Construction Underway on Oak Creek Exploration Zone

Little Acorn Park Receives Certified Outdoor Classroom Distinction

Progress continues on Phase 2 of the Margaret Noecker Nature Center, Oak Creek Exploration Zone! The week that school ended in May, work began in earnest on the current playground site. Children were glued to the windows in Bur Oak Cottage, as were the young clients in The Carruth Center, as construction workers and large equipment tore down old structures and ripped out concrete pathways. The following weeks were spent on the outdoor classroom’s infrastructure, such as drainage and grading, followed by concrete pathways that were set and poured. In July, we installed a twenty-foot Overcup oak tree, our signature piece of the zone’s entrance.

We can’t wait for Oak Creek Exploration Zone to become an engaging outdoor classroom for our 4 to 6-year-olds! Featuring stimulating and magical play environments of climbing, water, sand, hills, tree swings, building blocks, and loose-parts materials, the area is designed to give our children a place where their imaginations and play skills can blossom. We fully expect the project to be complete in early fall 2021, so stay tuned for more details on a grand opening!

We also wanted to share some extra exciting news concerning Phase 1 of the Margaret Noecker Nature Center - Little Acorn Park. The park has earned national recognition as a Certified Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom from the Nature Explore program, which is a division of Dimensions Educational Research Foundation. This has been a dream of the MNNC since the park opened in 2019, and we join a very select community of 500+ classrooms in the country that have received this distinction.

The Parish School’s commitment to providing research-based and nature-rich learning offers a wonderful example to programs and educators throughout the country.” said Heather Fox, director of communications and outreach for the Nature Explore program. “These spaces inspire hands-on activity, creativity, play and plenty of time exploring the natural world for children of all ages.”

Nature Explore Classrooms have been developed by a team of master educators, landscape architects and researchers in response to the documented growing disconnect between children and nature.

The classrooms help fill this void by integrating research-based outdoor learning opportunities into children’s daily lives. Classrooms that are designed according to standards and principles described in Dimensions Educational Research Foundation’s Learning With Nature Idea Book are eligible to become Certified Nature Explore Classrooms.

Margaret Noecker Nature Center on The Parish School campus is an integrated, nature-based learning environment that facilitates children’s intellectual, social and emotional development through direct engagement with the natural environment. The Nature Center, with long-range plans that

take advantage of The Parish School’s 17-acre natural landscape, is our commitment to fully integrating nature-based learning into Parish life. Over the next few years, the Nature Center will grow to be a dedicated, campuswide domain that touches every activity and educational program at our school.