For years, our educators have talked about the dream of a dedicated outdoor learning space — a place where the boundary between classroom and nature dissolves, where children can dig, build, climb, observe, and wonder in an environment designed specifically for them. This month, that dream became reality.
The BrightRoots Outdoor Learning Space officially opened its gates in late June, and the response from children, families, and educators has been overwhelming. Built on a half-acre of previously unused land adjacent to our main building, the space includes a nature play area, a mud kitchen, raised garden beds, a gathering circle, a sensory path, and a small amphitheater for outdoor storytime and performances.
Designing With Children in Mind
The outdoor classroom was designed in collaboration with early childhood educators, landscape architects, and families. We started by asking a simple question: what do children need from an outdoor space? The answer, informed by research and observation, guided every decision.
Children need opportunities for physical risk-taking in a safe context, which is why the space includes log balance beams, gentle slopes, and climbing boulders sized for small bodies. They need loose parts to manipulate and combine, which is why bins of sticks, pinecones, shells, and stones are scattered throughout. They need quiet spaces to retreat to, which is why a willow tunnel and a reading nook tucked behind tall grasses offer refuge from the bustle of group play.
Every element serves a developmental purpose, but from a child's perspective, it simply looks like the best playground they have ever seen.
The Mud Kitchen
If there is one feature that has captured the hearts of our young learners, it is the mud kitchen. Constructed from reclaimed wood and stocked with pots, pans, molds, and utensils, the mud kitchen invites children to mix, pour, stir, and serve elaborate mud creations. On any given day, you might find a child baking a mud pie decorated with flower petals, running a pretend restaurant, or conducting a serious investigation into how much water it takes to turn dry soil into perfect mud consistency.
The mud kitchen supports imaginative play, sensory exploration, language development, and social negotiation. It is also, according to the children, the most fun place in the entire world.
Curriculum in the Open Air
The outdoor classroom is not a recess space — it is a true learning environment where intentional curriculum happens in a natural setting. Our educators plan activities that take advantage of the outdoor context while addressing the same developmental goals we pursue indoors.
Math lessons happen at the garden beds, where children count seeds, measure plant growth, and compare sizes. Science exploration happens at the sensory path, where children investigate textures, sounds, and natural materials. Literacy comes alive at the amphitheater, where stories told beneath the open sky take on a special quality.
The outdoor setting also supports learning that is harder to achieve inside. Children develop an understanding of weather, seasons, and ecosystems through direct, daily experience rather than through pictures in a book.
Community Support Made It Possible
This project would not have been possible without the extraordinary generosity of our community. Local businesses donated materials, skilled volunteers contributed labor, families participated in fundraising events, and a matching grant from the Riverside Community Foundation provided critical financial support.
The construction process itself became a learning opportunity. Children watched from behind a safe barrier as the space took shape, asking questions about tools, materials, and building techniques. Several families came on weekends to help with planting and finishing touches.
What Families Are Saying
The response from families has been deeply encouraging. Parents tell us their children come home talking about the bugs they found, the structures they built, and the mud pies they made. Several families have reported that their children are spending more time outdoors at home, inspired by their experiences in the outdoor classroom.
We invite all BrightRoots families to visit the outdoor space during our upcoming family open house. And for those considering enrolling, we would love to give you a tour of this special new addition to our campus. Nature is calling — and at BrightRoots, we are answering.