentsof your resource specialist, you mayor may not be able to rely on his ser-vices for the drafting of the finalblueprints of your site plan. If not,

a drafting class at a. local high school

or college may be able to do the finalmechanical work.

Instructional and Community Use

After a site plan has been agreedupon, outlines should be developedcovering the ways in which the s i.tewill be used for instructional and forcommunity recreational purposes.

Responsibility for development of anoutline describing the ways in which

the site will be used in the instruc-tional program should be assigned to aseparate subcommittee of the school

site committee. ideas for instruction-al use from which the subcommittee candraw are contained in Chapter 4. Upon

its completion, the outline should bediscussed at a faculty meeting, revisedaccordingly, and the final documentdistributed to all teachers. A supplyshould also be retained by the principalfor distribution to new teachers. The

final document should be revised as

teacher, student and curricular needschange.

Plans tor community use of the siteshould be made in cooperation with

neighborhood groups and the local parkdist7ict in order that facilities tobe developed (such as barbecue pits,picnic tables, shelters) will serve

community needs, and not duplicatewhat may already be available dawn thestreet.

Maintenance

An outline covering the way in whichthe various project areas on the sitewill be maintained should be developedby one or two members of the site com-mittee including, or in cooperation withthe custodial staff. Long term main-tenance of the site will, of course, becarried out by the school's maintenance

staff. Consideration should also begiven to the fact, however, that teach-ers and classes may want to manage anumber of areas on the site themselvesas part of their instructional use ofthe site (e.,;., a gardening or exper-imental test plot area). In making this

consideration, the maintenance plan

should not hinge upon the tenure of anyindividual teacher.

Suggestions for developing the spe-cifics, of the maintenance plan can bedrawn from Step 10 of this chapter,p. 27.

Cara takers o f- tha land.

Implementation

A final component of the master planshould be a section covering its Imple-mentation. This section should firstoutline the various stages of implemen-tation of the master plan, i.e., in

what sequence various projects will beimplemented and over what time span.The t7ming should be flexible and allowfcr different methods of completing theprojects. Your resource specialist willprobably take responsibility for makingthese determinations.

Secondly, all projects which are tobe implemented in the development ofthe school site should be allocatedinto three categories:

projects to be contracted out(e.g., asphalting, excavation}"projects to be carried-out byvolunteer groups (e.g., Boy

Scouts and Girl Scouts, P.T.A.0etc.)

BES-_E.

19

REST COPY AVAILABLE

projects to be carried out bystudents and school staff

STEP 7: DEVELOPMENT OF A PLAN FORSECURING HUMAN AND MATERIALRESOURCES, AND FUNDRAISING

After the master plan has been de-veloped and an initial estimate of thetotal "cost" of the school site efforthas been made, it is time to develop astrategy for securing the human, mater-ial and financial resources necessaryto implement the project. This strategyshould be developed before making yourpresentation to authorities for finalapproval of the master plan, for withoutit many questions directed to you andyour committee at that time regardingthe practical "how's," may be leftunanswered.

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Human and Material Resources

Much of the excitement and learningcomes from student participation inthe development of the site; but In

every project there are tasks whichstudents and teachers cannot be expec-ted to do for reasons of safety orsimple physical and technical limita-tions. In certain instances thesetasks may be farmed out to high schoolvocational education classes, communitygroups or to parents who have specifi-cally needed skills. Construction ofa weather station or installment ofbenches are ways, for example, In whichhigh school classes have applied theirexpertise to the development of school

20

sites. Youth groups such as 4-H,Scouts, Neighborhood Youth Thrps, boys'clubs, local adult education or uni-versity classes have also been helpful.These groups are usually most respon-sive if the project is well defined asto what needs to be done, how it shouldbe done and how long it will take.Given these three assurances, not onlywill they come and do a good job, butthey will also come back for more.

In seeking help from localbusinesses and the like, individualletters to the appropriate personswill not only afford you personal con-tact with the community, but will alsoprovide many opportunities for invol-ving students in the process. A sin-cere letter of request for materialsor help from a student will oftenbring a quicker and more positiveresponse than letters from teachersor committees. Businessmen receivenumerous requests for help from adults,but the simple language and sincerityof a child is much more difficult toignore. If through this process nomaterials are donated, chances are youwill be offered a discount on materialsyou must buy. A subcommittee of stu-dents can be assigned the task of selec-ting the best letters of solicitationfrom the classes involved.

An open letter to your community atlarge is another way of soliciting as-sistance. An example of such a letteris shown here. 1110lon'texpect to be over-whelmed with responses, however. Youwill secure a number of donations andmake some Invaluable contacts, but muchof the justification for the paper andthe effort is the communication madewith the community that this is a pro-ject which the school and the communityare doing together.

The local board of education shouldbe able to assist with those taskswhich must be contracted out or requirethe use of heavy machinery. While theboard may not fund the project entirely,it is important that some sort of com-mitment be made by them either of mater-ials or personnel. Like anyone else, aboard of education is much .no re likelyto follow up and keep an interest in aproject in which they have made an in-vestment. Be realistic, however, and

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machine boltsLag bolt*brillsPlanar,ills $ *Monotoneisteneloc nerdsg ems

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work through the principal and schoolcustodian in determining what resourcesare available through the board ofeducation.

After the letters have been mailedand requests for assistance have beenmade, a subcommittee should be ap-pointed to make sure that thank youletters are sent to all people whorespond, even (in the cases where in-dividua, letters were sent) to thosewho say "no." Students can design andmake the thank you notes themselves foruse in the project.

The art of saying thank you is fastbeing lost in our super-efficient elec-tronic world. Little things like askingstudents to write and appointing a subcommittee to send thank you letters mayseem so unimportant that, in the hustleof the project, the burden is passedoff to one person. It is, however,just as important to the development ofa spaceship earth philosophy to involveas many students in this process, as itis in the planning and development ofthe site. Saying thank you is a very

direct recognition of the fact that thesolution to any problem, especially tothe environmental one, is not somethingwhich can be done alone. It requiresthat all of us work together.

Fundraising

Almost every project entails certaincash outlays which cannot be.met withexisting funds or donations. Dependingupon your school, there are severalroutes which can be taken to supplementimmediate funds.

One route is to put your project "upfor adoption." Local parents' organi-zations, garden clubs, and other suchorganizations respond readily to thistype of project. Many times they arelooking for annual projects to sponsorand/or are willing to dedicate the pro-ceeds from annual fundraising effortsto a project such as yours.

Another method is to utilize a purelyso :al event which has a tradition andinvolves the community. Rather thancharging only enough to meet costs,doible the charge with the understand-ing-that the profit goes toward theschool site development project.

Students themselves can easily beinvolved in fundraising efforts. In

fact, the process of organizing, order-ing, delivering and accounting caninvolve many eAciting and effectivelessons In math, salesmanship, socialstudies, etc.

The methods and axtent of fundraisingare limited only by one's imaginationand energies. Conventional ways inwhich schools have successfully raised

21

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additional funds for such projects in-clude taffy-apple sales, movies, candysales, dances, bake sales, popcorn anddoughnut sales.

Less conventional and very effec-tive approaches have been developedby schools which turned the fundraisingventure into an environmental' lessonin itself. in many such cases thefundraising ventures have become an-nual affairs, often in associationwith earth day celebrations, clean-ups, and the like. A well organizedplant sale, for example, which i n-

cludes advance ordering, demonstrationof gardening techniques by students, agarden tea and a "sponsor-a-plant"program, will do much to help build amore beautiful local environment, aswell as add a festive air to the comingof spring.

Recycling projects are another pos-sibility. The market for the recycledmaterial should be thoroughly investi-gated, however, so you don't end upwith a lot of material and no place torecycle it. One school successfullyentered into an agreement with thelocal telephone company and raiseds9veral hundrcd dol tars by recyclingthe community's to directories.

A danger in using recycling projectsis that most of the energy may be ab-sorbed in the fundraising effort itself.This can be avoided by choosing yourprojects carefully. Several schoolshave, for example, successfully recycledold tires found in vacant lots and alongthe street, Oy making them into tireplanters.

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STEP 8: PRESENTATION OF THE MASTERPLAN FOR APPROVAL

After your master plan has been as-sembled and your potential resourcesidentified, the master plan should bepresented to the school staff andparents' organization. When theirsanction has been obtained, the planshould be presented to the properauthorities of your school district forfinal approval. Be positive in yourpresentations by pointing out variousassets of a school site developmentproject, such as those outlined in

Chapter 1. Your presentation can alsobe enhanced by involving students andusing visual aids (e.g., models,charts, etc.) which have been preparedin planning the development of thesite.

When you present your plan to dis-trict authorities, don't be afraid topoint out any drawbacks which you feelmay be contained in the plan, alongwith the rationale or compensatingfactors which could be implemented toalleviate those drawbacks. This willhelp to establish your credibility,and demonstrate the extensive thoughtand delibetation which have gone intoyour plan.

Several design schemes (variations)of the plan should also be presented,along with your recommendation of theplan which the entire school (throughyour committee) would like to see im-plemented. Even if one of the alter-natives is obviously deficient, it ismuch more difficult for a reluctantboard to turn down several proposalsthan it is just one. Don't back your-self into a corner, therefore, bytrying to defend only one way of doingthings. Also, if no alternatives arepresented a minor objection may resultin a flat rejection of what, on thewhole, may be a very exciting set ofplans. So do take the time to developseveral alternative design schemes forthe initial presentation.

If your plan includes the develop-ment of a pond or water habitat, spe-cial consideration should be given theinclusion prior to presentation of your

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master plan for appruval. A pond canadd a great deal to the instructionalprogram of your school, but one shouldbe prepared to provide answers to thenatural concerns which may be raised.Information covering the developmentand the instructional and practicalvalue of ponds can be found in

Appendix A.

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. A.

STEP 9: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASTERPLAN

Implementation of the master plan,or the actual development of the site,is perhaps the most exciting step. In

accordance with your master plan, pro-jects should be allocated as those tobe contracted out and those to be completed by individuals or communitygroups.

Projects To Be Contracted Out

Projects that have been contractedout should be carefully supervised. If

heavy equipment is to be used, makesure the operators are told preciselywhat is to be done, to ensure thatexisting trees and other natural fea-tures which are to be retained are notdestroyed. Marking trees and habitatareas which are not to be disturbedwith red flags or ribbon is highlyrecommended.

Projects To Be Completed byIndividuals or Groups

?rojects which are to be carried outby students, school staff, and communi-ty members or volunteer groups can beorganized to take place in a number ofways, all of which are appropriate.

One method is to complete projectsindividually over an extended period

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of time. in this way funds can be usedas they become available. A longertime span will also allow for modifica-tions to be made in the plan as inter-ests change.

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Another approach which has provedhighly successful in starting the bailrolling is to initiate the actual sitedevelopment effort with a workday,which is a modern day version of aworkbee or a barn raising. This is aday on which teachers, students,parents and other volunteers worktogether to dig holes, plant trees,spread wood chips, paint asphaltmarkings, build improvised playgroundequipment, drink lemonade togetherand, if it's on a Saturday, see theprincipal in something other than a

coat and tie --and just in general, seehow much can be accomplished together.

A workday doesn't just happen, how-ever. It takes time and organization,because most people no longer have thehabit of responding to such a communitycall. A good publicity person is

therefore essential not only to publi-cize the workday, but also to makemedia contacts well in advance of thedate you want the publicity used. Anews release which states the "what,where, when, why and how" of the eventshould be prepared and mailed -o thelocal media at least one week prior to

4 Satta.day workday

24

the desired release date. In publi-cJzing the workday be sure to include arain date just in case, to assure thatall your organizing efforts aren't lostin the event of rain.

One way of recruiting parents andfellow teachers is to appoint a sub-committee of students to put together atable display of plans, models andphotos, along with various sign-uplists indicating what needs to be doneand what can be brought (shovels, re-freshments, etc.) to assist in theworkday. The display should be lo-cated in a well traveled area andmanned at an effective time, e.g., onparent visitation day. Persons whosign up might be given an insigniasuch as the one shown below, which canbe pinned onto them. It is a simplereinforcement, but it helps to developan esrrit de corps which will getpeople there.

An effective way to organize thetasks which are to be accomplished onthe workday is to hold a communitymeeting during which the projects to beaccomplished are discussed and variouspersons assume the responsibility formaking certain they are completed.Someone should also be asked to takecharge of tools and, on the workday,have masking tape and an indelible inkmarking pen so that "whose shovel is

whose" can be distinguished at the endof the day.

Guidelines for Planting

Just prior to a planting day, it isimportant that a demonstration or slidepresentation illustrating the varioussteps to follow for successful plantingbe given to all students who will beinvolved.

In scheduling your planting daysbe sure to keep in mind the seasonal,as well as the school calendar. Treesand shrubs should be planted by May 15

order to allow them time to adjustbefore the heat of the summer. If, as

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your plans take shape, you see that youwill not be getting started untilafter May 15, it is best to wait untilthe fall. If plants have already beenordered or donated, they can be storeduntil the fall in someone's backyardwhere they'll be sure to get the waterand care necessary for survival at thatlate date.

Another important consideration iswater. Newly planted trees and shrubsrequire a good, thorough soaking toget them started. Thorough initialand successive watering of newlyplanted stock is essential to success-ful planting because the root loss andshock of transplanting severely re-tards the ability of the plants totake up water. If an extensive amountof planting is scheduled and if theplanting area is not located near awater source, an idea which might beused that successfully solved thewatering problem for one school, is tohave the local fire department bringits water truck to the site.

Another standard gardening practiceto keep in mind is to dig the plantingholes at least one foot in diameterlarger than the ball or container ofthe plant. Throwing a handful ofbonemeal into the bottom of the holeis also sound advice. Bonemeal decom-poses slowly in the soil and will begihreleasing its nutrients in about sixmonths, which is abouT the same amountof time it takes a transplanted plantto develop a root system and begin touse the nutrrents.

As a rule of thumb, a good soil mixIs one consisting of 1/3 peat, 1/3sand and 1/3 native soil. This willhelp to foster healthy root growth.The soil mix should be tamped aroundthe ball or roots of the plant whilewatering to assure that it is properlyseated in the hole. Be certain tohold the plant while this is beingdone so that it is seated verticallyand is planted at the same depth asbefore transplanting. (The originalsoil line on the stem or trunk of theplant should match with the groundlevel of its new home.) Extra soilshould be shoveled to form a circularridge around the edge of the hole.This will help to hold the water and

allow it time to infiltrate. A mulchcan also be used around the base ofthe plant to keep down competitionfrom weeds and to help retain themoisture.

If your planting day will be in thefall, pruning back the stems of treesand shrubs after planting is recom-mended, especially if bare rootedstock is used. Pruning or thinning maybe done without destroying the form ofa plant by thinning and removing crossedbranches. Pruning back one-third ofthe crown of the tree is also a stan-dard rule of thumb. Be sure to makeall cuts at an angle. Trees heal a cutfrom the edge and more edge Is exposedthrough an angled cut. (Note: Manytrees should not be pruned in earlyspring when sap flow is at its peak.Thinning is recommended during allseasons of planting.) Don't worry ifthe plant looks a little shorn after athorough prunirg, for the most impor-tant thing to a newly transplantedshrub or tree is root growth. If

there is a water shortage before theroots have grown and you have notpruned,. stems will be left bare andleaves will grow only near the trunk.As an experiment you might prune onetree and leave another tree of the samespecies unpruned. Results are not in-stantaneous nor are they assured withsuch a small sample, but the two treesmay become a living reference on treegrowth for many years to come.

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After the major planting Is done,don't expect the school site to trans-form itself overnight. Hours of effortand hundreds of dollars may seem spreadvery thinly, but it Is amazing how fastplants, shrubs and trees wilt spread outand start to create a new environment.This is in itself an environmentallesson that should be pointed out. It

takes time to build a better envinpnment.

25

26

AN ARBOR DAY SONG

(To the children of Raymond School)

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Music and lyrics by

Donn Paul Werling

This Ar-bor Day, nine-teen (se-ven-t y three), weDi Cbt

pause to de-di-cate

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a tree, ToC:

the beau-ty of our school,Di

for our

fam -'lies and our friends, and for our com-mun-i-ty. SoWe

So take up a spade and dig a hole,And place the tree tenderlyIn the waiting arms of dear Mother EarthWho will raise it to stand tall and free.

We plant this tree at School;We plant it for the children all.We plant it for our sons and our children's sons;We hope it will grow straight and tall.

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STEP 10: CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT ANDMAINTENANCE OF THE SITE

Development of the site should nevercome to a hall. It should be an on-going process Through which new pro-jects are developed and added as schoolard community needs and interestsdictate.

After the primary site developmenteft ;art has passed, however, applicationcat the maintenanee program must begin.Th:s should have been worked cut withyour maintenance staff before the de-velopment of the site.

As slaeed previously in Step 6, thecustodial stet will carry out tne longterm maintenance of the site, but theremay be a number of areas which teachersand classes will want to manage them -selves as part of their instructionaluse of the site. It is important thatthis div7sion of responsibility beclearly assigned, understood andannually reaffirmed. This is necessaryto ensure that classroom projects arenot "mowed down" and, as ole projectsare abandoned and new ones take theirplace, proper management of the entiresite is retained. Otherwise, lastyear's test plot will become this year'seyesore. if a creative play area hasbeen developed, a safety committeesnould make periodic checks on theeeeipm t (see Appendix E).

Most teachers and students rapidlylose interest in doing "strictly main-tenance" work. Success of a project,however, often necessitates that someof the work be done by stu,lents andteachers, not just because the cuefo-dial staff can't assume tne Totaladditional burden, but also because apart of the instructional value of theproject will be lost if this is notdone. For example, students and teach-ers art> often amazed at how much workand care it does take to Keep up a gar-dening area--and something is learned.

There are ways, however, to organizethe work which must be done in such amanner that it doesn't become a burden.Students who finish their class workearly enjoy the opportunity for a breakfrom classroom routine and will gladlyturn the compost or take food and

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water out to the rabbit yard. Everyteacher has his or her own way of

handling the necessary duties that

does not disrupt the class or cs'atejealousies.

The use of teacher aids or parent/community volunfeer to take smallgroups outside on a regularly scheduledbasis is another methoc which works,especially for the younger clLisses.

This gives the ,-ntire class the oppor-tunity to use the site and to share theresponsibility for maintaining it.

Student leadership can also be used byselecting class representatives.

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Summer maintenance, particularly ofgardening projects, requires specialconsideration. Participation by stu-dents of summer school programs is oneway of handling it. Another method isto have individual students sign up forone day of work during the summermonths. Classroom representatives cantake responsibility for one or moreweeks during the summer to telephoneand remind students when their day isapproaching.

Close cooperation with the custodialstaff is essential. A routine for theuse and storage of equipment must bearranged, as well as provisions madeto cover the period of the chief cus-todian's vacation, during which timea substitute may take his place. If

the substitute is not well informedabout the project, disaster can result.It has happened. One school lost abeautiful clump of dogwood trees whenthe substitute engineer, not knowing

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what to do with a Neighborhood YouthCorps crew which was looking for some-thing to do, saw the dogwoods growingat one end of the site and directedthem to chop those "weeds" down.

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Vandalism can be a maintenance prob-lem. If it does occur, it will mostlikely come when the project is firstcompleted, as novelty seems to attractvandals.

As stated before, the more peoplethat are meaningfully involved in thedevelopment of the site, the lesslikely it is that vandalism will occur.Once a site is initially developed, itscontinued development and proper main-tenance will attract more students andcommunity members after sctool and onweek-ends. Experience has shown that aschool site which attracts students andcommunity members will be much lesslikely to attract vandals." (Studentsfrom neighboring schools may be a spe-cial problem and effort should be madeto keep them informed of the project.One should not, however, expect theentire neighborhood to become saintsoverni0t.)

Anoiher means of curbing vandalismis to keep your student body informedof individual and group projects asthe' occur. The author is reminded ofa small but outspoken first grader atthe Raymond School in Chicago who hadhelped his class make an orange cratebirdfeeder. As part of the projecthe and other members of the class wentaround to the various classes and ex-1 !Wei

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plained what they had made and whatthey were going to do. In an upperclass someone snickered from the backof the room, "I'm going to go out andtear that [birdfeederj down tomorrow!"The first grader, who was no more thanhalf the size of his audience, repliedwith a shaking fist, "You better not!"The birdfeeder was never touched. Thiscontrasted vividly to a wren birdhousewhich a member of Chicago's NeighborhoodYouth Corps made and put up on theRaymond site without the involvementof the students. It was torn down thenext day.

Comparable projects, yes, but com-parable process, no. Involvement isthe key.

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Chapter Threer,-;' Case Studies

There is no better Teacher or sourceof inspiration than experience. It waspreviously stated that your school

site, whether inner city, suburban orrural, :an be a model of sound environ-mental practice. The following threecase studies are descriptions of in-stances in which someone became excitedabout the possibility that a schoolsite development program offered. As aresult, something exciting happened.Each project encountered a number ofirritations and setbacks, but in look-ing back, memories of setbacks dim andonly the smiles and enthusiastic facesof teachers, parents and studenrs re-main. That is, in fact, what makes itall worthwhile.

The first two case studies cover thedevelopment of existing school sites,one an inner city and one a suburbansite. The third case study Is of a

school -park complex to be built in a

rural, undeveloped area.

Schools and school sites come in

just about every age, size, and form.One way of judging the age of yourschool is by the size of the site onwhich it is located. Schools built onsites acquired prior to the advent ofthe auto are usually very small. Whatlittle space on the site there is hasusually since been taken over by theauto, because teacners no longer walkto work and hence now need the spacefor their cars. In many instanceswhere the original school building has

been torn dawn and a new buildingerected, it has been done withoutappreciably adding to the total areaof the school site. The traditionallayout of such a school is a strip oflawn bordering the front of thebuilding, and an asphalt playgroundand parking lot in the back and on thesides. Confronted with such constric-tions, one would think that there islittle which can be done with such asite except to lobby for additionalland. Following, however, is anaccount of how, with the help of many'people, something was accomplished onsuch a site by reaching out and doingwhat many thought impossible.

AN INNER CITY SCHOOL

Raymond Elementary School, 3663 SouthWabash Avenue, is located on Chicago'ssouthside in an inner city area. Vacantlots are proliferating as apartmentbuildings and old tenement houses areburned and/or torn down. The majorityof its 1,100 pupils live in the highriseand public housing units which line theDan Ryan Expressway. The area is not,in short, a model of sound environmentalpractice. Rather, it's an area In whichexamples of environmental malpractice--exploitation, waste and Indifference tothe environment--have been institution-alized by the racism, transportation andland-use patterns, and His which besetall of our major cities.

Schools with boarded-up windows andglass-filled sites are usually part ofthe pattern. Environmentally this sortof setting creates an atmosphere within

31

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which cynicism, hopelessness and despairproliferate. These things can be sur-mounted, however, as illustrated in theschool site development project heredescribed.

Elma Douglas, a special educationteacher, initiated the project. As wasstated earlier, nothing good happensuntil someone gets excited about it.Mrs. Douglas got excited by the learn-ing her pupils experienced through oneweek in a natural environment with theChicago Outdoor Education and CampingProgram. With the support of theschool's principal, she and her pupilsdecided to do something to improve theschool's environment, which was homefor the remaining 39 weeks of theschool year.

the area would be protected. Thesewere discouoted because it was feltthat, not only would developing thearea in front of the school be mostfavorable, but it would also providefor a sort of self-evaluation of theproject, i.e., if it stayed put, itwas meaningful to the pupils and thecommunity at large.

After the initial planning sessionson the project, the ideas covering whatshould or sheuld not be a part of thesite were listed. Pupils participatedin the site analysis phase by identify-ing existing vegetation. Teacherspassed on their suggestions for thesite as welt. These ideas were thengiven to a landscape architect whovolunteered his time to assist in thedevelopment of a master plan. The

asare...

Before (thc fret day of constructwn) After (t 'o years Zaer, the eam area)

A proposal for a mini-grant of onethousand dollars was written, the pro-posal was funded by a Chicago founda-tion, and the project was on its way.With the help of a resource specialistfrom the Open Lands Project, a localenvironmental organization, other re-source persons from various communityorganizations were contacted andbrought together for a series of meet-ings to help develop a plan for theproject.

Initially, a number of alternativesto developing the site itself were dis-cussed, such as the use of the roof-topor the erection of high fences so that

32

attendance at committee meetings andthe support and assistance of theschool administration, principal andcustodial staff played a vital role inthe development and approval of theplan (as well as in its implementation).

Plans called for the development ofa natural area in the north yard and agardening area In the south yard,which bordered the front of the school.Both areas combined measure 45' X 220'.

Soliciting community support for theproject in a school where there is lit-tle or no history of past involvementwas only partially successful. A com-

munity trip to the Chicago World Flowerand Garden Show was organized by thesite development committee and did

bring approximately 7d parents to ameeting at which the idea developedfor the project was presented. Plant

sales, open houses and Saturday fieldtrips were other ways in which schooland community support for the projectwere solicited. The most successfulof these was the plant sale which in-cluded demonstrations by the children,refreshments and-a slide show coveringthe project. The Saturday field tripsdid not attract the people or gener-ate the enthusiasm hoped for. This

does not, however, discount their im-portance because a precedent wasestablished in which the door was keptopen and community input was not onlywelcomed, but solicited. The local

street gangs, for example, were con-sulted about the project.

After the plan was approved, re-

sources needed to implement the planwere organized. A quick rundown ofthose secured will give you an idea ofthe numerous sources to which such aneffort can turn. Railroad ties weredonated by a local railroad; soil andtrees were provided by the Board ofEducation. (Trees are provided by theBoard to Chicago Public Schools as partof every spring Arbor Day celebration.)The Board of Education also put in thenature trail itself, which was made of

asphalt. Barrels for planters and plantmaterial were donated by the ChicagoHorticultural Society; a decaying log,

boulders and numerous plantings, as

well as man and machine power, w...09 sup-

plied by the Morton Arboretum. Thebarrels were cut in half by the city,in response to an appeal made via a lo-cal newspaper's "Action Line." Paintwas donated by a local hardware store;the barrels were painted by parents;members of the Teacher Corps and a localjunior college's horticultural classhelped in designing and constructingthe garden area; a local high schoolshop class built the weather station;another hardware store donated a weathervane; a city park district crew cameout and sawed the railroad ties withtheir chain saws; a garden club workedwith the pupils in planting, and helped

This irmaU, once aaphatt area become a trait todiscovery.

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An annual affair at the Raymond School, Chtcago

to organize the plant sate. When Itwas discovered that more soil was neededthan was available through the Board ofEducation, the local alderman had soildelivered which had been removed whenartificial turf was installed at WhiteSox Park.

It Is important to note that all ofthese resources were not assembled atone time. While a number of work dayswore held in which large components ofthe plan were developed, for the mostpart the implementation was an organicprocess in which things were done pieceby piece over a period of several

years.Besides the many one-shot assists,

every school site project seems to at-tract its patron saints -- individualswho become dedicated to the idea and

33

4ESICOPYAVAI1MEkeep coming through with that extraeffort and help when it is needed.Raymond had several and their assistanceand selflessness were a real boost tothe effort, their only reward being thememory of excited children experiencingfirsthand how they can improve theirenvironment.

Opportunities for involvement becamelimitless. For example, a custodianbrought In tree seeds; a teacher and apatron heard about an old estate beingsubdivided and went out and gathered upa trunk-load of plant material beforeth:. bulldozer came. (Note: At suchtimes as these it is important to havecopies of your master plan and a listof plants needed ready to hand out, oryou'll end up with a "hodge podge" ifall the donations are planted, or dis-enchanted supporters if you turn thedonations down.)

Through the support of the principaland the area superintendent, the authorwas appointed to coordinate the furtherdevelopment and use of the site. Ateacher aide was assigned to assistteachers with some of the logisticalproblems in using the site, such asadditional supervision of children, useand storage of equipment.

One of the greatest boosts to theproject was the school's participationin the Chicago World Flower and GardenShow. By showing others what had beenaccomplished, an esprit de corps forthe project grew. This event alsohelped to maintain interest and enthu-siasm for the project long after themain development effort was over.(Note: This is probably one of the mostcrucial considerations in any site de-velopment project. interest - -by whichis meant maintenance, new additions anduse--in most !Ate development effortsoften tends to wane after the firstyear of heavy activity. Annual affairssuch as participation in and/or spon-soring of community plant sales, earthdays, flower shows, shopping center ex-positions and other special events canadd considerably to the long term suc-cess of any site development project.Each such activity may make you boneweary, but the feeling of accomplish-ment shared will make any frustration

36 EE; 6

worthwhile.)

The most important thing to be drawnfrom the Raymond experience is that itcan be done, even in an area of.limitedspace. Skepticism in our urban com-munities Is a hard thing to escape.Vandalism has become such a scourge ofso many schools that many people areextremely doubtful that it's even worththe effort to launch themselves intosuch a project. Many at Raymond werealso unconvinced when the project wasfirst proposed. The comment of aparent walking by on the first bigplanting day is perhaps typical ofthat attitude: "Why bother. The kidswill just come and tear it up anyway!"The following spring the comment ofanother parent who passed by while aclass was using the site, typified howthat attitude had changed after theplants not only stayed in place, butalso thrived: "What a beautiful pro-ject. It's so good to see childreninvolved.in something like this whenthere is so much shooting and fightinggoing on around here."

41111:4'116!1.114111111

What are the "eduaaticnal" atternativec?

Another effect which was noted thefollowing year by the chief buildingengineer was that the window breakagerate was cut in half. In the ChicagoPublic School system in vhich the costof willful glass breakage in 1969 was$1,035,00()," one must ask where the

"School Beautification and Protection Handbook(Chicago, Sep. 1970), p. 15.

CVYgreatest return on the educational dol-lar is to be had. It is a sad commenton our society when the only responseto such problems as vandalism is in thenegative (boarded up schools, plasticwindows, new schools built like for-

tresses), when by having children andthe community enter into the process ofeducation, a "can do" spirit and pridedevelops that is contagious.

A school site development project atan inner city school is, of course, nopanacea. It Is, however, a positiveway of involving children in *he pro-cess of building a better environment.Teachers and chil&en who take actionand pride in their "home" environmentwill be less likely to despair that anyaction is worth taking.

Two quotes, one from a Raymondteacher and another from a Raymond

student, help to summarize what a suc-cessful school site development effortcan do for the self-image and feelingof self-worth, which are so importantif people are to work together to bringabout change.

A classroom teacher commenting onhis experience of manning an exhibiton the school site project at the WorldFlower and Garden Show stated:

I have never felt as proud to be apart of something as I was that eve-ning. People from all walks of lifecame to see, ask questions and talkabout what is going on at Raymond.Many people could not believe thatthis was an Inner city school. I feel

that Raymond has helped many peoplechange to a positive, constructiveattitude about the Chicago schools, in

a time when the general image Is rathernegative. I think that this projectis going to have an influence far be-yond the Rlymond community and that,hopefully, we will see similar projectsin other places around our city.

Ross Walker In and AroundRaymond, March 1970

A fifth grade pupil inewly trans-ferred) wrote:

'then I first came t3 Raymond Schoolit look.zd so t.eautiful. I loved lheway it looked. My other school wasnot as pretty. The reason I came to

AVA1LARERaymond was because my grandmothersaid it was a wonderful school.didn't believe her. When I stepped in

1 knew she was telling the truth. WhenI went home 1 called her and told hershe was right. She said, "1 know it."

We both just laughed.Sherry Dawson, RaymondSpotlight, Fall 1970

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A SUBURBAN SCHOOL

The Westbrook Elementary School islocated In the Detroit suburb of Farm-ington. Following is an account written

by a sixth grade teacher at the school,Dorothy Cox, who, inspired by a work-shop on school site development, gotexcited and organized her school to

develop the entire site.

During the school year 1970-1971,a school site development plan. . wascreated, approved, and work begun. A

Site Committee of 16 diverse individu-als met to begin a year long study ofpossible and desirable projects whichwould provide a diversity of habitatto enrich the curriculum and to pro-vide a more functional site which wouldimprove the microclimate and better.serve the neighborhood as a communitycenter for outdoor recreation. Tht in-put of opinion was solicited from everystudent in the school, teachers, prin-cipal, art teacher, board of educationmember, maintenance supervisor, andseveral parents.

Site blueprints were consulted,scale map! were drawn, a scale styro-foam model was constructed by students,site inventory was begun, a soil con-servationist drew up a site plan, andthe game biologist from the Departmentof Natural Resources was consulted.

When the committee's site plan waspresented to the Board of Education,it was unanimously approved with a

recommendation to purchase more land.

The PTO not only endorsed the plan butvoted to donate money from the treasury

35

$EST COP I.

MN. PAW* YAW- set:

immediately, and to turn over all pro-ceeds of the annual Pancake Supper forsite development funding.

In the spring of 1971, students,teachers, former students, and commu-nity members donated time, effort,equipment, and money to carry out siteplans. Over 300 trees were planted;the plowing and disking done; thepruning of fruit trees and grapes com-pleted; a compost heap begun; a foodplot planted; picnic tables construc-ted; benches installed; sewer crocks[for climbing and crawling] donated,delivered, and painted; game linespainted on asphalt; a new baseballdiamond constructed; a football fieldestablished; and nature trails createdwith wood chips in a two acre naturearea.

By the time school began in [thefall], the environment of Westbrookhad achieved a new and exciting qualityfor the students. There were new sitefeatures to be explored and trind out,but there were responsibilities to belearned and rules to be developed toretain the quality we felt we hadattained.

When finalized site plans were pre-sented to the students, their initialreaction was excitement and elation;then followed a great sadness of ex-pression. "This is great, but whateverwe do, +he big kids will wreck." Thecounter argument was to Involve as manypeople of as many ages as possible.What you plant, or paint, or create,you prize--not destroy.

When the first picnic fables were

placed outside, students and teachersalike looked several mornings to makesure the tables were still there -- theywere.

Out of three hundred pine and shrubseedlings only four or five were foundto have been pulled up.

From April to August deliberatevandalism was nonexistent. It wastherefore a shock to the whole commu-nity when bedding stones from thecourtyard boulder display were usedto break 87 windows during two consec-utive evenings. [Note: This may pro-vide a lesson. Don't tempt fate byusing bedding stones.] Several com-munity adults took it upon themselvesto keep a frequent and close check onthe school site area. For the firsttime in the last several years, namesof suspects were turned In to the ad-

-ministration and by them to the police.Homes were visited and at least' onechild was to appear in court with hisparents. Not one window has beenbroken since. instead of four weeks ofwindow waxing and soaping before Hall-oween, there was minimal soaping only onHalloween weekend. [On the whole]there has been more interest and lessapathy.

al

It's our tree that needs water. It'scur schoa eite. It's cur cormini:y.

The Natural Area

Ordinarily elementary students arerestricted to a small playground areawhere they are under the constantvisual supervision of an adult. Thisarea is flat with no diversity of ele-vation or intimacy of spacial varia-

M COPY AIfilltJBLEtion. ...when students were [initially]permitted to visit the rabbit pen in

the courtyard and investigate the na-ture traits, their first reaction wasto run, to explore, to hiderevelingin a new found freedom.

The quality of the second naturearea is enhanced by the feeling ofseparation from the rest of the schoolsite. A high hedgerow (10-12 feet)surrounds the acre; the only penetrableopening has been made for the woodchip trail leading in and out. Itsattraction apparently is its contrastwith the rest of the site-- seclusion,yet proximity. It is not unusual tofind small groups sitting on a benchor sitting on top of the rockpliealm1,4ssly tossing stones or lookingfor foSsils. There are feweF fights,and less gang formation at recess sincethese areas have been made available tostudents.

The Playground

Flexibility and variety are vir-tually non-existent on traditionalschool playground equipment. Theaddition of four unanchored earthmovertires and two large sewer crocks hasgiven the students something they canuse creatively. Swings and slides area one-way-only activity; crocks are toclimb on, in, through, jump on, slidedown, and sit on. Tires cam be moved,stacked, jumped on, bounced on, or justsat on. Flexibility adds quality.

An asphalt "magic square" was simplya hard dry interruption in the grassyvista until hopscotch, four-square, andrunning lines were painted on it (de-signed by the students). Only then didit become an activity centered place.

In the preceding text, the author[Dorothy Cox] has described an adultview of some of the impact of theschool site development an the stu-dents. But the final judgment restswith the students themselves. In anattempt to obtain such an evaluation,questions were asked of all students inthe school in grades one through six.What the students seemed to say In thisstudy points to an environmental qual-ity which inciades variety,flextbility,sense of identity, sensitivity, aware-ness, and creativity.

The key to the whole project hasbeen involvement from the beginning

planning stages through the implementa-tion. One of the school districtmaintenance men recently summed up theenvironmental impact quite well when hesaid, "it's different at this schoolnow; you can see it, and you can feelit."

A SCHOOL/PARK COMPLEXON THE URBAN FRINGE

In our previous case studies, inter-est and enthusiasm for a site develop-ment project was sparked by individualteachers who worked with what they hadin order to make an existing site amodel of sound environmental practiceand a vehicle for environmental educa-tion. As more people become environ-mentalized in a school district, theacquisition and development of newschool sites can be carried out in sucha way that boards of education will:

select sites for educationalpotential as well as for easeof construction and/or avail-ability;

conserve open space andunique community features(historical, geological, bio-logical? of the site whichwould otherwise be lost to de-velopment forever; and

plan for the development ofthe site in such a way thatthe ecology of the site is notonly respected, but enhancedby the development as well.

School plant construction has.leveledoff in most districts. On the urbanfringe, however, development of newschools and buildings is still a fre-quent occurrence. Public school dis-tricts located in such areas thereforehave a unique opportunity and responsi-bility to both present and future citi-zens.

Pc 37

Urban sparnawIl chaaPslicRrVeRalUtedBLEcond itionsin which rural/ small town districts onthe urban fringe do not need a crystalball to foresee the rapid growth whichis in store for their communities.Residents of such communities may ormay not welcome the growth, but it isin the interest of all concerned thataction be taken in order to maintainthe quality of the environment whichattracted the people initially. Whensteps are not taken, the unique natu-ral, historical and educational fea-tures of the area are built up longbefore a park district or other com-munity organization is formed. Publiz.school districts, however, already existin all areas of the state. By takingthe proper steps, they can acquireland in advance (rather than simplysettling for land which developers passup) which Is not only much cheaper, butalso holds much greater potential formeeting the long-term educational, rec-reational and open space needs of thecommunity. In this way, school dis-tricts can have a positive influence onthe development of their communities.

A flat, well drained cornfield mayappear to be the cheapest and easiestland to acquire and develop for con-struction of a school in the short run,but what about the long run--the gener-ations of children, parents and commu-nities who could use public school sitesit they were acquired and developedwith respect for the natural resourcesof the area and long term needs of theschool and community. If these thingsare to be taken into account, schooldistricts must plan years In advance.

The following case study shows howone school district recognized the needfor planning and acted upon it. Thehistory of school site development Inthat district is taken from a proposedmaster site plan for the developmentof a 135 acre school/park site.1 Inappearance, the site itself was notunusual for the area; but the estab-lished goal of the master plan com-mittee to make the site "unusuallybeautiful as an educational complexwiThout destruction of the present

"A Proposed masrer S:te, Flan for the Bogie LakeRoad School .5;:se tWtford, ;11:.1.., Dec. 24), ;972).

38

natural environment" Is a goal to beemulated.

The Huron Valley School District Islocated northwest of Detroit, Michigan.Since its formation in 1946, it haschanged from a predominantly rural toa suburban fringe district. The largeamount of lanU still available fordevelopment points to further rapidpopulation growth.

The school district has developedthe working philosophy that "itsschools, including the school sites,are resources for the entire commu-nity." Through the foresight of theBoard of 'Education and various citizencommittees, a 135 acre site was thuspurchased with the financial assistanceof federal open space funds in 1966,seven years before the building programfor an educational park was to begin.In 1972 a school bond issue was passedproviding funds for the development ofeducational facilities on the site. Animportant provision of the school bondissue was that money could be used for"acquiring and improving additionalschool sites and Improving existingsites."

With the passage of the bond issue,a school site committee was formed.Citizens were asked to participatevia articles which appeared in theschool district newsletter and commu-nity newspapers. Individual citizenswho had expressed an interest in theproject and others whose work or gov-ernmental position would be directlyrelated to or affected by the develop-ment of the site, were extended per-sonal invitations. Faculty and stu-dents were invited to work on thecommittee Through school bulletins andannouncements. Out of a large numberof students who responded, eight wereinvited to participate on the committee.

The committee was charged with pro-viding guidelines for the developmentof the entire 135 acre site, as well as

reviewing the plans developed by thelandscape architect and making recom-mendations to the Board of Education.Three sub-committees were formed: Ecol-ogy and Outdoor Education; RecreationActivities; and Safety and FacilityLocation.

Twenty - two outside resource peoplewere brought in to act as consultants.The sub-committee made numerous on-sitevisitations, consulted outside agenciesand obtained input from various commu-nity groups. Their recommendationswere compiled and submitted as a reportto the Board of Education. Following,In summary fashion, are the importantenvironmental considerations which theHuron Valley committee recommended betaken into accolInt in developing tnesite. They provide a good example forschool districts undertaking similarefforts.

Preservation of important sitefeatures for environmentalstudy; geological features,existing hedgerows, borderareas, woodiot, an orchard,and a high point (overlook)for environmental studyPreservation of the naturalcharacteristics of the land,i.e., minimize gradingDesign of unobtrusive sidewalksDevelopment of a pondThe hiring of a coordinator toassist teachers in the use ofthe siteConsultation with the statewater resources commission andDepartment of Public Health toassure the pollution- free useand discharge of waterDevelopment of parking lots ina way which is unobtrusive,i.e., break up parking areainto smaller lots by usingtrees and islands of vegetationMaintenaLce of the local schooldistrict's awareness of eco-logical consequences involvedin future development aroundthe site (roads, housing, etc.)Maintenance of the "naturalenvironment" as the underlyingtheme in the development ofthe site.

I

Design scheme eateoted for the Suron Vaney siteChilds and Astrociates, Landscape Architects)

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ECOLOGICALLY(To the children of the Lighthouse Nature Center)

Music and lyrics by

Donn Paul Werling

G

16 _#11 4 rtThe first place that we went to was dark an' damp an'

drear; No one would ev-er live here in the woods it would ap-41.1)! . fl

_

pear. We thought he woods was dead for sure till weert

stumbled over a log The log roll'd over as we fell down. And just" 4.1"Peia

guess what 4111: found. We found .(bhvtct name}AN AN "7,,N, ON eN

...1.

____._

7

(shout name) (shout mire)(CHORUS)

All liv ing e - co -

e-co-lo-gi-c'lly in their own ft-tle

1(R') . G[3.

ycu and like me. E-eo- lo-gi - ellys e-co-lo-gi-c'lly

[ -ft ;I

homes like

.:*

part of the web of life with you, with me.40st,.

The second pi ace we went to was down by the pond;Not a thing was tirring, it looked so dead and calm.Titen something jumped on a lily pad and something else wiggled around,So we stopped and looked and dipped our nets and just guess what all we found.We found etc.All living... (Chorus)

The next place that we went to was sunny and bright and green;It looked like Mother Nature really had used her Mr. Clean.We sat down on that green carpet in a zompletely bug-free place.And then we u little hole down into inner space.And we found etc.All living... (Chorus)

By tht, 'ime I was tired of :II this walking around,ut think of all the life I'd found. / 1With

somuch life a liviu', we must watch oat for each othtir's toes V'i I :.cBeause the else tois only so big and there's no place els to go,

(final Chorus)'*1...'4f4-'

.Sc let's 1 ye o-eo-lo-gi-c'lly, c-co-10-gi-c'llyA 7

On the spaceship earth happily. >,1/ \\ILI

Partners in the web of life with you.wtth me. '-----\Inil/iNi(

E-co-lo-gt-t-'lly. e-co-lo-gi-c'Ily

E-c0-10-gi-C1IYYYYYYMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

kF

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4,

-4-4

Chapter FourUse of the Site for Environmental Education ,tte'

The process of developing a schoolsite can be an exciting and a motivat-ing experience, but the development isonly the beginning of new approaches toteaching, living and learning at yourschool.

Although the development and use ofthe site are linked closely together,use of the site will not follow automat-ically. This chapter suggests a wayof introducing teachers to the use ofthe site, as well as three different,but ,complementary strategies whichwill help teachers to make full useof the increased instructional poten-tial of the site for environment-'education. Examples of approaches tothese strategies are given, but themain focus is not upon lesson plans ornovel ideas. The outdoor educationmovement has produced many excellentpublications filled with Ideas thatcan be readily applied to use on schoolsites (see Selected References, In-

structional Use of the Site). Theneed, now, is to get those ideas offthe bookshelf and put to use.

An effective way to encourage use ofthe site is to involve teachers in theprocess of developing the program forits instructional use, just as they wereinvolved In the process of developingthe site itself. A good way to beginthis process Is to have an hour of in-service time set aside by the principal.The agenda for the first meeting mightinclude:

I. Presentation of slides cover-ing the development of thesite

This will help to put all teachers pre-

sent in a positive frame of mind, in-cluding those who were not involved inthe site development effort. The smilesand enthusiasm shown in the slides.willbP contagious. You might call it

"teacher readiness."2. Division into small discussion

groups in order to develop abrief statement of philosophyon the use of the site, andguidelines for working withclasses outdoors (see samplefrom Raymond School)

Breaking into small groups will encour-age each individual to make a contribu-tion and, hence, an investment.

3. Reassembly and synthesis ofideas.

After the groups have reassembledand have shared and synthesized theirideas, one or two persons should becharged with putting together the finalstatement of philosophy and guidelinesfor teacher and student use of thesite. After formal approval by the

tenc,ma PArfaletiS Cafff.POP1,1 it Ch teacher& Vet pupils to faketeething end teaming Mete ettnitingend meatOrnatist siepstlanra. Hem.'. tee.

t. Always have pap...vo ant diaesIt et t/i y.Vt 1,11,15. 14, Ma 2..instuwC130.

2. Mew the pfd;att c),f4074 t.r the4,. Itraoproot , dewySay. it's wet in Lb. eat sein-ing ritt Sr. $eitesier ft...se ereMsga litaquIeels an the liat,tntrw.

t. Fa te1.11.A the ,,,,,urot ftl.on wet,..t t ttpy what t.

P... (.1.41A, . .5 1. If, I.. 43

oor .` y '

rt

r ...t. ore, .1: r "

the t a... 1

4 tstatiJ, a en, ,t,f .1.i .14* t

1.sera t. 41 4fa. , I t tett ve thw , P y ; vii

1,0 ,t a.

h, Nave signal to Is- true rose, ciliatiact Si:gather again So thateveryone can .es ne hear when...ors two something to share.S. %and signs). Henan your hone

.4n. up, your south goo*abut.

to melt, horn, Wtilft tee, WOW,.it von,* tnt Irktion

, tlpun bearing .14 1,001119 themat, students atand Inle lit. ts petel iff loess C i <.t 4,61

'14 14 At t8AM11., Pt.k ia any tv.tIle.t $ sort . treat al t 514,11 aN troaele

I Pepe' t lost edeithat ton Usti, thitot 0. t .arts. ban.

rr H el f4 flat Fat 'a. Oar an menyp.ayil ...Mai 1.4,

e 1sru,

41

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principal, copies of the statement andguidelines should be distributed toall teachers. A supply should also beretained by the principal for distribu-tion to new teachers in the future.

INITIAL USE OF THE SITE

The first experience which a teacherhas in using the site _Ith his or herclass should simple anu short. Be-cause students' past experience on thesite has often been limited to recess,over-exuberance on their part duringthe initial use of the site is to beexpected. So, while it is important toestablish ground rules for behavior,don't worry too much about the do's anddon'ts on the first trip.

The first experience should be acasual walk, focusing upon what hasbeen developed on the site. While theteacher should provide primary leader-ship, an effective technique is to havestudents take turns leading the class,the condition being that each leadermust direct the group to something dif-ferent on the site. Discussion back inthe classroom should focus upon thevarious things which the class found,why these things are on the site, andpossible future explorations.

Nature walks as described above aregood introductions, but they are oftenthought of only as "breaks" from theeducative process--nice, but not impor-tant or necessary. If the use of yoursite goes no further, only the surface

42

of its instructional potential will bescratched. Following are three strate-gies which can help teachers to use thesite to its fullest potential for en-vironmental education. While the sitecan be used to enrich all areas of thecurriculum, the primary focus of thesisstrategies is to

develop a cognifive knowledgeof the environment,develop a sensitivity towardand an appreciation of thevalue of the environment, andaptly this knowledge and sen-sitivity to the study and so-lution of local environmentalproblems.

Knowledge, sensitivity, and action--allthree are necessary to environmentaleducation.

DEVELOPING A KNOWLEDGEOF THE ENVIRONMENT

The development of a school site forits educational potential Is like theopening of a brand new school full cfbrand new teaching aids which may betotally foreign to teachers and stu-dents. There are simply so many choicesthat the foreign nature of the "new"school's resources can be overwhelming,thus making it difficult for even themost concerned classroom teacher toknow where to begin.

Outdoor education enthusiasts whohave experienced the many ways In whichthe outdoors can be used sometimes addto the confusion by telling others thatthey can use anything on the site forinstruction. What Is !loaded is not awhole pantry full of ideas, however,but simply one idea which can be tried,tested and digested by students andteachers alike. One experience whichis planned and comes off successfullycan be easily evaluated and serve as astepping stone to other activities. Oneway to foster this process is throughthe use of teaching stations.

Use of Teaching Stations

When your school building was con-structed, the educational specifica-

tions which had been developed becameclassrooms, science laboratories andthe like. When your site is developed,educational specifications becometeaching stations, i.e., defined areason your site which can help to teachcertain concepts in what js generallyconsidered to be the most effective andexciting way to teach --by experience.

PlAinaipies of ecoZogioal swoession....

A teaching station should operateon the same principle as a gas station.It should make concepts and abstrac-tions come alive by providing the fuelfor experience to burn. A Class whichvisits the weather station and keeps adaily record of temperature, winddirection, humidity and air pollution,makes daily weather predictions, re-cords and reports any smoke violations(using smoke charts), will have had anexperience in which the relationshipbetween scientific concepts and en-vironmental conditions (the real world)is not just talked about or shown onfilm; it is "lived." The experienceitself is the lesson. Use of a compost,a gardening plot, birdfeeder, foodplots, land management zone and otherteaching stations, can operate on thisprinciple successfully.

Because of the Inter-relatedness oflife on this planet, any teaching sta-tion on a:site can be used to teach a

wide variety of concepts. Differentteaching stations on your site will,however, be better equipped to teachparticular concepts than others (csee

BEST COPY IIVAILABIs--Appendix A). The strategy for organ-izing the use of teaching stations isthus a matter of matching up teacherand student interests and curriculumneeds with the appropriate stations.

Use of curriculum overview chartsmay be very helpful in selecting whichteaching stations can be used mostappropriately at each grade or grouplevel. (Note: Using the charts, a

simple outline of the structure andsequence of teacher station usageshould be drawn up and distributed toyour school staff. This will help topublicize activities and allow teachersto plan in advance for use of thesite.) The teachers from each gradelevel should select the teaching sta-tion or stations which they would liketo use over the coming year. This proces will enable a student to experi-ence, over the years, the total varietyof teaching stations which your sitecontains. By no means is it a processthat excludes anyone from using any ofthe teaching stations when student orteacher interest finds it appropriate.Rather, it is an attempt to help eachteacher andeach class focus thel.- cre-ative and investigative energies.

Following are two examples of waysin which a teaching station might beselected (see also Appendix A).

EXAMPLES:

If the study of food production inthe social studies curriculum oc-curs at the third grade level, it

would be appropriate for this levelto manage the food plots of corn,soybeans and the like, in order todevelop a better understanding ofwhere food really comes from, howIt's produced, and the effect ofenvironmental conditions uponproduction.

If the study of trees occurs atthe 4th grade level, it would beappropriate for the fourth gradersto not only study trees, but alsoto assist in the planting and careof the trer!s on the site.

By using a teaching station whichcorrelates with the existing curriculum

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1.%4 . Nft

z> rskFourth graders assumw rcoponeibi/ity f,r the care cfexisting and maw trees on the site.

.4

p

to be covered, teachers will find thatuse of the site is not an added burdento the instructional load, but an assetwhich can help make teaching and learn-ing more exciting and more effective.

DEVELOPING ENVIRONMENTALSENSITIVITY

The second strategy which can beused to foster effective use of thesite is less structured. it comple-ments the first in that, as teachersrealize the instructional benefitswhich can be derived from the one, two,or three formalized uses of the site, amore Informal and Individualized strat-egy can be used. Whereas the first

approach (use of teaching stations)emphasized The acquisition of cognitiveknowledge and understanding of the en-vironment, this section presents twoapproaches which emphasize the sensi-tivity component or affective domain,i.e., an appreciation and affection forour environment. Both are essential tothe ftrmEttion of a spaceship earthphilosophy.

" "Discover and Investigate"

Norman Marsh, a sixth grade scienceand mathematics teacher in California,designee the f,llowing approach foruse with his students on the schoolsite. (Mr. Marsh wrote a manualbased upon his experiences, OutdoorEducation on Your School Grounejs, andhasp been instrumental in the develop-ment of over th:rty-five school sitesfor educational purposes in northernCalifornia.") He called his approach"Discover and Investigate." it con-sists of writing down on 3" x 5" cardsa set of directions for students tofollow and questions to which they areto seek answers. The purpose of thisapproach is to guide and develop thenatural curiosity of students by pro-viding a series of open-ended expert-erces from which students can choose.

As outlined by Mr. Marsh, Discoverand investigate (D&I) cards are ".. .

not a list of questions or things to bedone," but are guidelines which enablea student to discover and investigateat his own pace and in his own way.While their content may draw from anysubject matter area, the primary pur-pose is to develop an environmentalsensitivity in the student.

A D&I experience is Initiated byposting one or more lbl cards prior toa scheduled outdoor class period. Stu-dents then select one, copy down theinstructions and go out to the site.Ground rules established in morestructured outdoor classes still apply,but students are expected to work bythemselves. Following are a number of

"Norman Marsh, Outdoor Educatiot on Your SchoolGrounde (Sacramento, CaTif., ay i96e). By permls-Sion of The Resources Agency of Z.latifornia.

examples of Dail cards used by Mr. "Aarshon his school site.

EXAMPLES:

Take a short trail hike. Stop.Sit on a bench. Look around. Whatseems to be different since yourlast visit by'or near here? Whatseems to be just the same? Hasanythi-g been added or removed?Has mother nature been working orsleeping on the job?

1. Take a short walk.2. Look around slowly and carefully

as you walk.3. Do you see any evidence that

small creatures are making it

easy for water and sun heat toenter the soil?

4. Explain.

Tour the boardwalk into the bog.Then walk along the meadow's edge.Stay on the trail. Keep walkingalong the border of the meadow andthe forest. Is there any evidence

1. Co down to the brook.2. Look for fish. Watch them.3. What direction do the fish usual/4 face?

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1. Take a wail( Indian et1e.2. Look for a bird.3. Watch ito movement.4. What ie it doing? Why?

that...The meadow is moving into the bog?The bog is moving into the meadow?The stream is moving into the bog?The meadow 4s moving into the

forest?Can you explain your observations?Can you predict what changes will

look like in a few years?"

These are just a sampling of the ideaswhich can be used. Many others couldbe developed that draw from other sub-ject areas as well, such as art, mathe-matics, social studies or language arts.For example:

1. Walk along the trail until youcome to the most beautiful ob-ject you can find.

2. Examine it closely and from faraway. Take time.

3. Imagine that your beautiful ob-ject is in a junkyard.

4. Is it still beautiful?5. What makes something beautiful?6. Find another object of the same

kind. Is it as beautiful asthe first?

7. Why or why not?

Teachers can develop their own col-lection of D&l cards by writing them on3" x 5" cards with a felt tip pen. Aneffective way to do this Is via ateacher workshop. Cards which arefound to be successful should then be

"ibid., pp. 30 -32.

BF 1 45

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exchanged with other teachers. (Note:A number of commercial versions of thisapproach have also been developed. SeeSelected References, Instructional Useof the Site.)

As students begin Y)make discoveriesoutdoors on their own, they will wantto follow up by reading about what theydiscover as well. It is important,therefore, to develop a good classroomcollection of books and references.Encourage your librarian to acquiremore books on the environment also.

"Acclimatization"

Acclimatization, developed by SteveVanMatre and outlined in his bookAcclimatization, is a sensory approachthroUgh which an appreciation andawareness of the environment can bedeveloped.17 As in the previous ap-proach, the role of the teacher is notto be a purveyor of knowledge, burather a facilitator of experienceswhich heighten sensory perception andobservation skills. The objective ofacclimatization is to "immerse" stu-dents in the sensory world of thenatural environment by using blindfoldsand other techniques to focus theirattention on the experience. Thisapproach is especially appropriate forlower and middle elementary grades.

This sensory approach should :akethe place of the collect-and- identifyera in which student appreciation ofthe environment was measured by thenumber of trees named or insects col-lected. The name of anything, whetherit's a fellow human or a plant oranimal, takes on meaning and feelingnot because of one's ability to nameit, but only through an experience inwhich the relationship of that objectto our own lives is discovered. In asociety in which abstractions ofreality (e.g., television) make up muchof our existence, it is very importantthat great care be exercised to buildand r'faintain our links to the naturalworld.18 acclimatization is one way in

17Seye Vanmatre, itacoat;:zun (Martinsv(!le,Ind., 197?). Cy par-mission of the

ISRene Dutos, So Eumzn am Anima: (New gork, 1968) ,

p. ;85.

C-

What do you feel?

which this can be done.

11.

Following are two examples of sensoryexperiences. Sensory experiences canbe developed using many other areas ona well developed site as well, e.g.,flowers, an herb garden, or by havingstudents take apart and put back to-gether a cubic foot of soil.

EXAMPLES:

A SENSORY APPROACH TO THE STUDYOF TREES: middle grades

CONCEPTS: diversity, decomposi-tion, energy flo.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED: old ski rope,barn rope or clothes line ropeand blindfolds (Students shouldbe instructed to wear slacks.)

One important thing to remember inthis exercise is to limit the number ofstudents with whom you're working to nomore than 15. The assistance of anaide can be used to remain with therest of the class, and anothersimultaneous project may be used onwhich the other half of your class canbe working.

Introduce the experience by discuss-ing with the class what It's like to beblind (i.e., cannot see, but othersenses are heightened). Using a nearbytree, demonstrate how to "fee!" and"smell" a tree--first the leaves (feel,'hen crumple a leaf for the smelt),next the trunk (bear hug it), then theroots going into the ground. Have stu-

BEST COPY AVAILABLEdents space themselves out along oneside of the rope, put on their blind-folds and pick up the rope. Theyshould move forward only when the ropeIs tugged, and should hold their freehand out and wave it back and forthlike a mechanical "sensor." Remindthem to concentrate on what their "sen-sor feels" (heat, cold, rough, smooth,etc.).

Begin in an °pee, sunny area. Checkto see if their sensors are working."What do you feel?" "It feels warm...the sun!!!" Then pull them under atree with low hanging branches andslowly pass the tl-ee. Lead them pasta variety of sizes and species of treesin this manner. (Note: Be sure thatpoison Ivy is not on your route.)After three or four trees have been"felt" and "smelled" take them to adecaying log, have them sit down, andinstruct them to feel, smell, and diginto the various levels of decay.

After this has been done, pull theminto an open area away from the log andhave them remove their blindfolds. Askfor a volunteer (who is able) to takethe gro.ip back to the first tree. Con-tinue in this manner to retrace yoursteps. A+ each tree have the volunteerleader tell how he or she identified itwithout having "seen" it before (thesize of the trunk, the smell or feel ofthe leaves). Have other students sharetheir reactions. When you once againarrive at the loc, have students de-brief about telr experience in rela-tion to the diversity of trees; how atree can act as an air conditioner; andhow a tree grows, dies and is part ofthe web of life.

A SENSORY APPROACH TO THE STUDYOF SOIL: primary grades

CONCEPTS: soil formation and theimeertance of soil resources

EQUIPMENT NEEDED: old ski rope,barn rope or clothes line ropeand blindfolds (Students shouldbe instructed to wear slacks.)

Using the techniques described Inthe previous example, blindfold stu-dents and take them into a wooded areawhere the natural process of leaves andother vegetation falling to the ground

has been left undisturbed, and the ac-tion of worms, insects and the like isgradually turning the litter into soil.Introduce this activity by telling thestudents to role play an earthworm.Have them sit down, pick up a handfulof litter, smell it, and rub it betweentheir thumb and fingers. Pass' any"finds" (earthworms, rocks) aroundfor everyone to feel. Have them dig asdeeply into the soil as they can(They'll run into numerous roots, etc.).Then ask them to refill the hole andrepeat the same procedure on a wellmowed area. After this has been done,have them remove their blindfolds anddebrief about what the difference wasin being en "earthworm" in the two dif-ferent sites.

Go back to the wooded site. Discussthe process of soil formation basedupon the students' experience with theleaf litter, rocks, the insects andreal earthworms they found, which in-teract together to form soi.. Askthem how long they think it ``ekes the"soil makers" to make an inch of soil(one hundred years). Stop by the com-post and discuss how people can helpkeep the soil rich ael productive byusing the "soil makers" to recycle whathas been taken from the soil.

MM.

It SUM was easier to take it 'apart than .it isto put it back together....

47

To many, the use of sensory experi-ences or"discover and Investigate" cardsmay sound a bit unorthodox; but anyonewho has seen the excitement, enthusiasmand learning which one such experiencecan generate, cannot help but see theirvalue. By confronting students withnovel situations, they are forced toquestion old ways of looking at realityand should begin to formulate new ones.For example, a row of plants is no long-er just a "bunch of plants," but differ-ent and unique living organismssomeprickly and some smooth, some attacked byaphids that feel wet and sticky, anotherthat feels soft and fuzzy, and anotherwhose leaves feel like sandpaper -- eachof them unique, each of them fellow pas-sengers on our spaceship earth. A pondno longer becomes just water, but a hop-ping, flying, swimming, diving, eatingand changing community of life. Soilno longer is just dirt on which man canwalk, but en intricate fabric of rootsand worms, spiders and ants which arejust as much a part of the web of lifeas homo sapiens.

DEVELOPING THE ACTION PHASEOF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Cognitive knowiedye of the environ-ment and environmental sensitivity canbe developed by applying.the previouslyoutlined approaches to the instruction-al use of your site. Our schools must,however, not only produce a citizenrywhich is knowledgeable about the en-vironment and is sensitive to it; itmust also produce a citizenry that willtake the action needed to help bringabout a quality environment for all.

Environmental Encounters

The use of environmental encountersis en approach which has proved effec-

48

tive in moving into the problem-solvingaction phase of environmental educa-tion. Developed by Dr. William B.Stapp of the University of Michigan,the environmental encounter involvesthe processes of problem solving andvaluing, which are an integral part ofenvironmental education.19 The twoprocesses occur simultaneously, i.e.,in working toward the solution of aproblem, students will necessarily haveto question their values as they makethe decisions and take the action de-cided upon. (Note: The use of valuesclarification strategies at variouscritical times in the encounter is

important to help students clarify andpublicly affirm their values.") Whilethe environmental encounter is like theprevious two strategies in that thefocus is upon the local environment,It is important to note that encountersaddress the human dimension, i.e., aperson's value system, as well as thephysical aspect of environmentalProblems.

PROsusw-sowING AND VALUING PHCCESS"

Fr'bXdf:2911111 Valuist

1. Identifying oed defining the my/to-it- I. Students are presented with enwentel IBMs is !profiles

2. C,llentino. organising. And Andylytin4data yelybri to the problem

3. Generating Ind sualuatinu alternatIve 1, students euggeof alternativesolutions twOutiona.

f. evaluating thy elternatives and 1. Stydants nonaldei the ....egvon,14*selecting :ha best twluti,hit of *soh Alternative.generated 4. Studonla agylvam fateLt0wa

danvut limb Altos-natty,

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7. Avalisting the ueplamentAttun pro,.! 0, Students And tmlehes .010,1kri.lptuon,a ,f ilasemutee Aretint's 4,tsorm..,ndirwant with what insave ha tut ithe vat.4!.

"WIttts, a. An 7efrunii.m.12 prvr,ar,Amrocseh i. envlremmont41 ik- 7:,--Rakk4an an Action Model (unpAlf,,i14 paluv. 66,. 1",.pp. ., 17,

There are two sides to every environ-mental issue: the scientific-technicalside and the socio-economic side. Anenvironmental encounter should providestudents with the opportunity to exper-ience the interplay of these two compo-nents. To help teachers and studentsbecome familiar with the process ofdeveloping environmental encounters (seeAppendix B), a series of encounterscould be developed through teacher-student workshops. The subjects of

these encounters may involve eithor thAI!WIIIIam B. Stapp, "Erhironmentat Encounters," in

Outlines of Environmental Education (Madison, Wisc.,1971), pp. 104-111.

2°S1dney B. Simon, Leland W. Howe and HcwardKirschenbaum, Values Clarification (New York, 1972).

development or use of the site itself,or community environmental concerns.Those developed can then be filed forfuture use, but classes should be en-couraged to develop their ewn based uponproblems as they arise rather than rely-ing on the predeveloped encounters.For example, the following environmentalencounter on the subject of minibikescould have been a spin-off from damagedone by minibike riders to an area onthe site which students were studying.

Operating Minibikes in the CommunityAn Environmental Encounter for

the Sixth Grade(developed by Dorothy Cox)

Behavioral Objectives:

At the completion of a successfulencounter, the student should be abieto:

1. Describe, in writing, (number) prob-lems minibike operation cri-Ites inthe community.

2. List, in writing, existing regula-tions for minibike operation atschool and in the community.

3. Draw an accurate map of streets inthe immediate area showing locationof fields, woods, and school.

4. Identify power structure (school of-ficials, governmental policy makers,governmental committees) cf his com-munity who influence and make policyon minibike rules and regulations.

5. Describe, in writing, alternatesolutions for safe, legal minibikeoperation.

Activities:

1. Visit home of nearby minibike ownerfor observation of:a. What is size of minibike In re-

lation to rider? In relation tosize of ordinary vehicular traf-fic?

b. What is speed and maneuverabilityof a minibike?

c. Note noise level of bli.e whenstarting and when in operation.

2. Tour nearby streets from toinclude woods and trails and notefollowing:a. What is surface of roads? Is

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this a hazard to minibike riders?b. Is there a visual problem at

crossroads? What effect would anunseen car have? What effect anunseen child walking or riding ab'ke? Would sound level of mini--eke allow rider to hear either,ne?

c. what is effect of bike trails ,nvoods? Note hard pack trails.Wr at animals do you see? Whatbids do you see or hear? Do youthink noise and trails affectthem in any way?

3. Draw a map of area locating fieldsand woods.

4. Survey residents of area obtainingtheir opinions on:a. \ny objection to minibikes?b. Where do they think owners could

or should ride?c. What hazards do they see for

riders? for the community?5. Seek information by visit (either at

school by officer, or by class atpolice department) from police onrules and regulations regardingminibikes:a. What does the ordinance say?b. Are regulations enforced? What

arc penalties?c. Are there any exisiing or proposed

areas for riding?

6. Interview school principal to de-termine school policy on minibikeriders. If principal does not de-termine policy, who does?

49

Oaf COPT AVA111.211

7. Visit township offices to interviewpersonnel to determine:a. Who makes rules for minibikes?b. Is there an area available for

minibike riding?c. Is there an area proposed?

8. wnat can the class do to help solveproblems?a. What are possible alternate solu-

tions?b. Who can be contacted to facili-

tate solutions!

Environmental encounters for youngerchildren need not he strongly problem-oriented. Emphasis at this levc:should be placed upon encounters whichfoster knowledge and appreciation ofthe environment, in order to developthe readiness and sophistication neces-sary for more complex problem- solvingactivities in the upper grades. (Aless problem-oriented encounter mightbe one in which younger students inves-tigate the variety or plants on theirschool site. and decide to plant anadditional species.) Each class, atall levels, should undertake one en-counter during the academic year.

Following are examples of problem-solving activities which can drawdirectly on the experience of develop-ing and using a school site.

EXAMPLES:

Trees/P!antings: One of the perennialfavorites of any site development pro-ject is the planting of trees, shrubsand flowers. Once the concept of theschool as a "green island" has beenrealized, students can extend the bens-fits of their experience intr the

community.One acivity in which students might

engage i a camera survey of the com-munity. ich student should take twopicture,,; a of the scene which he orshe Iikn., and one of the scene heor she I, tt'c, least. After the filmis dev J, Jve each student write aShorn r ,jr,J. explaining why the par-

t,,,to's were chosen. Using thisinf , the class can Identifycomrunit- ,,,sets and problem areas. A

;f should then be developed byth- ,Iuss to recognize and show appre-

510

dation to those persons in the commu-nity who have been responsible for thegood features. Problem areas can alsobe investigated and a strategy developedto overcome or to improve them.

in every community there will begood and bad examples of communityaesthetics. There is, of course roomfor disagreement and controversy 3S towhat is "good" community aesthetics.This exercise thereby provides a valuesclarification process for students bysurfacing what they feet is best fortheir community. By designing andimplementing a strategy to recognizecommunity residents for positive con-tributions to the quality of the localenvironment, students also have theopportunity to investigate first-handa behaviorist approach to solvingenvironmental problems by going throughthe process of deciding shat is goodand, therefore, what should be givenpositive reinforcement in the commun-ity. In this process, the questionof who decides what is good and onwhat basis, is also explored. Theexperience gained can then be used todiscuss possible behaviorist solutionsto other areas of environmentalconcern.

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Applying their "golution" to a barren asphalt area

Creative Play Area: The preservationof recreational open space has becomeincreasingly accepted as establishedpractice by communities. While openspace does have intrinsic value (i.e.,there is no such Thing as unusedspace), its use by the community is in

part dependent upon the preservationand development of features and facili-ties which are attractive to communityresidents. Without such development,use of these community investments maynever be fully realized.

As an extension Into community prob-lem solving, students on whose schoolsite a creative play area has beensuccessfully developed can conduct asurvey of neighborhood parks and "totlots," in order to determine the extentto which these facilities are beingused or not used by residents. Asimple interview technique should bedeveloped and used by students to de-termine the reasons for use and/ornonuse. Because this process involvesstudents in their own community, theirfamilies and neiphbors should be ableto provide a ready source of data.These data should then be compiled andanalyzed to surface environmental fac-tors which either add to or detractfrom the use of the facilities.

After results of the study are tal-lied, individual students or the classas a whole should work towards a solu-tion of one or more phases of the prob-lem. Depending upon the problems andalternatives identified, the actionphase can range from writing letters tocity officials, to petitioning foradditional police patrols, to providingbenches and planting trees for shadefor the elderly.

Rock Wall/Boulder Field: A rock wallor boulder field provides an excellentteaching aid for the study of geologyand earth science, as well as environ-mental issues. Using the school atlasand other library materials, havestudents locate where various mineralresources are extracted from the earth.Given this information, environmentalnewsletiers covering pending nationallegislation and environmental issuesshould then be consulted. (This couldbe a homework assianment of one or morestudents.) Newsletters may be obtainedthrough students' parents or the nearestenvironmental organization.22 Throughthis process, the study of geology canbe taken out of its usual historical

"Directory of Enire.',77,:r-:1 *.;r%oe1st eci. (Chicago, 1-72).

"ST 9PfMAEcontext in Co e now questionsof strip mine regulations, depletion ofdomestic mineral reserves and the like.These questions can then be explored atthe school in terms of what impact anindividual can have upon personal con-sumption patterns, legislation and cor-porate responsibility, which relate tothis issue.

School Gardeninu: A school garden pro-,'ides opportunities for environmentaleducation which can go tar beyond de-veloping environmental sensitivity,.awareness, and gardening skills. Inmanaging a garden, a number of deci-sions must be made that tie directlyinto broader environmental issues whichthe individual, our communities and ournation as a whole must face. Decisionswhich are made concerning the gardensnould, therefore, be placed in theirbroadest possible context.

A decision regarding maintenance ofthe soil nutrient level through organicor inorganic methods should be made bystudents after an investigation anddiscasslon of the problems of pollutionfrom fertilizer run-off from lawns, golfcourses and farms. Possible alterna-tives; should also be developed. Thedecision of whether to use pesticides,companion plantings or biological con-trols such as lady bugs to keep insectdamage to a tolerable level, providesanother first-hand opportunity for stu-dents to investigate en importantenvironmental issue.

Soil erosion, a primary concern inthe last environmental movement, isstill with us today. How will it becontrolled in their gardening practiceat school and at home? How can it becontrolled on the site in general andin the community as a whole?

These investigations snould not onlybe aimed at airing the issues, but alsoat finding out what the current prac-tices of local home owners, the schooldistrict and municipal agencies (parkdistricts, etc.) are. How, for example,does the school dispose of its cafeteriawastes? What happens to the leaves and

51

grass clippings at your school, yourhome and in your community-- are theyburned, dumped, or composted? Whatpesticides are used by the school, bythe park district? Does your communityhave a soil erosion control ordinance?

A school garden can thus be muchmore than a gardening experience. Bygoing through a decision-making pro-cess with students in establishing howthe school garden will be managed and bythen experiencing the results of theirdecisions, students will be betterequipped to decide for themselves theirstands on (I) how land should be man-aged, (2) how tax dollars should be usedin managing public facilities, (3) whatsort of regulation of pesticides, fer-tilizers and erosion are needed so thatfarmers ca; grow the food we need in amanner which is healthful for us and theenvironment, but does not discriminateeconomically against the farmer.

INSERVICE TRAINING ANDON-SITE ASSISTANCE

.

Few teachers have the formal train-ing or background to draw upon in using

gn the site. it is important, therefore,axr...J that continuing inservice programs cov-reee; ering the use of the site be provided.

Possible resource people who might becontacted include personnel from the

Z5 school system; state and federal, pub-lie and private environmental agencies;and community residents who have speci-Mefically needed skills.

In planning an inservice program,keep in mind that it is much better todevelop one or two ideas thoroughly thanto try to provide only a smattering ofnumerous ideas. Be sure that programsprovide teachers with the opportunityto experience activities on the site.Teacher' teach as they've been taught.By becoming personally Involved in theexperience of using the site, teacherswill be able to better see how they caneffectively use the site with theirstudents.

Althcugh a well designed inserviceprogram can provide teachers with thenecessary background and confidenceneeded to use the site, some on-site

52

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Senicr citizen° and ctner community resurenre canhaiT prcuide va.untcer a.:sies4nce n the site.

assistance may still be required tomake the actual use of the site withstudents more than a "once-in-awhile"occurrence. The assignment of ateacher aide, parent volunteers orolder students as environmental educa-tion aides (EEA), can help to encourageregular use by providing teachers withthe support and flexibility necessaryto make full instructional use of thesite. Teachers and students shouldclearly understand the role of theEEA's, however. While they should begiven responsibility, the class shouldnot be turned over to them.

In assigning a teacher aide or olderstudents to work with teachers on thesite, consideration should be given totheir interest in the outdoors. Inaddition, if they are not familiar with.site, resources, they should be givengeneral background information coveringvarious areas of the site. In summoningparent or other community volunteers,remember that it is helpful to securepersons who have a spocific interest orexperience in one or more components ofsite usage (e.g., gardening, bird feed-ing or bird Nentification, geology,air pollution control, etc.).

There are many ways in which an EEAcan be of help to the teacher. Not onlycan an aide help with any necessaryequipment or materials, but he or shecan provide the additional supervisionwhich teachers may need in working withstudents outdoors. When necessary, anaide can also remain outdoors with asmaller group whil'e the rest of the

class returns to the classroom.The assignment of an EEA will afso

encourage teac1.)rs to block out timefor outdoor environmental lecrning.The scheduled appearance of an aide canbe very effective in helping to over-come "teacher inertia." At 1:30 in theafternoon on a tiring day, this canmean the difference between plannedactivities which are carried out, andjust good plans.

I,

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The assignment of a teacher aide to !Jo,t4c with smZ7groups in the ruti,cr claserooT vi/Z facilitategreater use of the site.

The school site can play a very im-portant role in environmental education.It can be used to develop a !Deterunderstanding and appreciation cf theenvironment, as well as the skillsneeded to solve environmenial problems.Furthermore, use of the site is notlimited to students on a 9 a.m. to 3p.m. basis, Monday through Friday.There is nothing more rewarding to ateacher than to see an excited fourthgrader pulling his father by the handand, pointing up to the swallow househis class made, telling him about themosquito problem and how his class de-cided to help solve it.

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Chapter Five

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Spin-offs from the School,

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School site development can serve asan excellent vehicle for environmentaleducation. It provides an opportunityfor youth to become involved in improv-ing the environment at their doorstep.By starting with the "home" environment,an atmosphere can be created in whichthe operation of the school plant isbrought into congruence with the prin-ciples of ecology and the making of abetter environment, which every schoolto some degree espouses. In addition,most schools which have successfullydeveloped their sites have also exper-ienced spin-off benefits from theirprojects.

There was a time when most teacherslived across the street or in the sameneighborhood as the school. Often achild had many of the same teachers ashis or her parents. Community leader-ship and communication lines were wellestablished. In many schools today,however, this has significantly changed.The mobility and heated pace of oursociety has evolved into a situation inwhich teachers arrive and depart byauto via the back parking lot, and maynever set foot any further into the

community than the playground for recessduty.

If environmental education, or edu-cation In general for that matter, isto be relevant and effective, it muststart where the child is by dealingwith the environment in which he livesand with which he identifies. By work-ing together to develop the site, thebarriers which prevent a teacher fromunderstanding the environment of his orher students can be broken down. Themere act of stepping outside the schooland studying the local site is, in It-self, an act that can carry a powerfulmessage to students which states: Thisenvironment, too, is part of the space-ship earth that is read about and talkedabout; it too needs to be understoodand cared for.

As students feel that their immediateenvironment is important and feel thatsomething can be done to improve it,their understanding will begin to ex-pand to the problems and concerns oftheir community. The trees; boulderfields, and creative play areas devel-oped on the site can then serve, notjust as specimen examples to be used orstudied in themselves, bL.; as links toother areas and problems in the commu-nity and country at large. The experi-ence, confidence and expertise fosteredby the development and/or use of thesite can then be applied to similar oridentical issues at home and in thecommunity. Involvement in communityproblem-solving activities thus becomesa natural transition for teachers andstudents alike.

Another spin-off benefit which can

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be realized through a site developmenteffort (and with the help of motivatedindividuals) is that, as the success ofschool site development projects grows,school districts could take affirmativeaction by establishing district-widepolicies covering the acquisition, de-velopment .and management of new andexisting school sites.

Initial effrrts of site developmenthave, in most cases, been inspired byone or two motivated individuals. Notall persons are innovators, however.Some are more faint - hearted thanothers; others may be just as gung-hoabout site development but may not havethe support of their administration.Consequently, it is unlikely that theteachers and students of many schoolswill ever see the development of theirschool site into an outdoor classroom,unless a school district policy is de-veloped. When the success of your pro-ject materializes, therefore, don' trest on your laurels. Your additionaleffort can have a definite impact onencouraging the development of dis-trict-wide policies.

One way in which you can assist isto forward the model policy statementcontained in this chapter (p. 57) to amember of your local board of educationwhom you feel would be open to theidea. Offer the policy statement assomething worth his or her and theboard's consideration. if you receivea commendation or other board supportfor your site development project, youmight send them a letter thanking themfor this support with a copy of themodel policy statement enclosed. Ifyou receive letters of commendationfrom other sources, local newspapercoverage, (written) favorable commentsabout the project from teachers orparents, or other visible support,copies of these may be included orreferred to.

Don't be pushy. Simply act as arespondent to interest shown your pro-ject, the intent being that while yourschool site project may have been youridea, the recommendation for a schooldistrict policy on outdoor classroomscan be the board member's idea. Byusing this strategy, the policy willhave a much better chance of being

56

adopted and implemented.

CONCLUSION

F'ucation's initial reflex responseto t_e environmental crisis was to havestudents listen to speeches, watchmovies focusing on clouds of billowingsmoke, and make posters which beratedpollution. Educational materials de-veloped today reflect a much moresophisticated approach to environmentalproblems, but even the most emotion-filled film or "dooms-day" text mayonly serve to increase students' anxie-ties. Although such materials have adefinite place in environmental educa-tion, psychologists have stated that ifpeople's anxiety level is raised, butaction is delayed, the less likely itis that these people will ever act. 23What is needed, therefore, is a vehiclewhich can enable youth and adults toactively participate in solving en-vironmental problems. A school sitedevelopment projeCt can be such a ve-hicle for action. It can open the doorto problem-solving activities on theschool site and in the community thatwill foster tree building of confidenceand problem-solving skills which oursociety so critically needs.

c

"Bruno Bettelheim, Thp In Heart (Glencoe,111., 1960), p. Z63.

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(Upon the request of the Governor's Task Force on Environmental Education in theState of Michigan, the following model policy statement was developed after tenmonths of extensive research by a committee of educators and natural scientistsof the Michigan Natural Areas Council. Copies of the complete text of this docu-ment are available through the Council's offices at the University of MichiganBotanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103.)

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM SITE POLICY: A SUGGESTED MODEL

REOOMMENDED POLICY STATEMENT:

It shall be the policy of this governing board of education that:

(1) The sites on which schools are located are fully as important to the educa-tional process as school buildings; each site should have educational speci-fications developed for it in the same way that educational specificationsare developed for school buildings.

(2) The outdoor classroom is recognized as fully important to the educationalprocess as other curricula; each outdoor classroom should have educationalspecifications developed for it in the same way that educational specifica-tions are developed for other curricula.

(3) This land, the outdoor classroom, shall not be developed in the traditionalsense, but rather its existing natural features and natural processes shallbe first respected and evaluated by interdisciplinary resource personnel,i.e., biologists, naturalists, landscape architects, soil conservationists,teachers, administrators, urban planners, interested community members.

(4) The administering agency (board of education) shall allocate sufficientmonies, public and private, for enhancing the use of this outdoor classroom,always keeping in mind the first priorities of naturalness and respect fornatural processes that preceded mangs use of this land.

(5) The board of education shall initiate and establish a permanent resourceinventory record of each school site consisting of the following sitecomponents.A. Topography--slope, drainageB. Soil -- character, type

C. Vegetation--type, qualityD. Zoological Significance-- birds,. animalsE. Geological CharacteristicsF. Structures - -type, quality, historical referenceG. Natural Vehicular Patterns--ingress, egressH. Ecological SignificanceI. Natural Pedestrian PatternsJ. OrientationK. ClimatologyL. Unique Environmental Qualities

57

M. Curriculum InferencesN. Water--type, quality0. Natural Features

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(6) After the initial establishment of the outdoor classroom, continued annualreview should occur based upon:

A. Records of use of the Outdoor Classroom during the previous year.B. Presentation of the educational use plan for the ensuing year.

(7) During the design and construction of the outdoor classroom, the buildersshall be admonished and required to control pollution of air, water, soilsand natural resources of the land as precluded by local, state, and nationalstatutes. This shall be accomplished under the supervision of professionalpersonnel.

(8) 7t is the intent of this board of education not only V) adhere to the follow-ing guidelines for an outdoor classroom in the design and development of newschool sites, but also to bring present campuses up to those specificationsat least to the extent to which the site is adaptable, withih a reasonabletime, and to continually maintain all sites and outdoor classrooms with theschool district in accordance with those guidelines.

(9) To this end, the board of education shall initiate and prepare over the nextthree years to bring present campuses up to outdoor classfoom specificationsas related to the following site plans.

A. Resource Inventory Site Plan (site inventory]B. Site Development Plan (educational, community use, maintenance and

landscaping plans]

C. On-Site Technical Assistance Plan [cost estimates made by resourcespecialists]

D. Follow-up Assistance Plan [breakdown of assistance needed to carry out theplan which has been decided upon]

E. Comprehensive Master Plan [all of the above]

(10) Upon the completion of the Comprehensive Master Plan for the outdoor class-room, the board of education shall provide sufficient monies, public orprivate, and personnel for the implementation of the plan.

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APPENDIX A

Teaching StationsTips on Their Construction and Use

Following are a sampling of teaching stations which can be developed on a school site. Theyrelate, either in their construction or use, to environmental education.

SIRDFEEDERS

While the central concern of the environmental movement may have shifted to more pressingissues, there is still plenty of opportunity and reason for classes to carry on some of the moretraditional "conservation" activities, such as birdfeeding.

How Constructed: A class can make birdfeeders from old bleach bottles, orange crates, out ofscrap lumber, etc.

Where Located: Place away from main activity areas, but in view of as many classrooms aspossible.

Who Can Help: This can easily be handled by an individual class.

Maintenance Considerations: Don't start this project unless you are able to carry it throughthe winter. The birds which are attracted to the feeder(s) will learn to depend on you forfood.

Environmental Themes and Understandings: Aesthetic beauty; diversity of life; man's relationshipand responsibility to all life

BOULDER FIELD (OR ROCK WALL)

Individual boulders, a boulder field or rock all containiLg glacial boulders, rocks used forbuilding materials, and/or ore bearing rocks can be used for the study of geology and a discus-sion of our non-renewable resources, as well as add n decorative touch to the site.

How Constructed: Use boulders from the site. Other possible sources are: a farmer's rock pile,quarries, local landscaping services, and/or rocks brought back by students from their vacations.Who Can Helv Contact fellow teachers, community members or an organization who may have atruck for hauling boulders to the site. In constructing a 'rockwall, a parent who is a mason, amason's apprentice or landscape contractor may be able to help.

Maintenance Considerations: Tr, away with trimming around the boulders, make a "seat" forboulders 6 inches wider than the boulder (by laying down a piece of heavy plastic) and coverwith several inches of pea gravel or mulch.

Environmental Themes and Understandings: Dependence of life on non-living things (e.g., soilformation, rocks and minerals as building materials); natural beauty of rocks; renewable vs.nom-renewable resources; impact of mining

Suggestions for Use: An inservice program on geology, soils derived from various rocks, and theuse of rocks for building materials, would be important to assist teachers in the use of thisarea.

COMPOST

A compost can consist simply of weeds from the garden and pet droppings, which are piled be-tween layers of soil and periodically turned. While this method is not exactly according to

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J. I. Rodale, it is simple and it works. Weeds and pet droppings become rich black soil inabout six months. Earthworms will multiply by the score and provide more than enough food forpet turtles and frogs. In one school, the cafeteria's vegetable scraps were composted by aclass. No matter how simple or complex a composting program is initiated, the lessons presentthe same opportunities to learn by doing, by providing an alternative to a throw-away patternof action and thinking.

How Constructed: Compost can simply be a pile of organic material; or retaining walls of stone,wood or chicken wire can be built on three sides, leaving the front open.

While shredding of the compost will speed up the process, it is not necessary. It is impor-tant, however, to use more than one ingredient including a source of nitrogen (e.g., manure,grass clippings, soil or blood meal). If cafeteria leftovers are to be composted, don't use meat,scraps because a fly and odor problem will result unless expertly managed. The best time tostart a compost is in the fall when there is an abundance of plant material. By watering(especially in the first days after starting the compost) and turning the compost at intervals(4 to 6 weeks; the earthworms will do the turning when the ground is frozen), the compostshould be ready for use in the spring. It can then be mixed with the soil and/or applied as amulch.

Where to Locate: It should be near the garden and a water source, but away from main off-siteviews and main activity areas.

Who Can Help: Garden clubs, parents with a special interest, a local junior college or highschool horticultural class, agricultural extension personnel, botanic gardens, arboreta areall possible resources.

Maintenance Considerations: Keep well aerated by turning with a garden fork or spade. Useshrubs or bushes to screen it from public view. Water regularly so that compost is kept moist.

Environmental Themes and Understandings: Demonstrates natural decay cycle, re-use of materials;provides opportunities for students to act ecologically.

"DEAD" LOG

Ecologists have stated that all the principles of ecology can be learned by studying adecaying log and its inhabitants. If your school has a wooded area with fallen trees, you'refortunate. If not, add a log to your site at the same time you plant the new trees. It willgive students an immediate opportunity to view the full life cycle of a tree, as well as provideA living demonstration of important ecological relationships.

How Constructed: If you do not have a wooded area and a log is therefore brought in, it shouldbe larger than can be "budged" by two or three children. If you have a wooded area with fallenlogs, the area should be identified on the site and a trail located near it.

Where to Locate: Place in an unused portion of the site where it will be left undisturbed,preferably in a shaded area where it is easily accessible from a trail.

Who Can Help; City forestry departments may be able to supply a log, or simply keep your eyesopen for a dead tree in the neighborhood or a log in someone's backyard. Contact parents,school maintenance personnel, city departments, local businesses, etc. who may have a truck tohelp transport the log to your site.

Environmental Theme and Understandings: Foodwebs; decay cycle; interdependence of life; studyof renewable vs. non-renewable resources

FOOD PLOTS

Ask a child from the city today where food comes from and he'll probably say "from the store."Growing a small food plot of corn, soybeans, sunflowers, etc. helps to re-establish for studentsthe link tetween man and his dependency on the soil. Movies on food production or even a visitto a farm are somehow not the same as, for example, planting sunflowers in the spring and thenharvesting them yourself in the fall.

Haw Constructed: Simply plow, spade, rake and/or otherwise cultivate the good earth and plantseeds. Food plots can range in size from a few square feet to an acre or two.

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Who Can Help: Parents or local garden clubs can be approached. Technical advice can begathered from your local botanical gardens, Cocperative Extension agent, high school and juniorcollege horticultural classes.

Maintenance Considerations: Plant early so plants will shade out weeds. Use a crop rotation(i.e., do not plant the same plants in the same place each year) to maintain soil fertilityand to prevent weeds from becoming established.

Environmental Themes and Understandings: Dependence of life on plants; the diversity of life;effect of drought, disease and other growth limi:ing factors; role of birds and wildlife innature's balance--also, demonstration of agricultural products and advances in agriculturaltechnology (e.g., hybrid vs. nonhybrid seed corn) and for experimental projects (e.g., organicvs. non-organic practice)

GARDENING PROGRAM

The excitement of children seeing their plants grow, caring for them and carrying weeds offto the compost pile is an experience in which concepts such as diversity and difference (whichis a weed?), an appreciation of natural beauty, and natural "biogeochemical" cycles are notjust talked about, they are lived. Plants may be started indoors from seed, purchased fromgreenhouses and/or secured as donations from garden clubs or park districts.

How Constructed: Can be planted on existing ground--but if the soil is poor and/or the areais heavily used, plant in raised beds (e.g., made from railroad ties, tire planters, etc.).Who Can Help: Park district and local greenhouses, garden clubs, high school and collegehorticultural colleges can be approached.

Where to Locate: Most seed and garden catalogs contain a rundown of which plants require sun,partial sun, etc., which will suggest a location. The area should be well drained, but notsubject to drought conditions. Locate so that the natural beauty of the flowers is displayedto the public, but far enough from the main approaches to the school so that vandalism is notinvited. Have either your class or the local county agent test the soil for fertility.

Maintenance Considerations; Start small and expand as necessary, so that maintenance doesn'tbecome burdensome. Mulches of various types retain moisture and help to keep down weeds.

Environmental Themes and Understandings: Appreciation of natural beauty and diversity of life;alternative methods of pest control (e.g., companion planting, such as marigolds next totomatoes)

POND OR WATER AREA

A pond or small pool of water on a school site is not only a rich biological laboratory, butcan add a beautiful setting in and around which environmental education can occur. If youconduct a survey in your school, chances are that having a water area on the site will evokethe most interest. Any size site can have a water area. It can range in sizefrom a pond to a small courtyard pool.A pond on a school site is justifiable both from an educational and practical point of view.

It can play a vital part in the total water management plan of the site. Run-off water can besafely stored in a pond thus preventing flooding. The water can be used for irrigation, whichwill save money on the water bill. Irrigated water can, through proper engineering, be re-cycled back to the pond through the drainage system. Instead of the red tape and expense ofordering biological material, biology classes can use the pond as a free source of freshmaterial.

The mosquito problem can be controlled by stocking with fish (e.g., bluegill forgambusia or goldfish for small pools). With large ponds, safety becomes a real coBy having gently sloping sides and by installing an overflow device which does notwater level to rise over three or four feet, a pond can be an attractive and safethe site. It can else be used for instructing students in water safety and in thea gravel pit or strip mine pond, which are not designed for safety.

ponds;nsideration.permit theaddition todangers of

How Constructed: Your local Soil Conservation agent has specifications for building ponds; anexcellent publication, Small Lakes and Ponds, Their Construction and Care, will also providethe necessary guidelines. If the size of the site does not permit the inclusion of a pond, a

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small water area can be made by digging a hole and laying down heavy plastic covered with sandor soil, out of concrete, or from a sunken bathtub landscaped with rocks and plants. To allowfor natural aeration and to avoid stagnation, be sure to "seed" the pond with buckets of pondwater as well as plant material from a natural pond, or "plant" water hyacinths or water lilies.

Where to Locate: The appropriate location of a pond is usually dictated by the topographyand drainage patterns of the site. A small, "artificial" water area should be located whereit will enhance the landscaping scheme (e.g., in a courtyard).

Who Can Help: Technical assistance and information is available through both the Soil Conser-vation Service and the State Department of Conservation. Local contractors have donatedmachines and men to help in the construction of water areas at u number of school sites.

Maintenance Considerations: Check local safety regulations. If you are within the citylimits, an overflow device to keep the pond fairly shallow and/or a fence may be required,though most statutes require fencing only for vertical sided pools. Avoid locations whichhave an abundance of throwable objects.

Environmental Themes and Understandings: Foodwebs; appreciation of natural beauty; waterpollution testing and study; the diversity of life

Suggestions for Use: Have a naturalist (high school biology teacher, fisheries biologist,local conservation group) present an inservice program covering the simple methods of sampling,testing and using the pond. A pond may look like just water on the surface, but beneath thesurface is a whole community of living things which can't be appreciated until someone opensthe door.

SUCCESSION PLOT OR LAND MANAGEMENT PLOT

A succession plot or land management plot can be used to demonstrate the effect of dis-turbance on the environment, and the principles of ecological succession.

How Constructed: If space is minimal, simply ?low or spade an area(s) each year in earlyspring and then let nature take its course. If the space is available, a number of plots canbe left undisturbed for a varying number of years (e.g., one can be turned over once everyyear, one every two years, and one not at all).

Where Located: Locate away from main activity areas; it should not be in full public view.

Who Can Help: If a small area is used, no outside help is needed. For larger areas, usuallyin suburban or rural communities, a local parent or someone from the community can be con-tacted to assist in the annual plowing.

Maintenance Considerations: Be sure the custodian and groundskeeper is kept aware of thisproject so that it is left undisturbed. A fence or sign designating boundaries and a statementof the purpose of the plot could prevent such accidents.

Environmental Themes and Understandings: Principles of ecological succession; the ability ofthe environment to recover from certain kinds of human modification

Suge,t2..ozsfort122: For elementary pupils, a simple succession plot in which pupils spade upa small area in the spring, do nothing to it (as contrasted to a garden area, etc.), and thencome back in the fall to find the area overgrown, provides a lesson in which pupils will askhow and why. Upper classes could begin a cumulative record involving plant identification andmicro climatic studies, which would trace the changes in each plot over a period of years.

WEATHER STATION

How Constructed: Commercial housing for the station can be purchased ready-made, but it is muchless expensive to build one of wood. Monitoring instruments can be purchased, or constructed asa class project.

Where Located: The station should be situated 50 feet from buildings, away from dense vegeta-tion, and in full public view to discourage vandalism.

Who Crn Help: Wood shop classes at local educational institutions are often willing to take onconstruction of the housing as a class project.

Maintenance Considerations: It can be fenced in to protect instruments, although this isusually unnecessary. Instruments can be removed when not in use.

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Environmental Themes and Understandin1: The dependence of all life on the air around us; theatmosphere and associated problems of air pollution; the water cycle--its role in cleansingthe air

Suggestions for Use: operation of the weather station should be carried out by small groups.In addition to its "rot tine" operation (temperature, wind direction, forecasting, precipita-tion and their interreationships), have students conduct a study of air pollution in order toobserve the interrelationships such as temperature inversions. Have them post their observa-tions, predictions and conclusions (e.g., whenever the wind is from the west the pollution ismuch heavier. Why? What's the source?).

A POTPOURRI OF IDEAS FOR SCHOOL SITES

amphitheater for outdoor classes in drama, etc.outdoor sculpturebenches in quiet areas for creative writing, reflection and art classesherb gardensmall greenhousesmall tree nurseryoutdoor cooking areatrails made from log cross sections, woodchips or cut stonebench marks for mapping and elevationgeometric shapes painted on paved areassun dialplant groups (e.g., desert, prairie)animal habitatslarge outdoor relief maps of the state and/or area painted on paved areaswildlife arearabbit pendwarf fruit tree orchardraspberries, wild strawberriescompass rose (e.g., directional compass made of growing .lowers, painted on paved area, etc.)wildflowerssoil profilewoodlotcamera poles (to note the changing seasons)tree stumpsbeehivewindbreakminiature mountain range and watershed

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APPENDIX B

The Encounter Format

as outlined by Dorothy Cox,elementary teacher at the Westbrook Elementary School, Farmington, Michigan

The encounter format begins with a listing of desired outcomes (behavioral objectives) ex-pressed with concrete verbs such as List..., write...,Describe..., Draw..., providing direc-tion for the learning process and placing greater focus on what the learner does. Theseobjectives should be listed in the same order as the problem-solving procedure activities.For example, the first objective(s) should concern definition of the problem and the nextobjectives should concern relevant data, etc. These provide a built-in evaluation, making itpossible to formally or informally pre-test and post-test if desired.

The second section of the encounter lists the activities to be developed with studentsincluding leading questions which will help develop the information and critical thinkingdirection desired. These activities also follow the order of the six process steps listedbelow.

A desirable third section might include a human and nonhuman resource list of communitypeople and sites, audiovisual material available for the specific topic, field trippossibilities, etc.

DEVELOPING THE ENCOUNTER

The First Stela: Defining the Problem. Students should play a major role in selecting anddesigning environmental encounters. The teacher's role should be one of resource and facili-tator. Problems or issues would then be relevant to the local community and make possible thepersonal involvement of students. Encounter topics could make subject matter relevant by ex-tending concepts to primarily local, but also (in latex years) to regional, state, national,and global concerns.To be effective, environmental encounter topics should focus on root causes as well assymptoms. Picking up litter would be treating the symptom. Developing the concern to changebehavioral patterns that caused the dropping of litter would get at root causes. In satisfy-ing consumer demands, technology produces visible pollution (symptoms). Reducing consumerdemands not only reduces pollution but reaches and affects root causes. Since each person isa consumer, each encounter should emphasize the demands of you, the consumer, as a majr.ringredient of issues.Topic examples covet- the range of ecological, social, and political interactions. Any andall curricular disciplines can adapt content to many if not all of these areas:

Land resourcesWater resourcesAir resourcesPlant resourcesAnimal resources

Environmental design

Environmental planningTransportationSolid waste disposalRecreationRecyclingPopulation

Noise pollutionHousingPesticidesPower plantsGovernmentFamily

.........TheSecorGaDataAl:out the Problem. Informed decisions can be made onlyafter gathering as much pertinent data as possible. These data should include ecological,economic, political, technological,and social information.Ecological data include effects of people activities on the natural environment that isaffected by the issue being explored.Economic data may include cost information; benefits, detriments, social costs and capitaloutlay--historical, present, and future.Political data describe who makes the decisions in the home, school, municipality, sate,etc. You must know which decision - making channels are effective to determine alternativesolutions.

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Technological data should inform student investigators of the poE oillties which techno-logical devices and processes provide for alternat!,.ve solutions.

Social information will describe the effect on people in both a positive and negative way.Will the alternative or does the problem put people out of work? create an unreasonablehardship? improve the quality of life?

The Third and Fourth Steps: Determinin Alternative Solutions and Selecting the BestSolution. When the above data have been collected, possible alternative solutions can begenerated and discussed. It is important to explore all possible consequences of each alter-native. Role playing and gaming would be a valuable tool here. Also, at this point, valuesclarification strategies will develop a better understanding by each student of his valuesconcerning the issues and what he is willing to publicly affirm. This would be a valuablepreparation for the selection of the best solution and for the type of action planning in whichthe student is willing to take part.

The Fifth and Sixth Steps: Planning and Carrying out an Action Phase. The action phase ofan environmental encounter is one of its most important components. A common student complaintis "People always do a lot of talking but no one ever does anything." To feel effective,students need to do something. An elementary school child who picks up litter, makes a birdfeeder out of a discarded plastic bottle, makes posters to inform or remind, or writes lettersto decision-makers about their concerns is doing something.

A middle school or secondary school student who gathers pertinent data and communicates itconvincingly to the most effective decision -maker can effect changes and can see that he canbe effective. An older student, by developing an encounter and participating in communityaction projects, will develop and refine his problem solving skills.

As familiarity with the encounter process grows, the teacher should find that "encounters"will develop without taking the time to write them down. It's much like the student teacherwriting out detailed lesson plans to learn the process. The students will provide the content- -if given the chance.

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APPENDIX C

f5N Guidelines for School Site Planning

sgC taken from The School Site in Environmental Educationprepared by Richard H. MacGown, 1971Title III, ESEA, Yarmouth, Maine

SITE ANALYSISINTRODUCTORY INFORMATION

Securing Base Maps

Topographic maps and aerial photographs are helpful in giving an over-all broad picture ofthe regional and community characteristics. U.S. Geological Survey maps are not generally sat-isfactory for gathering or locating details on an area the size of a school site due to theirrelatively small scale. It is possible to obtain large scale aerial photographs which do providesome detail on larger sites of, say, fifty or more acres.A school site plan showing the site, building shapes and other features is often includedwith the contractor's original set of prints used during the time the school was constructed.Site information may also be obtained from property maps or tax maps at the community office

buildings or city hail.The time invested in securing good base maps is well spent for they can help to provide valu-able information such as site boundaries, topography, building shapes and locations, swales anddrainages, natural vegetation, and other important features. This kind of information helps tomake the final analysis more accurate and prevents wasting time in the field duplicating theefforts of others.

Regional and Community Influences

The introduction to the analysis should identify and relate the site to the community andregional setting. This information is important for it helps to explain the nature of the site,its physical character and past and present development in terms of the broad regional and com-munity influences which have helped to shape it.The following information could be included:

Geographic Location-- region, state, county, town,hip, etc.Size--regional, community, and site size in square miles, acres or other appropriate units ofmeasure.General Information and Statistical Data--to include Natural, Cultural, Historic, Economic,Social, Institutional and Recreational influences which help to define and reveal the

cl-_aracter of the site. Examples:Natural--regional climatic factors, regional historical geology and soils, resource dis-tribution, and typesHistoric and Cultural--ancient, pioneer, and contemporary cultural influencesEconomic--history of land and resource use and development; industrial/agricultural/

commercial development influence, income distributionSocial--population data, age, employment and incomeInstitutional and Recreational--types, locations, regional/community importance, etc.

ON-SITE CHARACTERISTICS AND INFLUENCES

Topography and Drainage

Land form and surface movement of water upon the lan,' affect a wide variety of planning con-siderations and decisions. Circulation linkages and :routes of travel can be constructed to take

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advantage of the shape of the land and thus provide greater comfort and value to the user.Analysis of the site's topography--its ridges and drainage pattern, flat lands, easy grades, andsteep slopes--can help in the organization and physical arrangement of the site for developmentpurposes. Consequently, the planner should keep in mind many site characteristics and featureswhich are directly or indirectly related to topography and thus influence various site uses andactivities. Among these are: percent of slope, orientation to the sun, wind movement, coldair and frost pockets, temperature, susceptibility to erosion, pedestrian and vehicular circu-lation and separation, natural entrances and exits, acoustical properties, overall scale of thelandscape, vegetation--type, density, and quality--water runoff rate, water quantity and quali-ty, aesthetic views, surface water habitats and system of linkage, aquifers, aquifer-rechargeareas, landscape texture, light and shade values and patterns, land use limitations, and otheramenities or limitations imposed by topography and drainage.

Ecolny of the Site

During site analysis it is important to identify ecological characteristics of the site.Ecology is the science which studies the interrelationships and interactions between organismsand their environment. In the natural environment, living organisms and nonliving componentsare constantly interacting upon each other. Exchanges of materials which take place betweenthe living and nonliving parts follow complex circular pathways or cycles. It is important forman to recognize that these interactions are extremely vulnerable to outside disturbance andthat wherever or whenever these relationships are destroyed or altered the level of quality ofthe environment may be decreased.

Generally speaking, the most stable and productive environments are those which have thegreatest diversity of organisms, of habitats, and of successional stages. During school siteanalysis, it is important in assessing environmental quality to make comparisons between thepopulation of any given species and the total number of species present. "High quality" is in-dicated not by the greatest number of a particular "kind" (of organism, habitat, or successionalstage) but by the most "kinds" of:

Plants and Animals- -e.g., grasses, shrubs, trees, insects, fish, birds, other wildlifeHabitats--e.g., forest, shrublands, grasslands/fields, dunes, wetlands, etc.Successional Stages- -e.g., primary, secondary, climax stages

In addition, significant or unique ecological factors should be noted during the general siteanalysis. These might include:

indicator species of site or micro-site quality, local and micro-climatic conditions, uniqueor superlative specimens of interest, evidences of natural or man-made environmental influ-ences (ecological problem areas), other important or unique factors related to land, air,water, plant, Animal and energy interrelationships on the site.

Obviously, field observations such as these are only rough indicators of site quality. For useas an ecology laboratory, a site should receive much more intensive analysis. Such an analysiswould normally be pursued in connection with the program of study and, in fact, would consistof a more-or-less continuous inventory.

Vegetation

Analysis of vegetation on the school site should not only be considered in relation to itsecological value but also in terms of its architectural, engineering, climatic control andaesthetic values.

Architectural value of vegetation Includes its use in defining exterior space by formingwalls, canopies and floors, in screening out objectional views, and in privacy control.

Engineering uses of vegetation include siltation and erosion control, acoustical controls,atmospheric controls and glare and reflection reduction. Vegetation can reduce objectionablenoise by absorbing, deflectine, or defracting sound; it can help control atmospheric pollutionby screening out atmospheric earticulates and by absorbing CO2. Also, in urban areas espec-ially, vegetation is being utilized effectively as barriers against excessive glare and reflec-tion from high albedo surfaces such as concrete and glass.

Vegetation also helps to modify and control climate. By acting as windbreaks, vegetationcan effectively reduce wind velocity by fifty percent for ten to twenty times the height of aplanting.' It can control the micro-climate by intercepting precipitation, by holding soilmoisture, and by providing cooling shade in the summer.

Lynch, Kevin. Site Planninq.

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KV COPY 11'Natural and introduced vegetation can increase the aesthetic value of the site in many ways

including: its variety, color, form, texture, fragrance, contrast, etc.During a general site analysis, vegetation may be categorized in broad terms such as types

or -qsociations. Specific site purposes (such as an environmental education program would im-pose) eventually'demand that a fairly complete vegetation inventory be compiled. An inventorywhich considers the ecological, economic, architectural, engineering, climate control andaesthetic values of vegetation can help in more effective development and utilization of thesite. Developmental considerations might include, for example, leaving areas of a site innatural vegetative cover for ecological and functional reasons or introducing vegetation forany of the above named reasons.

Summary of vegetational analysis:Ecological Values--(see Ecology of the Site)Economic Values--agricultural, forest, and other commercial resource uses; land values,

functional considerations.

Architectural Values--defines exterior space, floors, walls, canopies, corridors, privacycontrol, screening, buffering, separation of incompatible activities and functions.

Engineering Values--acoustical control, atmospheric control, albedo control, soil erosionand water siltation control.Climatic Valueinterception of precipitation, windbreaks, frost depth control, soil-moistur

retention, shade value, light intensity and quality control.Aesthetic Values--visual quality, color, form, texture, fragrance, shade value and patterns,

spatial proximity, contrast.

Physical Geology, Soils, Hydrology

These areas are directly influenced by the historical geology of the region as described inRegional and Community Influences. One important aspect of school site analysis is, therefore,to gather physical evidence which will help to relate the geological, hydrological, and soilcharacteristics of the site to this regional influence.

General considerations could include: (examples relate to a glaciated region)

jysical Geology- -land form and topographical features such as eskers, kames, moraines,glacial boulders, rocks (stone walls); glacial striations on rock outcroppings; drift,pre-glacial and post-glacial features--4Atsils, emerged shorelines and beachers' silt andclay sedimentary deposits, rocks and minerals on site; weathering of rocks and mineralsincluding those in man-made structures. and artifacts.

Soils--Soil types, characteristics,uses and limitations. This information is availablethrough the Soil Conservation Service which has made extensive soil analyses and soilmappings.

In addition, rough field identification of soils can include the following six majorclasses: clean sands and gravels; silty and clayey sands and gravels; inorganic clays,sandy, silty or gravelly clays; inorganic silts and fine clays; organic silts and clays;peat and muck.

Hydrology- -

On -site precipitation data: types, frequencies, quantities, duration, etc.Surface water data: location, size, quality, formation of, age of; lakes, ponds, marshes,

swales, estuaries, bays, major and minor drainage systems, run-off influences, erosionand deposition.Ground water data: porosity, percolation rates, location, quantity, quality, aquifers,

aquifer recharge areas, springs, wells, water table, indicators of water table.

The identification of geological, hydrological and soil characteristics have implicationsfor site planning and development. F example, subsurface conditions may affect excavation,structural bearing strength and drainage. The height of the water table is important for sup-ply and vegetation. A high water table, however, can cause difficulties such as in excavationwork, flooded basements, insufficient structural bearing strength of the soil, and unstablefoundations. High water tables are often indicated by water levels in wells and diggings,seepages and springs, as well as by indicator plants such as willows and poplars.

Landscape Character

In addition to those factors already discussed, site analysis should also address itself toevaluation of the site from a visual or aesthetic viewpoint. Often the most successful site

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development is that which results in the least disruption of the character of the site.Analysis of the site's character should consider:

Visual Form- -

Natural Spatial Organization: areas of enclosure and separation and linkage; land form,vegetation, light, shadow, color, texture, detail, continuity, sequence, structures,seasonal variations.

Scale: large (enviroralieetal) tit.Nile; small (human) scale.Views and Viewpoints: focal points, dominant features, secondary features.Materials: natural surficial materials (rock, earth, water, vegetation)

Sound and Noise-- intensity, quality, duration, loud areas, quiet areas.Light -- orientation, albedo, intensity, quality, color, duration, shading.Air and Air Circulation-- quality, diversion by plants or structures, turbulence, eddys,

general circulation patterns, cooling effects.Microclimate--influences due to composite factors listed above.

Historic and Cultural Influences

Recognition and documentation of the site's significant historic and cultural influencesoffers important evidence of man's cultural heritage. Such site information can serve as anindicator of factors and conditions which have been responsible in helping to influence theenvironment of the region as described under Regional and Community Influences.

Examples, such as old structures or other ar%Afacts, can often be restored to originalquality and can provide educational, historical, and recreational value. Furthermore, thesehelp to add uniqueness and diversity to the man-made environment which, all too often, reflectsstandardization and sameness.

Existing and Proposed Land Uses and Controls

An analysis of land uses (i.e., human activity areas) should be concerned with the extent towhich existing or proposed uses are affecting or may have effects on the site. These effectscan have considerable influence on ecological and social conditions in the area. It is impor-tant, therefore, that they be identified and evaluated in order to determine where suchactivities may be incompatible with natural conditions and/or where precautionary measures(policies or controls) could be created to minimize environmental problems.

Land use considerations should include:Identification of activity or use area and an appropriate physical description of same.Location, capacity and user density of surface and subsurface service and utility func-

tions such as roads, parking areas, power and pipe lines, communication lines,recreational facilities, disposal systems, etc.

Accessibility of activities from within and outside the site.Determining the degree to which the activities or uses are compatible with observed

natural and social conditions and needs.Type and condition of existing structures.Obvious and significant patterns of use.

Policy and control considerations should include:Zoned areas

Sub-division regulationsSafety and building codesRights of wayEasementsOther considerationsAlso, the need for any of these based on the site analysis findings.

OFF-SITE CHARACTERISTICS AND INFLUENCES

The final area of consideration in site analysis concerns the examination of off-site char-acteristics which influence the site or which are or may be influenced by site development.Such considerations could include any of the previously discussed site analysis factors.

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APPEND I`X C

01 On IMOSt.t.SUMMARY

It can be seen that site analysis is concerned with all aspects of the site's surface andsub-surface physical conditions. These include both natural and man-made environmental influ-ences relating to ecological, economic, political, social, technological, and aet:.hetic pointsof view. The outline which follows is a condensation of the previous information and providesa site analysis format which could be used by a committee working in the area of school siteselection, planning, development and utilization. It could also be used by teachers and stu-dents in the environmental education emphasis within the school curriculum. This is especiallyimportant because the school site serves as an outdoor laboratory for activities in theenvironmental education program. It is important to recognize that site analysis, like com-munity inventory, is performed at various levels'of complexity and may, in fact, be a continuousprocess in view of the constant changes which occur within the natural and man-made environment.

GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL SITE PLANNINGOUTLINE FOR GENERAL SITE ANALYSIS

I. hcquisition of Adequate Base Maps, Aerial Photographs, or other Graphic Aids

II. Introductory Information

A. Regional and Community Influences

1. Geographic Location2. Size3. General I.....ormation

a. Natural Influencesb. Historic and Cultural Influencesc. Economic and Social Influencesd. Institutional and Recreational Influences

III. On-Site Characteristics and Influences

A. Topography and DrainageB. Ecology of the SiteC. VegetationD. Physical Geology, Soils, and HydrologyE. Landscape CharacterF. Historic and Cultural InfluencesG. Existing Land Uses and Controls

IV. Off-Site Characteristics and Influences (same as III)

RESCXJRCE INFORMATION FOR SITE ANALYSISGENERAL INFORMATION ON SITE PLANNING

1. Lynch, Kevin. SAte Planning. The M.I.T. Press, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Cambridge, Mass., 1962.

2. McHarg, Ian L. Design with Nature. Published for the American Museum of Natural History.The Natural History Press, Garden City, New York, 1969.

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GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL SITE PLANNING: PHASE II

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Once the need for a particular kind of development or purpose has been recognized and broadobjectives have been established, program development can be undertaken. Just as site analysisis concerned with making an in-depth study of the character of the site, program development isconcerned with analyzing the nature of the particular purpose or use for that site. Developinga program to fit the site helps to create the greatest degree of compatibility between site andpurpose. Compatibility is reflected by functional design which results in the least destructivedisturbance to the site.

The end result of program development is the "program," which, when combined with siteanalysis, helps to answer four basic questions:

1. What components need to be created (or modified) on the site?2. What components need to be left on the site?3. What components need to be removed from the site?4. What unique qualities does the site have to offer to the development of the program and

its specific roles?

The answers to these questions are expressed graphically in the third phase of site planning,Design Concept Development, where the site and program are "fitted" together into a compatibleworking relationship.

The following outline and examples illustrate, in part, the process of program development.Based on the previous model, the program might begin as follows;

Step 1: Statement of purpose and objectives

School sites can and should be planned and developed to provide greater benefits to theschool and community. In addition to providing space for the physical plant, school sitesshould be selected, designed, and etilized in a manner which wills

.1. include broader instructional programs relevant to present and future social andenvironmental problems and needs;

2. encourage greater community use of a community-awned resource;3. provide more efficient and economic operation and maintenance of the physical plant

through better control and management of environmental factors, such as modification ofthe microclimate through plantings or orienting activities to take best advantage ofmicroclimatic conditions;

4. serve to exemplify and promote a land ethic to all citizens of the community.

Step 2s The roles of the school site in environmental education

The various roles of the school site in the environmental education program can help toachieve the above objectives. These roles include serving as:

1. an ecology laboratory;2. an environmental management laboratory;3. a natural history interpretive area;4. a multipurvose school-community recreation area.

Step 3: Analysis of these roles for program development

Five research areas are suggested to serve as criteria for analyzing each role. The informa-tion which results from this analysis should lead to specific site design considerations andimplications. These in tern affect what will be created or modified on the site, removed fromsite, and left on the site.

The following are examples of some of the kinds of information to seek and some generaldesign considerations and implications which could arise fro!, 'rat information.

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APPENDIX C

Analysis criteria

1. Regulations andStandards

2. Unique

Characteristics

3. EducationalSpecifications

4. User

Characteristics

5. Site

Characteristics

WI COPY AVAWAEInformation sought

Zoning ordinancesSafety and healthEngineering specs.Construction specs.

Specific information aboutthe role, e.g., what makesthe ecology role differentfrom the natural historyinterpretive role.

Identifies educationallevel of user; states spe-cific role objectives;determines content to betaught; determines theactivities which willtake place on-off sitein that role.

Physical, psychological,social needs of user.

Information derived fromsite analysis:'a. general regional and

community influenceb. on-site characteristicsc. adjacent off-site

characteristics.

Steps 4 and 5: (Self-explanatory--see Model)

Design considerations/implications

Location of boundary and lot lines, buile-ings, activities, circulation routes, routedensities, protection of site during con-struction, linkage of activities, etc.

Help; to identify and protect special areasand components on site needed for that role,e.g., diversity of habitats; diversity ofplents and animals; diversity of success-ional stages.

Establishes specific needs and limits of theareas and components to be used for thoseactivities. (Specific site characteristicsalso help determine the content andactivities.)

Suggests considerations such as best locationof activities, user safety and protection,circulation densities, best pathway grad-ients for comfort, need for variety ofactivities.

Shared school-community facilities and landuses; design compatible with region and com-munity; soil suitability and capability;circulation routes and linkages; aesthetic,Fiews; points of interest; microclimaticconditions.

GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL SITE PLANNING: PHASE III

DESIGN CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

The final phase, Design Concept Development, is the graphic interpretation of how the siteand program should be blended into a compatible solution.

74

Step t

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

ri

Statement of purposerecognizing the need I

for school sites toserve broader objec-tives.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Model Illustrating the SchoolSite Program Development Process

Identify the components of the purpose-i.e. the broad rolesof the t-hool site in.environmental educa-tion;

I. The ecology laboratory role;II. The environmental management

role;III. The natural history interpre-

tation role;IV. The multipurpose school-

ommunitz.recrestion area role.

Analyze each role according to the following criteria: ...

i

Clawi

lir ti;7r Unique cid ucationa7) User

we\

Siter d (character" specifi1Icharc. (character -7!StaJ Vtsae c atilueres=ro 41tiocso,

... in order to find out - needs to be created orcik modified on the site?

lows the role influsAcesthe site-- e.g. What needs to be removed from

the site?

and What needs to be left on the site?6V

What unique qualities doss thehow the role 5.s influenced site have to offer in planningby the site. activities within a certain

role?

Make comparison tween the roles to see how a.ey relater,Can they share some of the same facilities?

e.g. Should they be linked together? How closily? Where?What is their best spatial relationship toeach other?'

Conclusions: Summarize these findings by describing haythe *purpose (all the roles collectively)affects, and is affected by, the site.

Steps 1 2+ 3 4. 4 5 :: THE PROGRAM

UST .

APPENDIX D

SCHOOL SITE ANALYSISFORM SHEETS

developed by theSoil Conservation Service, U.S.D.A.

SCHOOL SITE ANALYSISPotential Outdoor Classroom Use or Development

Analysis performed by:School name: Address:

School district: School type:Total school enrollment: Now: j F4ve years from now:Number of classrooms per grade:

Five yearsNow from now

Five years Five yearsNow from now Now from now

K- 5- 9-1- 6- 10-'- 7- 11-3- 8- 12-4-

Name of school representative in charge of development:Position:

1. Basic InformationA. Dimensions of total grounds: length ft. x width ft.

B. Acres: ; acres occupied by build4ng and pavement:

C. Boundaries:North:South:

East:West:

D. Current use of site (estimate percentages):1. Buildings, parking, roads, sidewalks2. Lawns and landscaped areas3. Play areas--practice fields, blacktop, swings, etc.4. Specific athletic sites--football, baseball, etc.5. Undeveloped or unused area with outdoor classroom

potentialTotal 100%

is

E. Building composition:Wood frame ; stucco

i$i sr COPV

brick ; stone .

II. Surve of Existin Outdoor Classroom Materials

A. Shrubs and trees1. Approx. no. natives ; approx. no. native species2. Approx. no. foreign or nurseymen's varieties:

individuals ; varieties or species3. List of native species:

Approx. Approx. Approx. Approx.Name No. age Name No. age

411.010IFFMMERIN

4. Shrub areas: (Check)school lawnlocal groupings

B. Forbs (e.g.1. Approx.2. Approx.

3. List ofName

7111011.P.

fencerows ; foundation ; buffers_; undeveloped areas ; other locations

P.11111=1

, goldenrod) and grassesno. natives approx. no. native speciesno. foreign or floriculture varieties:individuals ; varieties or speciesnative species or varieties:

Approx. No. Name Approx. No.

4. Forb ana crass areas (grasses other than planted lawns):Forbs: Lawn fencerows ; foundation ; buffers

floral plantings ; undeveloped areas ; otherGrasses: fencercyes ; buffers ; undeveloped areas

other

C. AnimalsHomes observed Location

Good site for animal tracksFeeding stations

D. Water and wetland areasstream ; pond

; Nests=1111100.0111,

ditches ; downspoutsswamp ; bog ; marsh ; temporary pond (after

floods)

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E. Geological--earthsciencEs1. Eroded areas ; location2. Elevation difference between highest & lowest points3. Types of rock in buildings

in graveled areasin outwash areas

4. Bedrock exposure5. Erratics6. Rocks, rockpile, gravel, etc.

ft.

Soils: type locationtype locationtype locationtype location

others present soil map availablesoil profile exposure

F. HistoricalMarkers ; Monuments ; Cornerstones ; Old treesStumps ; Other

G. Special FacilitiesWeather station Nature trail Student gardens

III.Potential for Developing This Site Into a Usable Area for Outdoor EnvironmentalEducation: Good Potential ; Some Potential

Good Potential ; Some Potential. ; Low PotentialPossibility for perimeter areas to be developed

IV. Accessibility to Outdoor Areas Off School PropertyAccess to Parks: Adjacent ; within 15 minute walkOther areas within 15 minute walk from school:

Open fields ; vacant lots ; croplands ; orchardsdeserted farms ; cemeteries ; old building foundations ;

gravel pits and other excavations

NOTE: A sketch of the outdoor laboratory site and recommendations of the surveyteam should also be included in this school sits analysis.

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APPENDIX E

IMPROVISED PLAY AREAS

by Tim Speyer, Environmental Education ConsultantDexter, Michigan Public Schools

At one time, play activity was considered a curious, but unimportant factor in the educationand development of youth. Today this attitude has changed remarkably as witnessed by hundredsof thousands of playgrounds being built and used across the nation. In these pYay environments,children expand their awareness of the world around them- -in the process developing their in-tellectual, emotional, and physical capabilities.

This paper deals with developing creative, "improvised" play apparatus as an alternative tothe sterile play equipment usually installed in the swing-slide-seesaw area. The word "impro-vised" is used here to denote that the only resources available (both material and human) willbe from in and around the community and/or vicinity of the reader.

To minimize the monetary expense, the reader should be aware of certain points concerningthe development of improvised play areas:

1. There should be no contracting out of any sort for...design or construction help. Largescale design is improbable. The scope of the project should be limited to 1/4 acre orless due to the limited heavy equipment and manpower available, and possible budgetrestrictions.

2. Organization, design, and construction should be done mainly by volunteers within thecommunity--citizens, parents, teachers, and children. Help outside of the communityshould not be depended upon to carry out the major share of this project.

3. All money for the project should be raised by community or school projects, unlessdonated from another source.

4. Since, in most cases,there will be no full time supervision and funds are limited, thepossibility of a completely unanchored play area will not be considered here.5. Expensive construction materials and plant materials should be used only when absolutelynecessary. Try to get these materials donated.

6. The recreation problem for the community may not be totally, or significantly solvedthrough the project.

The major intent here will be to explain the procedural steps necessary to organize, fund,design, and maintain improvises play ereas. By simplifying and outlining the planning, design,and construction process, this article will serve as a guide which (can] be of practical valueto the individual who has no design or mechanical background. Although professional designershave frowned upon such privately undertaken projects, what happens when a community cannotafford the services of such an individual, (or if] there isn't enough money available to payfor construction materials? A community.must then act in its own self-interest. Time and timeagain, the author (Tim Speyer] has seen where just a little initiative and motivation on thepart of unprofessional volunteers can bring about a creative, improvised play area for childrenin an environment which beforehand seemed...sterile and devoid of fun. And since this conceptrequires very little physical space, it can be adapted to any environment--rural, suburban,and/or inner city.

elle procedural steps for developing an improvised play area build upon one another with eachsuccessive stage of the planning process. These procedural steps are:

1. Gathering community support and involvement: obtaining a working base to undertake theproject.2. Choosing and analyzing a sites selecting a site within the community which is most

'feasible and/or available for the project, and placing the play area on the selected sitefor purposes of maximum utilization and efficiency.

3. Community contacts for construction materials, tools, machinery, and labor: where and howto go about finding these resources.

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APPENDIX EMPII ki,10,.:1,1' 7.

4. Physical design of the play area: understanding and application of the design process asit applies to this project.

5. Preconstruction day meetings: planning and organizing what will be needed for the con-struction day.

6. Construction day: organizing and constructing the actual play area.7. Maintenance, safety, and liability: the need for a regular maintenance and inspection

schedule so as to prevent unnecessary injuries, accidents, and potential lawsuits.

Let us examine these steps in greater detail.

GATHERING COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT

Initially, some member, or members, within the commanity must establish that there is adefinite need for a new play area. This opinion should be arrived at through the common agree-ment of community or school administrators, teachers, students, school groups, parents, churchgroups, community organizations, and/or youti organizations- -as many members of the communityas possible. If an outside individual is invited in to consult, he should not bring along anyprevious notions aboat what the community needs are, but rather get this information from thecitizens themselves.

Once [the need for such a project) is established by the community, those individuals mostinterested in the project's implementation should form into a central organizing committee.This committee's first job is to make the community at: large knowledgeable about the need andpurpose of the project, and to begin to gather solid community involvement. Thin can beachieved through additional meetings announced through community, school, or organizationalnewsletters. If Use newsletters don't bring citizens to the meetings, at least the citizensare made aware of the project.

One excellent mechanism for beginning to involve citizens is through fund raising drives.In addition to obtaining the necessary money needed to pay for construction materials, rentedtools, hardware, and machinery, the community will bs the target of the drive--and is againmade aware of the project's purpose and need. Some possible events for funding might includecommunity, school, or organizational plays, concerts, carnivals, athletic events, sponsoredbikeathons or walkathons, car washes, and/or bake sales. Any one or two of these events, ifwell organized, should be able to raise the necessary funds to undertake the project'sconstruction.

By this time, a broad base of the citizenry should be knowledgeable and involved in theproject. This supportive base (even if only five to ten people) must be achieved before holdingthe first of two preconstruction day meetings. These meetings, which should naturally involveas many community members as possible, should deal with three main subject areas:

1. Choosing and analyzing a site for the play area.2. Finding community contacts for construction materials, tools, machinery, and labor.3. Deciding upon the physical design of the play area.

CHOOSING AND ANALYZING A SITE

Once the site is located, the physical characteristics which comprise (or will comprise) theactual site should be analyzed. These characteristics are briefly discussed here with somepossible recommeaciaticns:

TopographyOne should integrate sliding, swinging, and climbing apparatus into the hillsideif possible, use the tops of hills for concentrated use, build away from where water drainsduring heavy storms, and consider any erosion problems if grass is worn away (or has thepotential to be worn away) on the hillsides.

Plant materials--Placement of existing plant materials suggest various possibilities. Largewoodlots and tree masses can provide visual and physical barriers. These areas are also idealfar more passive, reflective activity. Hedgerows or plant materials in a line can also be usedas visual barriers, as well as defiaing the physical l'mits of a play area.

Proposed shade trees should be of sufficient caliber (diameter) to be guy-wired solidly,thus protecting the tree from heavy winds, rains, and snows. This usually means that treesshould be planted up to one to two inches in caliber, the cost of which can easily reach $50per tree or more. For most projects of the improvised type, only small "whips" (thin youngtrees) could affora to be purchased. And quite obviously, these can be easily damaged and /orvandalized.

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Drainage characteristics--Do not usually build apparatus ir areas where water drains and/orgathers during and after a rain storm. Build instead on the slopes or on top of a hill. Uselow areas and drainage ditches for mud-play or:.ented activities. Know where the drains are,and where they lead to, especially if the surface treatment is asphalt.

Water ezements--For an improvised pla,: area, an outdoor water fountain or hose outlet shouldbe accessible for play activities with mud and sand, as well as for thirsty youngsters.

Soil--Keep in mind that clsv soil is hard, and sandy soil is soft. Thus a deeper foundationis necessary in sandy soil. Heavy use of apparatus built on the side of a hill will wear awaygrass and cause some soil erosion. Foundations of apparatus at the bottom of a hill, vit., ordepression will be subject to more heavily saturated soils.

Public utilitiss--It is good policy to have access to electrical outlets for constructionpurposes, but electrical extensions can be used if needed. Build clear of electrical powerlines and manholes if possible because they are potential hazards.

Special features--These features alone can either make or break a potential area. Such fea-tures might include rock outcropping's, a hill, a pit or depression, a particularly large tree,anu/or water elements of some type. Use a positive feature to its fullest potential. Try andrework a negative one so that it can become a positive element in the design.

Orientation- -Site orientation suggests consiuefation of many factors. Know the proximity tostreets, higeways, school buildings, business establishments, and/or private residences of anypl..ay area. Put the play area in a safe place which will not be near traffic or.distract thosewho want privacy. Determine which areas are going to be in the sun most often, and which aregoing to be in the shade most often. Use plant materials, topography, and water features totheir best advantage.

Size--Frequently, the question arises as to how one satisfactorily allocates the apparatusfor a particular site. The National Flaying Fields Association suggests that if the area isfairly la. se (half an acre or more), allow a large proportion to remain open for children'sball games, bicycles, and free play. Allow half the remaining area for the provision of con-ventional tubular steel equipment, if one feels that this type of equipment must be included.Tho remaining area is for the type of play apparatus described in this guide. Because of thenature of improvised projects, large numbers of children can be accommodated in relativelysmall spaces.

COMMUNITY CONTACTS FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, TOOLS, MACHINERY, AND LABOR

Many of the Secisions made in analyzing the site may depend on the type of constructionmaterials which are given, donated, or bought for the project. Materials used will varygreatly from donated, tubular steel swings to what many consider "junk": old tires, telephonepoles, railroad ties, log', and ropes. These...elements are not highly aesthetic, but thenagain, aesthetics is no criteria for judging the success of a play area. These materials areeasy to obtain, very inexpensive or free for the asking, but most of all, the children enjoythem. These materials can be collected right on the play site in most cases. Possiblecommunity contacts include:

Lumber companies--Many times, r'jected boards or log poles can be obtained inexpensively.Cedar log poles, usually six t.o eight inches in diameter and ten feet long, are eeellent forconstruction purposes. These are relatively inexpensive. Plywood boa ads for painting andplatform= have a high cost, but are well worth the investment. Also railroad ties can usuallybe obtained here.

Telephone and electric companies--These companies are constantly taking down old utilatypoles and replacing them with new ones, These huge poles make excellent vertical and hori-zontal supports, and are usually free for the asking. Also, large wooden spools that holdelectrical wire are usually available. They can be stacked and nailed and/or bolted togetheron asphalt with no foundation necessary. This makes spools the ideal building unit for highdensity urban use. Finally, woodchips may be obtained. When clearing telephone lines of treebranches, the downed cuttings are fed through a chipping machine and hauled away. The tele-phone or electric company may deliver, dig and place poles, and deliver spools and woodchips

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as a community service. Be persistent, but very tactful in dealing with these contacts. Theirhelp can expand your collection of construction materials and save many hours of hard, tediouslabor.

Federal Surplus Product stores--These stores sell stock at unbelievably low prices to publicagencies and schools. Investigate whether such a store exists in your area, and ask if youqualify to purchase materials there. Check this contact out before buying anything.

Ski resorts--Ski resorts replace frayed, nylon tow line every spring. This rope is usuallyin good condition, but is below the safety factor for ski tow use for the coming winter season.Usually, it is free for the asking. But if a choice must be made between nylon rope and manilarope, the latter is better suited for play areas. In addition the large wooden spools [onwhich] this rope is round, like the electrical spools, make excellent building units forbalancing and stacking.

Army-Navy surplus stores--These stores sell rope relatively inexpensively compared to mostlocal hardware stores. If rope cannot be obtained from other sources, this is the logicalplace to go. Other bargains might be found here if you search and ask. Cargo nets are but oneexample.

Tire companies--Tire companies will usually donate free of charge. Old tractor tires andlarge truck tires are best because they are heavy and require teamwork to be rolled around andstacked. The larger the tire, the better and stronger it is, in all probability.

Railroad companies--The railroads are constantly replacing old ties. Many times they aresimply cast aside where replaced. Others are stacked in railroad yards and are inexpensive orfree for the asking in most cases.

Highway departments- -State and local departments may be contacted for tires, culverts, pos-sible sand and gravel, and plywood boards. Plywood boards make up most of our large highwaysigns. Many times these become obsolete because a new direction is needed. The old signs aretaken down and stored.

Real estate companies--Discarded construetion materials may be found on vacated lots andproperties. The telepT numbers of these companies are usually located on signs somewhere onthe property.

Trucking companies--Soil, gravel, and/or sand might be available from current building pro-jects under contract. Old tires might also be obtained from this source.

Local contractors--Cement culverts, soil, sand, gravel, and other miscellaneous constructionmaterials which are either not going to be used or have been rejected might be available.

Hardware stores - -Some miscellaneous hardware must be purchased. 'specially plenty of'Machinebolts for securing logs and poles together. Chances of hardware e.:ores donating these suppliesis extremely remote. There is little one can do to cut expenditures here.

Rental companiesOnly use the rental company if there is a tool which cannot be obtainedfrom within the community. Rentals are usually inexpensive, but can mount up in cost to asubstantial amount with usage beyond a couple of days.

LaborCommunity or school administrators,teachers, students, school groups, parents,ANOPPMM

church groups, community organizations, and/or youth organizations are all legitimate contactsfor help. It is hard to say just how many of these contacts will need to be sought to fulfillthe needed objectives of any one particular area.

PHYSICAL DES'GN OF THE FLAY AREA

BecaNse volunteer planning and labor, and locally available construction materials are usedin an improvised play area, hard and fast rules for play apparatus des4n cannot be given.Illustrations of possible ideas are included here to provide a base to work from. The size andoverall c'imensions of the apparatus can be generally judged by the scale of the children. Themost dynamic and exciting pieces of apparatus are usually the highest. The following notesshould sr!rve as a rough guide to the construction methods employed in most improvised playareas:

Ert

rC't A.1r

-'71113LE

1. The materials must be absolutely sound and the construction as strong as possible.Accident risk should be no more than in the case of equipment on a traditional play area.

2. Bury all logs and poles a minimum of three feet.3. For higher logs, poles, and timbers, a general rule of thumb is to bury 1/4 to 1/3 of the

total length. For example, a log twelve feet long would be buried about four feet down.A log eighteen feet in length would be buried about six feet. (The deeper you go, thebetter.) Cement reinforcement in these holes can be used if deemed necessary.

4. Poles, logs, railroad ties, and timbers can best be bonded together through the use of1/2 to 3/4 inch diameter machine bolts with washers and nuts.

5. When replacing the soil around a log in a hole, be sure that the loose soil is compactedsolidly to prevent settling and shifting due to heavy use and wet weather.

6. Large wooden spools need no foundation. The base units should be broad enough, though,so that the higher units are stable and safe.

7. In placing the apparatus on the site, the functions and movements of the various gamesshould be taken into account. Although on the same play area, wilder games and apparatusshould be kept apart and divided from more passive play. For example, don't place asandbox next to a set of swinging tires or a climbing tower.

S. Try to tie various pieces of apparatus together by connecting them with ropes, logs, orany other means. This is a concept known as "linked play." The choice of what to donext becomes an experience, since all apparatus is somehow linked together. Instead ofindividual play units, one has a play environment.

APPENDIX F:

?RECONSTRUCTION DAY MEETINGS

We have now dealt with those broad subject areas that should be discussed in the first pre-construction day meeting: (1) choosing and analyzing a site, (2) community contacts forconstruction materials, tools, machinery, and labor, and (3) the 2hysical design of the playarea. A eosaible agenda for the meeting might run something like this

1. Discuss and analyze the site and decide on the probable location of the play area.2. Show on an overhead projector, the illustrations of the improvised play apparatus shown

in this guide. This will give the group some idea of what is possible to undertake.The group can then develop variations on these ideas to suit their own circumstances.

3. Figure out approximately how much of each construction material will be needed for eachdesired piece of apparatus.

4. Assign one or two individuals to each type of construction material. It is theirresponsibility to try and make the community contacts lister earlier, and to get thatmaterial to ti"e play area site if possible.

5. Set up a time for the second preconstruction day meeting-4approximately one or two weekslater.

The second ?reconstruction day meeting should run something like this:

1. Find out if the amount of construction materials available or received is over or underwhat was planned for in the first meeting. Due to the low budget, adjustments or addi-tional followup must be made if there is not enough, or too much, of a particularmaterial.

2. Deride what tools and heavy machinery will be necessary to construct that unit ofapparatus.

3. Appoint one or two individuals to captain the construction of each specific unit of ap-paratus. He or she should know just what material hardware, machinery, and tools willbe needed for that unit on construction day.

4. Find out which individuals can bring their own tools or machinery. Those that can't besupplied by the 'hammunity will need to be rented.

5. Appoint an incii dual [to take) responsibility for renting the necessary machinery andtools.

6. Appoint an individual to purchase the necessary 1-ardware.7. Decide on the date for construction day--when all construction materials, hardware,

machinery, tools, and citizenry will come together. Saturday is usually the best time,starting early in the morning and finishing late in the afternoon.

B. Make sure that all those at the meeting have the phone numbers of the central organizingcommittee. In case of an unexpected problem, these individuals should be notifiedimmediately.

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APPENDIX ESST CCPY '(''Nt;

Notice that a relatively small, but important job is given to many different individuals.This helps to spread the work load out and involve as many people as possible.

CONSTRUCTION DAY

Before construction day, taose individuals most familiar 4ith the plan should stake out theholes that are to be dug. If the telephone or electric company can dig the holes a day or twobefore construction, this is most ideal. If such help is unavailable, the holes should stillbe staked out and dug beforehand so that time is not wasted on construction day. A two-manteam with a two-man motorized posthole digger can do the job quickly and efficiently in mostcases. Other rented tools and equipment should be secured as early on Saturday morning aspossible. Cars and drivers should be on hand to run any miscellaneous errands. Constructionday is simply a follow through by each man, woman, and child of the task(s) appointed him orher during the preconstruction day meetings. Much like an old-fashioned barn raising, as manymembers of the community should be involved as possible; everybody helps and everybody pare;cipates. A summary list of the construction materials, eachinery, tools, and hardware used forimprovised play areas include;

1. telephone poles2. cedar log poles3. truck and tractor tires4. wooden planks5. old, sturdy, dead trees6. railroad ties7. wooden spools8. cement culverts9. oil drums10. ropes

11. sand and woodchips12. truck or van for hauling heavy materials13. two-man motorized posthole digger14. one-half inch machine drill15. shovels16. one-man posthole digger17. carpenters saw and hacksaw18. hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers19. ladders20. one-half inch by sixteen inch or three-quarter inch by sixteen inch wrier bits fax

machine bolt holes2S one and one-quarter inch by sixteen inch auger bits for rope holes. An alternative to

buying long bits which could bend under stress is to buy shorter bits wit l a strong bitextension.

22. one-half inch or three-quarter inch machine bolts, nuts, and washers. One can buymachine bolts in prethreaded lengths. Plother alternative is to rent a bolt threader andcut dcwn longer unthreaded rods on construction day to needed lengths.

23. Six inch nail spikes for securing plywood boards24. Chain, chain repair links, and eye screws for swivel log beams and other innovations25. paint, primer, rollers, and brushes.26. cement for foundations if necessary27. electrician's tape.

MAINTENANCE, SAFETY, AND LIABILITY

Once construction is completed, a minimum of maintenance is necessary for two important rea-sons. The first is to keep the play area sound and safe. Perhaps it will take only a fewmoments each week to check the area over--replace an old rope, tighten a bolt, or furthercompact the soil foundation of a vertical log pole. It is the ultimate responsibility of the...principal of a school...to take the proper precautions to prevent injuries to children. Bynot checking out and correcting play apparatus that has obviously deteriorated or weakened,[the school can be held liable for negligence. Remember that the construction materials mustbe absolutely sound ind .:.he construction itself as strong as poss.:ble. Accident risk should beno more in the case of a traditional play area.

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6EST COPY AVAILABLE APFENDIX E

Objects expressly placed for the benefit of children are not considered to be an attractivenuisance. Unanchored elements like tires and log sections, which are not inherently dangerouselements in themselves, are also not considered an attractive nuisance under most conditions.However, let us say a huge tractor tire was left unanchored at the top of a steep hill belowwhich children play. Obviously this situation has the potential to be inherently dangerous--an attractive nuisance situation which shows negligence on the part of some individual or party.

The second reason for a strong maintenance program is to prevent the area from deterioratingso that the children will cease to find it exciting. This means, for example, that if a ropemust be taken down, it should be replaced; that if a painting board is covered with profanity,it should be repainted; that if unanchored tires are scattered over the play area, they shouldbe occasionally gathered together. Nothing is more appealing than a viable play area; nothingis worse than a play area that has been allowed to deteriorate. Appoint a committee from yourschool or community to occasionally check over the play apparatus.

EXPANSION

No play area will continue to highly motivate and appeal to children over the years, if itis not improved upon or expanded. Children need novelty and change in their play activities.Keep this in mind after the initial construction of the play area--additional play apparatusis highly desirable. Organization for the expansion of An existing play area should follow thesame guidelines as were set down for the original construction day.

This completes the procedural steps needed to plan, design, build, and maintain improvisedp4ay areas. Carefully follow through the steps one by one. The result will be a project ofwhich your community or school can be honestly prota.

SELECTED REFERENCES

INTRODUCING THE IDEA

BEST COPYIIVAILABtE

An Approach to School Site Development. (Motion picture) 16mm 22min sd col(Available for rental from University of Michigan, A-V Center, 416 Fourth Street, Ann Arbor,Michigan 4810 ; or International lm Bureau, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois60604.)

-Fox use by elementary or high schools which have large sites or are in the process ofselecting a site.

Environmental Education/Facility Resources. New York: Educational Facilities Lab., 1972.-This report provides a good introduction to the entire range of facilities which can beused for environmental education. One chapter is devoted to the school and school site.Environmental EnrichmentWhat You Can Do About It. (Motiol picture) 16mm 21min sd col(Available from University of Michigan, A-V Center, 416 Fourth Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan48103; or Centron Educational Films, 1621 West Ninth St., Lawrence, Kansas 6E044.)-For use by elementary schools. It documents a process approach to site developmenton an existing site.U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Soil Conservation Service. Outdoor Classrooms on School Sites.Washington, b.C.: Government Printing Office, 1972. (#0100-1456, 254).

-An introduction to ways in which a school site can be developed and used for instruc-tional purposes. Suburban and rural focus, but can be adapted to urban sites.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE

Background on Site Planning

McHarg, Ian L. Design With Nature. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1987.-Good background reading for school district personnel on the suburban fringe.

Simonds, John Ormebee, Landscape Architecture, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961.-A raierence on an ecological approach to site planning and development.

The Particulars of Site Development

Allen, James and Alvin C. Lopinot. Sir all Lakes and Ponds, Their Construction and Care.Springfield: Division of Fisheries, 1971. (Fisheries Bulletin, .o. 3).

-Information covering planning, design, problems and uses of a pond.D'Eugenio, Terry. Building With Tires. Cambridge, Mass., Advisory Committee of Open Education,1971

-Shows how to make swings, climbers, tunnels and other improvised play equipment froh.tires, along with safety considerations, construction ideas and cost estimates.Friedberg, Paul M. Play and Interplay. New York: Macmillan, 1970.

-Documents the need of children for space for creative, imaginative play and its effectson personality growth.Hurtwood, La Allen of. Planning for Play. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1969.

-Contains discussion and numerous photographs of creative play ideas, many of which couldbe easily constructed on a school site."Invite Wildlife To Your Backyard," National Wildlife, v11 n3, Apr/May, 1973.

-This article is loaded with the information needed to develop a small natural area fora plot of land 100' x 120'. It includes information on the mature height of trees/shrubs, drainage and light requirements, and the wildlife attracted to them. Reprintsavailable through National Wildlife Federation.

87

SELECTED REFERENCES

BESI COB 1'11.

Klingebiel, A. A. Know the Soil You Build On. Washington, D.C.: Government Printi. Office,1967. (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Agriculture Bulletin, No. 320).

-A publication for laymen, which points out the importance and the pitfalls of knowingthe kind of soil on the site, its capabilities and guidelines for development.

Rodale, Robert, ed. The Basic Book of Organic Gardening. New York: Ballantine, 1971.- Good information source for composting and other organic gardening practices.

Robinette, Gary O. Plants/People/and Environmental Quality. Washington, D.C.: GovernmentPrinting Office, 1972 (2405-0479; $4.00).

-A reference work which documents and illustrates how plants can be used to improveenvironmental quality, e.g., microclimate, aesthetics, pollution.

Thank-U-Grams. Brentwood, Mo.: Kimball Foundation.-Thank-(1-Grams are thank you notes modeled after a telegram. They provide a way ofsaying thank you which is not only convenient and sincere, but also helps to fosteran appreciation of the efforts of others.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Growing Flowering Annuals. Washington, D.C.: Government PrintingOffice, 1971. (Home and Garden Bulletin, No. 91) ( #1971 -0- 444 -774; 100).

-A "how to" manual for developing flower gardens. Information as to where to plant;how to start, thin, care for and use flowers.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Protecting Shade Tree.; During Home Construction. Washington, D.C.:Government Printing Office, 1970. (Home and Garden Bulletin, No. 104) ( #1970-0-38J-259;100).

-Outlines various ways in which trees are damaged during construction and what stepscan be taken to prevent the damage.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Selecting Shrubs for Shady Areas. Washington, D.C.: GovernmentPrinting Office, 1970. (Home and Garden Bulletin, No. 142) (#0100-1836; 150.

- Contains pictures and descriptions of plants which grow in shade according to variousclimatic zones, along with planting instructions.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Soil Conservation at Home. Washington, D.C.: Government PrintingOffice, 1969. (Agriculture Information Bulletin, No. 244) 04467-271686; 200.

-A reference book for a school site committee and for use by teachers in analyzing thesoil on the site. Includes tips for analyzing your soil, as well as development andmaintenance suggestions for water control, lawns and yards, flower gardens, et al.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Shade Trees for the Home. Washington, D.C.: Government PrintingOffice, 1972. (Agriculture Handbook, No. 425) (#0100-2496).

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Trees for Shade and Beauty. Washington, D.C.: Government PrintingOffice, 1972. (Hame and Garden Bulletin, No. 117) ( #0100 -1606; 100.

-Contairs a breakdown of methods for selecting select trees based upon the size and agewhich they will attain, as well as desirable and undesirable characteristics. It alsocontains extensive directions on planting and care and a bibliography of other publica-tions which are available on the subject of plants.

Wester, Robert. Suburban and Farm Vegetable Cardens. Washington, D.C.; Government PrintingOffice. (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Home and Garden Bulletin, No. 9) (00381-650; 400) .

-A "mini-encyclopedia" of gardening practices which gives tips on how to select and startplants, prepare the soil, make and use compost.

INSTRUCTIONAL. USE OF THE SITE

General Publications

Amundson, B. J. and Nick Rodes. Knock the Four Walls Down. Chicago: P.A. Schiller, 1973.-An inexpensive series of forty investigations developed in collaboration with theNational College of Education.

Brainerd, John W. Nature Study for Conservation. New York: Macmillan, 1971.-Introduction to ecology; techniques in observation, recording, identifying, collectingand experimenting. Junior high college.

Brennan, Matthew J., ed. People and Their Environment. Chicago: J.G. Ferguson.- A series of eight curriculum guides on conservation education, including a guide tousing an outdoor laboratory. Contains lesson plans, as well as lists of materialswhich can be uses with each lesson. Many of the lessons involve use of the school site.

Cornell Science Leaflet Series. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University.-A series of 41 publications covering topics from "Ice and Snow" to "Decay" and "FoodChains." A set of references for teachers and young people alike. Inexpensive.

88

SELECTED REFERENCES

6161 CC Y AVAILABLE

% Environmental GeometryNuffield Mathematics Project. New York: Wiley, 1969.- Suggestions and ideas for making children more critically aware of shapes in theirenvironment and the inter-relationships. K-4.

Environmental Studies Packets 1-4. Boulder, Colo.: American Geological Institute, 1970.-Packets 1 and 2 contain individual assignment cards for pupils' use in exploring theirenvironment. Good, but somewhat expensive.

Griffith, E. Landin and Karen Jostad. EP--The New Conservation. Arlington, Va.: Izaak WaltonLeague of America, 1971.

-Good backgro' :nd reading on environmental education and how a process approach can beused in school site development.

Hug, John W. and Phyllis J. Wilson. Curriculum Enrichment Outdoors. New York: Harper & Row,1965.

-^oncise descriptions of activities for each curriculum area (use of senses, problemsolving, planning experiences), language arts, social studies, math, arts and crafts,music and movement science, games. 1-9.

Marsn, Norman F. Outdoor Education on Your School Grounds. Sacramento, Calif.: office ofConservation Education, 1968.

- Covers the development and use of he school site for outdoor and conservation education.An inspirational book, it also carries a strong message of tile author's educationalphilosophy which is very child-centered.

Miller, Peggy L. Creative Outdoor Play Areas. Englewood Cliffs. N.J.: Prentice -Hall, 1972.- Contains over one hundred pages of ideas regarding ways to develop creative play andnatural areas on your school site to meet the needs of children. A reference book foreducator and architect alike.

Milliken, Margaret, Austin F. Hamer and Ernest C. McDonald. Field Stuity Manual for OutdoorLearning. Minneapolis: Burgess, 1968.

-Contains field techniques in mapping, soil, water, plants, animal life, weather.Junior high - high school.

Russell, Helen Ross. Ten-Minute Field Tripb.. .faicagoi J. G. Ferguson, 1973.-Contains numerous ideas on how to uFS the schoolgrounds for environmental education.Especially valuable for use with urban blacktop sites.

Schatz, Albert and Vivian Schatz. Teaching Science with Garbage. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press,1971.

-A sourcebook of ideas for studies which could be implemented in connection with use ofthe school compost.

Schatz, Albert. Teaching Science with Soil. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press, 1972.-Contains a wealth of experiments and investigations which could be used as part of thestudy of a gardening project, or for the study of soil related problems on your siteand in your community.

Simon, Sidney B., Leland W. Howe and Howard Kirschenbaum. Values Clarification. New York:Hart, 1972.

-Contains over a hundred ways to do values clarification.Swan, Malcolm, ed. Tips and Tricks for Outdoor Ee.! ,,;v12. Danville, Ill.: Interstate, 1970.

- Contains numerous detailed ideas for outdoor 0tivities, along with suggestions forthe most effective implementation of the activities.

Terry, Mark. Teaching for Sufviva ,1. New York. Friends of the Eatth/Ballantine, 1971.-A total look at the impact of schools on our environmental thinking; ways of integratingenvironmental education into all curriculum areas. All levels.

U.S. Dept. of Interior. National Park Service. National Environmental Study AreaA Guide.Washington, D.C.: Gov ;JIment Printing Office, 1972.02405-0484: 75').

-In addition to the national environmental study area program which is outlined, thispublication contains information concerning the strand approach to environmental educa-tion. While the application of this booklet to an existing school site effort is notthat direct, keep it in mind if a major area in your community is being considered foracquisition as open space.

VanMatre, Steve. Acclimatization. Martinsville, Ind.: American Camping Assoc., 1972.-An inspirational reference covering techniques and tips for using natural areas, usinga sensory approach. It also contains a number of good suggestions as to how to build anature trail.

"Weather Stations--Their Progr-.ms and Management," The Science Teacher, v38 n9, Dec. 1971.-Includes program for school weather station as well as other articles cu weather andweather modification.

89

SELECTED REFERENCES4LST COPY A"" ""' IVI Co eft. a*, 4.

Inservice Training; Workshop&

A Guide to Planning and Conducting Environmental Study Area Workshops. Washington, D.C.:National Education Association, 1972. (#191- 05944; $2.25).

-Developed for use in environmental study areas, but much of the material would be help-ful in launching an inservice program covering the use of the site.

Stapp, William B. The Environment and the Citizen. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Univ. of Michigan Press,1973.

-Note: Two extension courses are offered through the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,which are based upon this book. Core units are Man and the Environment, Population& Urbanization, and Ecology. There are 11 elective units which range from, governmentpolicy to the various natural resources, and the role of the citizen. The course(s)can be taken for academic or non-academic credit. It would provide an excellent wayfor either individuals or groups of teachers to."participate" in an inservice programunder one of the leaders in environmental education. Contact Department of IndependentStudy, Extension Service, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104.

SOURCES OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

Educational Services, National Audubon Society, 950 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022.- Numerous references, teaching aids and student workbooks. A Place to Live, a fieldstudy manual for the study of urban ecology (grades 3-6), is especially good.

Environmental & Outdoor Education Materials Co., Dowling, Mich. 49050.-Source for innumerable items- -books, ecology games, A-V materials, field equipment,records, etc. Publish catalog listing all materials.

Illinois Dept. of Conservation, Division of Education, 605 State Office Bldg., Springfield,Illinois 62706.

- Source for films and publications.Illinois Institute for Environmental Quality, 309 West Washington Street, Chicago, Ill.60$09.

- Publishes a directory of environmental groups arranged by county, name, phone number.Also a source of environmental education materials.Mine Publications, Inc., 25 Groveland Terrace, Minneapolis, Minn. 55403.

- A series of books on things to do in, on and around your school site and community.Titles include Astronomy, Birds, The Dandelion, Ecology, Mapping, Small Places, Mini-Climates, Pollution, Running Water, Small Creatures, Snow S Ice, Trees, Your Senses--well done, but prices are at a commercial level.

National Wildlife Federation, 1412 16th Street, N.W., Washington, 1).C. 20036.-Ask for information on their "Environmental Discovery Unit" series. This is anexcellent series.

Nature Study Guild, Box 972, Berkeley, California 94701.-They publish anexcellent tree finder and flower finder.

Office of the Supt. of Public Instruction, State of Illinois, Environmental Education Division,Springfield, Illinois 62706.

Reed & Sons, Outdoor Education Specialists, Box 150 Rt. #2, Perrysville, Ohio 44864.Rodale Press, Educational Division, 33 Minor Street, Emmaus, Pa. 18049.

- Source of material on organic gardening.U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Svc., County Extension Office.

-Many publications on landscaping, horticulture, soils, insects, et al. are availablethrough every county office. Check your telephone directory.

90

PUBLISHER ADDRESSES

Advisory Committee of Open Educaticr90 Sherman streetCambridge, Mass. 02140

American Camping AssociationBradford WoodsMartinsville, Ind. 46151

American Geological Institute2201 M Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20037

Ballantine Books, Inc.101 Fifth Ave.

New York, N.Y. 10003

Burgess Publishing426.S. Sixth StreetMinneapolis, Minn. 55415

Cornell UniversityMailing Room, Building 7Research ParkIthaca, N.Y. 14850

Doubleday & Co., Inc.Garden City, N.Y. 11530

Educational Facilities Laboratory477 Madison Ave.New York; N.Y. 10022

Exposition P4ess, Inc.50 Jericho TAirspikeJericho, N.Y. 11753

J.G. Ferguson Publishing Co.6 N. Michigan Ave.Chicago, Ill. 60602

Harper & Row, Publishers49 East 33rd StreetNew York, N,Y. 10016

Holt, Rinehart & Winston383 Madison Ave.New York N.Y. 10017

The Interstate Printers & Publishers, Inc.19 North Jackson StreetDanville, Ill. 61832

The Izaak Walton League of America1800 N. Kent St., Suite 806Arlington, Va. 22209

I

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Kimball Foundation24 Northcote DriveBrentwood, Mo. 63144

McGraw-Hill Book Co.330 West 42nd StreetNew York, N.Y. 10036

MacMillan Co.866 Third Ave.New York, N.Y. 10022

M.I.T. Press28 Carleton StreetCambridge, Mass. 02142

National Education Association1201 16th Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20036

Prentice-Hall, Inc.Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 07632

Rookie Press, Inc.33 E. Minor StreetEmmaus, Pa. 18049

P.A. Schiller and AssociatesP.O. Box 307Chicago, III. 60690

State of CaliforniaThe Resources AgencyOffice of Conservation EducationSacramento, Calif. 95814

State of IllinoisDivision of FisheriesSpringfield, Ill. 62706

U.S. Government

Superintendent of DocumentsU.S. Government Printing OfficeWashington, D.C. 20402

(All U.S. government publications listedmay be obtained through this address,unless otherwise noted.)

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.605 Third Ave.New York, N.Y. 10016

91

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bettelheim, Bruno. The Informed Heart. Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press of Glencoe, 1960.Brainerd, J. W. "Schoolgrounds for Teaching Man's Relationship to Nature," School, Science,

and Mathematics, v64 n5, May 1964.pubos, Rang. So Human an Animal. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968.Guide for Planning Educational Facilities. Columbus, Ohio: Council of Educational Facility

Planners, 1969.Grube, Karl. Economic Influences of Elementary School Sites on Residential Property Tax

Revenue in Selected Urban Neighborhoods. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms, 1973.Grube, Karl. School Site Resources -AA Selected Bibliography. Ann Arbor, Mich.: School of

Education, University of Michigan, 1972. Unpublished document.Hammerman, D. R. and William M. Hammerman. Outdoor Education, A Book of Readings. Minneapolis:

Burgess, 1968.Hendon, William S., et al. The Sociological and Economic Impact of Urban Parks in Dallas,

Texas. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Technical Press, 1967.Mars'. Norman F. Outdoor Education on Your School Grounds. Sacramento, Calif.: Office of

C.: nervation Education, 1968.Michigan Department of Education, A Checklist on Better Uses for School Sites. Lansing,

Mich., 1963. Mimeographed document.Michigan Department of Education. The Community School Site, A Laboratory for Learning.

Lansing, Mich.: N.D.E.A., Title II Project, 1965.(Bulletin No. 314).Miller, James. "A Pioneering Educational Project to Provide Outdoor Educational Facilities,"

Michigan School Board Journal, v14 nl, Apr. 1967.Project W.E.Y.: Washington Environmental Yard. Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of California

Laboratory School, 1972.A Proposed Master Site Plan for the Bogie Lake Road School Site. Milford, Mich.: Citizens-

Staff-Pupil Planning Committee, Huron Valley Schools, Dec. 1972.Robinette, Gary O. Plants/People/and Environmental Quality. WashingtOn, D.C.: Government

Printing Off.:ce, 1972. (2405-0479, $4.00).School Beautification and Protection Handbook. Chicago: Board of Education, Sept. 1970.Simonds, John Ormsbee. Landscape Architecture, An Ecological Approach to Environmental

Planning. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961.Stapp, William B. "Environmental Encounters," in Outlines of Environmental Education. Madison,

Wis.: Dembar Educational Research Svcs., 1971.Stapp, William B. An Instructional Program Approach to Environmental Education (K-12)Based

on an Action Model. April 15, 1973. Unpublished paper.Stapp, William B. "Outdoor Laboratories," in Manual of Outdoor Interpretation. New York:

National Audubon Society, 1968.U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. "Policies for Outdoor Environmental Education Laboratories."

Champaign, Ill.: Soil Conservation Svc., Mar. 2, 1972. (Information Memorandum-IL-5).U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, Office of Education. Environmental Education

Handbook. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1972.VanMatre, Steve. Acclimatization. Martinsville, Ind.: American Camping Assoc., 1972.Wagner, William G., Ben H. Evans and Matthew A. Nowak. Shelter for Physical Education.

College Station, Texas: AgiM College of Texas, 1961.Weaver, Richard L. Manual for Outdoor Laboratories. Danville, Ill.: Interstate Printers,

1959.Wells, Elmer. Vandalism and Violence: Innovative Strategies Reduce Cost to Schools.

Washington, D.C.- National School Public Relations Association, 1971.Wilson, June S. and Russell E. Wilson. School Site Development, Title III Project. Croton-

on-Hudson, New York, 1968. Unpublished paper.Wilson, Russell E. and June S. Brown. "Schools Can Be Green Islands," Michigan Education

Journal, v42 n16, Apr. 1965.Wilson, Russell E., William B. Stapp, Eunice Hendrix, Doug Fulton, Carl Johnson, and Karl Grube.

Opportunities for Environmental Education on School Sites. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Ann Arbor PublicSchools Site Development and Selection--Advisory Committee. Public document.

Wilson, Russell E., et al. School Site Research Project. School Site Subcommittee of theState Conservation Education Committee of Michigan. Unpublished research proposal.

92

aSr, (Alfl

"All successful individual lives, and all successful civilisations,have been supported by an orderly system of relatonships linkingman to nature and to society. These relationships, which are ab-solutely essential not only to the well-being of the individualperson but also to the survival of human groups, are now rapidlyand profoundly disturbed by modern life. At stake, therefore, isnot only the rape of nature but the very future of mankind."

Rene' DubosSo Human an Animal