OUR OUTDOOR CLASRRROOM
Our Outdoor Classroom – Learning, Growing and Caring for Nature
Students will participate in sustainable activities in the school garden, orchard and outdoor learning space. Through planting, gardeni
In 2016, a beautiful flower garden was created at Elementary School Sračinec. In addition to colourful flowers, aromatic and medicinal plants such as rosemary and immortelle were also planted. The garden has been maintained and cared for by the school’s pupils and teachers. Thanks to its beauty and diversity the school received an award for winning 3rd place in the category of the Most Beautiful School Garden in Croatia in 2018, awarded by Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT).
Since then, every year we have been working diligently and systematically on expanding activities for both pupils and teachers. These activities include marking important days dedicated to nature and our planet, planting new species of flowers, installing raised garden beds and creating new flower displays and installations. A young orchard has also been planted next to the flower garden, and an outdoor library has been established. Last year, new wooden vegetable garden beds were installed, where pupils planted onions, garlic and peppers.
This year is particularly important and joyful for our school because a new wooden outdoor classroom has been built. Previously, there were benches and a school blackboard outdoors, but weather conditions such as rain, snow and extreme temperatures caused damage to the paint and wooden materials. Therefore, in cooperation with parents, the school developed a plan to build two wooden roof sheds under which lessons could be held outdoors.
Both roof sheds were designed with the help of professionals, while the actual construction was carried out by the parents, pupils and teachers who initiated the project. The roof sheds went through several stages of construction over a period of several weeks. They were built entirely from wooden materials, including beams and wooden boards. As they are surrounded by numerous trees, the outdoor classroom can also be called our Green Classroom.
The pupils are especially excited about the outdoor classroom because it offers great educational value. Here, they will be able to learn in a direct and active way. What they learn can be connected to the real world and to their own experiences. They can observe plants, follow the changes of the seasons, write compositions based on their senses, and take part in a variety of physical activities.
Lessons can become more dynamic and some topics can be explored in completely different ways. The outdoor classroom provides pupils with opportunities to investigate, ask questions, observe and draw conclusions. They can explore insects, sounds, soil and various phenomena occurring in nature.
The outdoor classroom is particularly suitable for practical and experiential learning. Right next to it are the school vegetable garden and orchard. Pupils can actively participate in their maintenance and care, practising environmental responsibility every day rather than simply learning about it from a textbook in a traditional classroom.
The outdoor classroom also allows pupils to spend part of their school day in the fresh air and natural light while creating a more relaxed learning atmosphere. They can communicate, collaborate and learn in an environment that is different from a traditional classroom.
Our outdoor classroom will become a special space within the school, connecting education and nature. Its greatest value lies in the fact that it makes learning more experiential, practical, meaningful and engaging for our pupils.
U Osnovnoj školi Sračinec, 2016 godine, oformljen je predivan školski cvjetnjak. U njemu, osim šarena cvijeća, zasađene su i začinske biljke poput ružmarina, smilja…, a održavan je kroz ruke učenika i učitelja škole. Zbog svog izgleda i raznolikosti cvjetnjaka škola je dobila i Priznanje za osvojeno 3. mjesto u kategoriji najljepšeg školskog vrta 2018. godine koju dodjeljuje HRT Televizija u kategoriji najljepšeg školskog vrta u RH.
Od tada, svake godine se vrijedno i planski radi na proširenju aktivnosti za učenike i učitelje kroz obilježavanje važnih dana za prirodu i naš planet, ali i sađenjem nove vrste cvijeća, postavljanjem visokih gredica, novih cvjetnih instalacija... Uz cvjetnjak je zasađen i mladi voćnjak, oformljena je vanjska knjižnica, a prošle godine instalirane su nove povrtne gredice od dasaka u koje su učenici zasadili luk, češnjak i papriku.
Ova godina je jako važna i radosna za našu školu jer je izrađena nova vanjska učionica od drva. Vani su, na otvorenome, bile klupe i školska ploča no vremenski uvjeti poput kiše, snijega, velikih temperatura uzrokovali su štete na boji i drvu. Tako je škola, u suradnji s roditeljima, napravila plan izgradnje dviju nadstrešnica pod kojima bi se održavala nastava vani. Obje nadstrešnice su prošle kroz ruke stručnih osoba, a izgrađene su od ruku roditelja, djece i učitelja inicijatora. Nadstrešnice su prošle kroz nekoliko faza gradnje u razdoblju od nekoliko tjedana. Izgrađene su, u potpunosti, od drvenog materijala ( grede, daske… ), a kako se nalazi ispod mnoštva drveća, može se nazvali i Zelenom učionicom.
Vanjskoj učioni se jako vesele djeca jer ima veliku vrijednost. Tamo će učenici učiti na jedan neposredan i aktivan način. Ono što e uči može se povezati sa stvarnim, iskustvenim svijetom, mogu se promatrati biljke, pratiti smjene godišnjih doba, pisati sastavci temeljeni na osjetilima, raditi puno fizičkih aktivnosti… Nastava postaje dinamičnija i neke teme se mogu obrađivati na drugačije načine. U vanjskoj učionici se pruža mogućnost učenicima za istraživanje, postavljanje pitanja, promatranje, zaključivanje… Mogu se istraživati i kukci, zvukovi, tlo, pojave u prirodi… Vanjska je učiona vrlo zahvalna za praktično učenje. Uz samu vanjsku učionu nalazi se školski povrtnjak i voćnjak. Učenici mogu aktivno sudjelovati u njihovu održavanju i brizi te će tako svakodnevno prakticirati brigu o okolišu koji bi, u unutarnjoj učioni, spomenuli iz udžbenika. Učiona omogućuju učenicima da dio nastave provedu na svježem zraku i uz prirodno svjetlo, ali se i u njoj stvara opuštenija atmosfera. Učenici mogu razgovarati i učiti u okruženju koje nije tradicionalna učionica. Vanjska učionica će postati poseban prostor škole koji će povezati školu i prirodu. Njezina je velika vrijednost u tome što nastavu čini iskustvenom, praktičnom i učenicima zanimljivijom.
