In October I had the opportunity to spend the day at this outdoor education center just north of Milwaukee - it was an awesome experience! What an exciting place for a young child to explore nature. This is just one of many areas - a sandy area loaded with rocks and stumps. Just think of what the children could do with all of these items.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to have your school back up to Lake Michigan! This is a bunch of sticks stacked up which the children can play in. They also have several other areas in their three main outdoor play areas for children to play with sticks and build a lean-to. They have pieces of fabric laying next to these types of structures for children to decorate and create a hiding place.
The Director is presenting at the Chicago Metro Conference again this year if you have an opportunity don't miss it. They also offer many workshops. I highly recommend going to them. After all these years in the field I was totally jazzed about so many of their ideas. Another one was an herb garden with a mortar and pestle and the children could grind up the leave to release the aromas. They saved them into tulle circles and tied them with twine.
