The Outdoor Classroom

The Outdoor Classroom is a reference to the unique hands-on, experiential learning that is inter-woven into every aspect of the Chatfield curriculum.  Fun, engaging lessons and programs are designed to stimulate a student's natural curiosity and to provide real world learning in every subject area.  From the unique Willows Ecology Center, gardens, and learning spaces on the Chatfield campus to canoe, bike, and other field study experiences, the world is our classroom and learning is not contained to a brick and mortar building.  

Examples of Learning in the Outdoor Classroom Include:

 Mapping, Orienteering, and Math

 Fire Building 

 Wild Edible Plants 

 Watershed Studies 


 Native American Studies

 Maple Syrup Production 

 Historical Tools and Machines 

 Bee Keeping 

 Historical Reenactments 

 Native American Studies 

 Seasonal Studies 


 Place-Based Study 

 Wildlife Biology

 Study of Alternatives