Design Inspiration: Bringing A Tribal Creation Story To Life Through An Outdoor Classroom
Two new outdoor classrooms for the Otoe-Missouria tribe of Oklahoma tell the creation story of today’s seven surviving clans: Bear, Beaver, Elk, Eagle, Buffalo, Pigeon and Owl. The staff at the daycare center provided inspiration images and correct native spellings for each animal and asked us to incorporate those throughout the outdoor learning environment.
Honored and up for the challenge, Good Fieldwork created seven unique areas defined by each animal:
Bear Den
The Bear Den is a cave-like entrance into the base of a grassy tumble hill, inviting children to crawl in and “hibernate.” A wooden arch roof is sturdy enough to allow children to climb all over the den, and natural wood chips create a soft floor for the little "bears" should they decide to leap off the top. The den’s grassy hillside provides children a safe space to roll or slide down the hill, much like playful little bears like to do.
Pigeon Perch
The Pigeon Perch is a low-to-the-ground climbing feature with little ramps and stepped platforms designed for toddlers as they develop their physical abilities. It is stained varying shades of brown to resemble the many colors of a bird’s nest. Even though it’s sized for the littlest pPigeons”, it’s fun for Pre-K kids to climb on when it’s their turn in the outdoor classroom.
Beaver Dam
The Beaver Dam is built along the slope of a larger tumble hill in the middle of the bike path. Much like a dam in the natural environment, it is built of varying lengths and diameters of hearty black locust logs. Little “beavers” can build confidence, using their strong arms and legs to make their way up the dam and right to the entrance of the Eagle Nest.
Eagle Nest
The Eagle Nest is perfectly nestled at the top of the outdoor classroom’s large tumble hill “look-out.” With a broad view of the classroom’s surroundings, an "eagle" can survey the entire area to determine if it’s safer to stay at home base with the other little eagles, or if it's time to fly the coop. If they decide to leave, they can decide on the best exit strategy, whether it’s better to climb back down the Beaver Dam or “fly” down the tumble hill.
Buffalo Grassland Prairie
The Buffalo Grassland Prairie represents the local landscape and provides opportunities to teach the little “buffaloes” about native planting techniques. It features two raised garden beds at different heights since the classroom is designed for multiple age groups. The raised beds are situated in a “field” of newly planted native grasses that look small today, but will quickly mature to give the landscape a true prairie feel.
Owl Reading Nook
The Owl Reading Nook features a nice teacher-sized seating boulder that invites the teacher and the little “owls” for some outdoor storytime. Whether they are learning about the history of the Otoe-Missouria tribe, or how to pronounce the names of the clan animals, or just listening to a Mo Willems story about a pigeon driving a bus, we are sure these little “owls” will keep growing wiser outside.
Elk Rack
The Elk Rack obstacle course was designed to resemble the long body of an elk and its impressive rack rising up from the earth. Children can practice balance and agility as they pretend to ride the elk, trekking across its balance beam “back,” stepping onto its boulder “head,” and traversing from antler to antler. Unlike on a traditional playground, the little “elks” are able to enjoy a climbing element that is built of entirely natural materials consisting of black locust posts, cedar beams and an engineered wood fiber fall zone.
Multiple sensory pathways and a bike path encircling the Eagle Nest and Beaver Dam areas are sure to lead to adventure. On opposite ends of the outdoor learning spaces sit miniature ancestral homes, another request by the tribe, each made of black locust poles, cedar walls and a grassy roof. The natural materials shown on the ground beneath the ancestral homes are messy materials intended for children to use their imaginations to build, play or create.
As you can see in the project pictures, the animals, along with their names written in the tribe's native language, are engraved into the different areas so the children can associate the words with the animals.
With every outdoor classroom project, we take what we learn about our clients and their young students and get to create something amazing just for them.