![Students hold hands while walking in groups outside]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1684510124/usmk12org/shduurwnavkdmdqbgyex/DSC03485.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1684510124/usmk12org/shduurwnavkdmdqbgyex/DSC03485.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1684510124/usmk12org/shduurwnavkdmdqbgyex/DSC03485.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1684510124/usmk12org/shduurwnavkdmdqbgyex/DSC03485.jpg","width":1000}])
University School of Milwaukee Preschool, Lower School, and Middle School students participated in Outdoor Classroom Day on May 18, joining students from around the globe. To celebrate, USM students participated in a wide variety of projects including outdoor painting, hiking on USM’s campus, and tree planting with Kip Jacobs ’74, USM’s outdoor education coordinator. Additionally, Upper School students, as well as alumni and school parents, participated in tree plantings throughout the day as part of the school’s Earth Day activities, which had been previously postponed due to inclement weather.
Outdoor Classroom Day is a campaign to celebrate and inspire play and learning outside the classroom. By getting involved, students and teachers join a worldwide movement of schools standing up for outdoor learning and setting an example to others that outdoor play matters.
In 2018, USM opened an outdoor education classroom, which features plantings, stone benches, and a “river” that fills with water when it rains, providing a habitat for frogs and other creatures that children can study. The school’s outdoor education initiative has grown in recent years thanks to ongoing support from the Storer Foundation and the Crysdahl Foundation.
