At a Glance:

As outdoor education continues to grow in popularity, we enhanced West Ottawa Public Schools' elementary campuses with the addition of dedicated outdoor learning spaces during the summer of 2025. This K-12 site development project was designed to extend the classroom beyond the building, creating engaging environments that support hands-on learning, collaboration, and student interaction with nature.

Each outdoor learning area was thoughtfully designed to provide a flexible and functional educational landscape, featuring log-style benches and tables, shade structures, and natural amphitheater-style seating for group instruction and presentations. Additional elements such as sand play areas, landscaping, and perimeter fencing were incorporated to create safe, structured spaces that encourage exploration and creativity.

These improvements provide teachers with new opportunities to incorporate outdoor learning and experiential education into their curriculum, while also enhancing the overall campus environment for students.

This project highlights a growing trend in elementary school site design and outdoor classroom construction, delivering innovative spaces that support both academic engagement and student well-being.