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The “nature” of teaching in Leverett.

Leverett Elementary School teachers are regularly utilizing the forest, fields, and streams around the school campus in an innovative effort to extend and expand classroom instruction. Drawing inspiration from forest kindergarten programs in Europe and from Antioch University’s nature-based early childhood program, they are infusing abstract science concepts with hands-on experiences and exploring new contexts, materials, and perspectives for art, writing, even math.

We are inspired by the work of these teachers and their larger vision—to engage students with nature in deeper, more impactful ways, and help them develop an understanding of the environmental challenges we must all navigate in the years to come.

  • I see the entire LES campus and surrounding conservation land as our classroom. I hope that our students will develop a deep love and respect for the environment and work toward building a sustainable future for us all.

    Alyson Bull, LES 6th grade teacher

  • When you remove literal walls and boundaries from a classroom setting, and use equipment that is connected to trees and made of natural materials, students become more collaborative. They learn to think critically and creatively.

    Sadie Graham, LES PE teacher

  • Stewardship of the land and a personal responsibility in human/environment interaction are strengthened by spending time in nature and exploring the world around us.

    Bill Stewart, LES 5th grade teacher

  • Children must have an opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it, before being asked to heal its wounds.

    David Sobel, Professor Emeritus, Antioch University

Let’s bring A-B-C & 1-2-3 outdoors!

With more resources and training, LES teachers can build a robust program of nature-based inquiry and reflection that will strengthen the education they offer our children, distinguish our school as a leader in outdoor learning, and continue to draw more young families to our community.

Help us fund outdoor learning and nature-based education at Leverett Elementary School.

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YOUR DONATION SUPPORTS

  • Classrooms

    Durable outdoor structures and storage sheds for year-round use

  • Training

    Professional development in nature-based education for teachers and staff

  • Apparel

    To ensure all children have high-quality gear for being outdoors in all weather

  • Equipment

    For an innovative, outdoor-focused physical education program

  • Field trips

    For class visits to sites of ecological and environmental significance

About our campaign name

ACORN, BLACKBERRY, and CROCUS are three of the dozens of nature-related words that have been removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary over the last decade and a half. Taking their place are words like attachment, blog, and chatroom. As a volume that claims to reflect “the current frequency of words in daily language of children,” these changes to the OJD reflect the shifting experience of childhood in our digital world.

In response to these revisions, a group of more than 20 authors, including Margaret Atwood and Helen Macdonald, wrote an open letter of protest to the OJD publisher in 2015 entitled, “Reconnecting kids with nature is vital and needs cultural leadership.”

Learn more here.

Special thanks to Alissa Alteri-Shea & Bill Stewart for their photographs.

From an ACORN we learn about potential & persistence. The BLACKBERRY is local, healthy & delicious. A CROCUS tells us spring is coming in Leverett!