The Good Fieldwork team recently attended the Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference in Denver and The Montessori Event in Boston. We enjoyed visiting with educators from across the United States and learned that there are still a lot of questions about the natural outdoor classroom process. To help educators searching for answers about how to get started, we thought it would be helpful to share some examples of how we’ve worked under different scenarios to make outdoor classroom ideas a reality for our clients.  

Example 1: You have a basic concept, but don’t know where to go next.

In this example, our client came to us with an initial concept purchased from a national nature-based play organization that wasn’t quite ready to take to a full build-out.

They brought us a framework of distinct play areas that we were able to expand upon, then build. Following successful completion of the facility’s first outdoor classroom, we were then contracted to fully design and build three additional outdoor classrooms for the same facility, each for a designated age group.

Today, this facility has two outdoor classrooms for infants and toddlers, one for Pre-K students, and a separate classroom with raised garden beds.

Example 2: You need a conceptual design to get started.

A conceptual plan is a great place to start, especially if you don’t yet have funding for a full outdoor classroom construction project. We developed a conceptual plan for a project that is now under construction, but it took some time for that client to raise money for the construction phase. The client took our conceptual plan and used it to do a series of fundraisers. Now work is under way to transform that school’s concrete-heavy areas into a more natural landscape designed for learning, exploring and playing.

As we approach the end of the instructional calendar, many schools have money sitting in their general fund budget that could be used for an outdoor classroom conceptual design. Once the conceptual plan is done, we’ll work with you on timing for the rest of the project.

Example 3: You worked with an architect (or maybe you ARE an architect) and have an outdoor classroom design. Now you need an outdoor classroom builder.

We understand that the design process is crucial to your project’s success, and equally crucial is finding a qualified outdoor classroom construction partner. Good Fieldwork has worked with other architects to bring their outdoor classroom designs and plans to life. Building an outdoor classroom takes a unique set of skills, and we have the experience and expertise to carry your custom designs through to completion. Take a look at our outdoor classroom ideas gallery to see what we can build for you.

Example 4: You’re looking for an outdoor classroom design-build company to handle it all.

We’ve worked with several clients that prefer to have a single point of contact for all aspects of their outdoor classroom projects, which is one advantage of design-build services. With our design-build clients, our licensed in-house architect and design team will partner with you to design an outdoor classroom that not only works best for your available space and preferences, but also works within your budget. Once you approve your design, we work with our construction partner to make it all happen.

Regardless of where you are in the process, we’d be happy to talk to you about how we can help with your natural outdoor classroom. We can offer one, all or a combination of the services mentioned above to meet your needs. Let’s get started today.