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Education
School’s Out

When fifth-grade teacher Dave Ellis tells his students it’s time for their math lesson, they reach for tape measures and scales and head to the wetlands right outside their classroom. Students in the prairie science class at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, spend two hours every school day, even in the depths of winter, away from their traditional classrooms and desks and out in the field, where they use the natural features of the prairie as learning tools to complete their regular curriculum. For example, students catch and band ducks, record their weight, measure their wings, map their populations, and then use the data for different math problems. “Instead of doing percentages and fractions with Legos, you’re doing it with ducks in the field,” says Ken Garrahan, a supervisory park ranger. The students also keep journals of their daily observations of the prairie and use their notes to write haikus and essays as part of their language arts requirements.

The program started in 2003 and now accommodates four classes of 27 students, split between morning and afternoon. The school day’s other half is spent in traditional classrooms at Fergus Falls Middle School. The Learning Center includes 330 acres of native and restored prairie (one of the nation’s most endangered ecosystems), 28 separate wetlands, and four miles of trails. Ellis, who has been teaching in the district for 35 years, developed the program with Garrahan after observing how much his students enjoyed class time outdoors. Ellis says his unique program centers on the strict prairie regimen, which benefits children’s physical and mental well-being.

A 2004 American Journal of Public Health study showed that exposure to nature was effective in reducing symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When children were exposed to “green” areas, they performed better on objective concentration tests, and parents saw positive changes in behavior. Garrahan says some parents have been able to take their children off ADHD medication after attending the prairie science class.

“Across the country, parents and teachers tell me that their children are smarter, healthier, and happier when they spend more time outside, particularly in natural environments,” says Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and winner of the 2008 Audubon Medal for his work focusing attention on children’s isolation from the natural world. “This could be a good model for other integrated outdoor curriculums.”

The program has become so popular that the center recently received $2 million in state funds to expand its facilities to accommodate 100 fourth graders. More than 35,000 students also travel to the prairie on day field trips each year. “I believe when it comes to teaching our students about the intricate balance in an ecosystem, it’s better if they have actually seen it,” Ellis says. “They’ve watched monarch butterflies migrate south because they’ve tagged them. They lie on their backs and watch hawks fly. It’s internalized every day as they study.”—Shawn Query

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