The Voices Of Children: Lessons Learned While Listening: Creating An Outdoor Classroom: Construction

We had a lot of help in planning the outdoor classroom and executing the plan. In fact, everyone we asked to help ended up collaborating on realizing the vision. When I showed the landscape contractor the children's ideas, he suggested that we have a little bridge in the space. One day, shortly after I shared his idea with the children, one of the children was looking at a book of photographs of animals. She came to me and said, “Did you say we were going to have woods [in our new outdoor classroom]? I was thinking we should have monkeys and a moose in there.” She continued to look at the book. “Or maybe owls,” she added. “Maybe we could have peacocks and parrots. But no penguins.” She went away then but came back a few minutes later talking about the bridge she knew we were planning to have.
"I know how we can make the bridge," she said.
"Would you like to draw your idea so you can show Mr. McGuire when he comes?"
B. accepted the challenge. First she drew the parts he would need...just the parts. I asked her to draw how the parts would make the bridge. Accustomed to drawing in order to communicate her ideas, B. first drew the components of the bridge in her mind: vertical supports and a long piece of wood to span them.
"How does it work?" I asked.
B. took my question as a challenge and revisited her drawing to show the constructed bridge.

The parts for the bridge are on the bottom. The completed bridge is on top.

In this way, the project became more collaborative between the children and the adults involved. The children remained mentally and physically engaged throughout the project, running out to join anyone who seemed to be even considering working in the space, asking what they were doing, and often staying to help or watch.