By David High, Schooldesigner Writer

In his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv creates a compelling case that most children today are not sufficiently exposed to nature. From our litigious society's cordoning off of natural spaces to our increasingly hectic schedules and the easy lure of television, today's children spend an overwhelming amount of time indoors. And while it may seem that schools would be the primary culprit in keeping kids out of the natural environment, there are some schools that are actively reintroducing kids to the outdoors.

For example, the German concept of "forest kindergarten", an entirely outdoor classroom allowing students to learn from objects found in nature, is finding acceptance through the "slow parenting" movement in the United States. Our rising awareness of ADD, childhood anxiety and the obesity epidemic are causing us to look critically at how our children spend their time and how school fits into the larger picture.

Even if the idea of "forest kindergarten" is unconventional, some designers today are applying its concepts to their design. For example, San Francisco based 450 Architects beyond today's "green" standards in designing the Argonne Child Development Center. Even as it approaches its tenth year of operation, the school's green features exceed many of today's "green" facilities. Sure, there are the standards: recycled materials, correct solar orientation, natural ventilation and an impressive 25% of electricity generated on site by PV solar panels. But the quality of design also has more intangible features.

Argonne Child Development Center Richard Parker

At Argonne, the student's connection to nature goes beyond the academic. The xeriscaped (non irrigated landscaping) site not only saves water and labor costs, it introduces students to indigenous plantings. Outside the school are 100 garden beds that supply food for local families and a homeless shelter. Through this students connect to the local community and understand that their own sustenance comes from the earth, not the grocery store.

It's well known that an immediate connection to nature has great health benefits. Just as people recover more quickly from illness when provided with a view to the outdoors, so does this exposure benefit students. Attention Restoration Theory posits that the ability to concentrate increases after spending time in natural environments. The principles behind this are evident even to laypeople. We all know that a walk through nature reduces stress, which is one of the biggest obstacles to sustained concentration and memory retention.

The Francis Allen School Dero Sanford

It was this understanding that Wittenberg, Delony and Davidson brought to the design of The Francis Allen School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Focused on children with learning, physical and mental disabilities, the school provides students with ample access to the outdoors. Expansive views, daylight and natural materials create a calming palette, and an elevated tree house provides a connection to fresh air and a perspective that students otherwise might not have.

Ann Reid Early Childhood Center Paul Schlismann

Rain gardens are another way to introduce the calming effects of nature to the classroom. At the Ann Reid Early Childhood Center in Naperville, Illinois, designers at Wight & Company in Chicago used the runoff from vegetated roofs to supply the "rain chains" that supply the garden. Attractive even when it's not raining, these chains provide a soothing calm as rainwater flows into the indigenous plantings. Nature finds other ways into the classrooms of this school. Daylight flows through the skylights, and expansive windows allow views of the nature park preserved by the careful siting of the structure. Like the self-guided ethos of outdoor schools, this school provides students with the opportunity and benefits of a "do it yourself" early education.

Westbrook School for Young Learners HN Kaplan

Some advocates of Attention Restoration Theory even suggest that students benefit from merely looking at scenes of nature. Challenged by narrow room dimensions, designers at GreenAssociates Architects of Deerfield Illinois created a calming environment conducive to early childhood learning in the Westbrook School for Young Learners. Natural materials, murals and careful lighting selection mitigate the cinder block construction.

Force Elementary School Urban Play Studio LLC

Finally, on a lighter note, we find school designers that were not afraid to take the dreams of the students seriously. At Force Elementary in Denver Colorado, the school's art teacher took student's artwork as inspiration and approached Urban Play Studio about turning it into playground equipment. While limited in scope, this playground gets the job done in getting kids outside. Given the real world benefits of healthy learning environments, we see that even having fun is serious business.

This Month We Are Featuring:

Green Modular Classrooms by

The SmartSpace Premier Classroom design transforms LEED® principles into building practices. Eco-friendly, healthy and energy efficient, this relocatable classroom can be ready to occupy as much as 50% sooner than conventional construction. Flexible, innovative and customized to suit your architectural needs and construction specifications, SmartSpace engages a philosophy that results in a better building envelope with improved thermal performance, all steel construction, better indoor air quality, and according to an independant energy study completed for the Carroll School- all at an energy cost savings of over 50%. Read More.