To ensure the Iowa DOT's outdoor classroom curriculum is easy-to-use, applicable to the real world (use in Iowa K-12 classrooms), and adheres to the highest educational standards, it was field-tested and fully evaluated by educators representing various schools throughout the state that teach students of differing age groups.

The Iowa DOT used the feedback from teachers to enhance and improve the curriculum, as it is presently available on this site. 

Offered below are project descriptions, photos and illustrations from some of the field demonstration projects.  This information was provided by teachers who agreed to share their experience and offer their objective opinions about the curriculum.

Each project has its own unique characteristics, which further illustrates the flexibility this curriculum offers educators and students. 

Anita Elementary School, Anita, Iowa

Grade level of instruction: 4th grade  

Subject areas this curriculum complimented: math and science

Total number of students in district: 341

No. of students who participated: 28

Educator: Mary Strong

Type of project: "Red, white and blue" Native plants and grasses garden

Project description: (documented May 2003)

In the words of teacher Mary Strong:

We began our project in the fall.  I told my class about the project and we listed ideas for the garden.  We talked about an heirloom garden where the students would ask their grandparents and neighbors for plants for the garden.  We decided on a kidney-shaped garden.  My neighbor was getting rid of some limestone and I asked if we could have it for our garden.  The vocational agriculture teacher volunteers his students to go and get the limestone and also to remove the sod.  This worked out really well because they needed the sod to repair some places on the football field.  We put the limestone around the back of the garden.  It is about a foot high.  The mother of one of my students gave us many spring bulbs and helped us plant them.  They were very pretty in the spring. 

Then when spring arrived, we were at war.  The students then decided to make a red, white and blue garden.  The father of one of my students was called up.  We had been e-mailing him.  It is hard to find perennials that are these colors.  

I contacted Bluebird Nursery in Clarkson, Nebraska, about getting native perennials and grasses.  I took our drawing of the garden to them.  SheryInn, their representative, was very helpful.  I told her that it would be really nice if there was something blooming in the garden from June through august.  SheryInn said that she could do this.  She not only gave us a plan for the planting of our plants, but she also included information about many of them.  

We received over 200 plants for our $200 (see plant list and drawing of garden).  It rained a lot in May, and we finally got the plants in the ground May 19.  It did rain on us the last 20 minutes the students were outside, but everyone had a good time and we became familiar with the names of the plants.

We also made decorative stones for our garden.  The students worked in groups of two to design and make the stones.  They brought items from home like rocks and marbles to decorate them.  Several of them spelled out U.S.A.  Each group decided where they would like to place their decorative stone in the garden. (Click here for instructions on making decorative stones.)

By June 2003, school was out and I was already beginning to think about next school year.  In the fall I want the fourth graders to learn the history of these plants.  I know that some of the plants were used by Native Americans.  We have people in our community that come to schools and tell students about native plants.  I also want to have the students make markers for the plants.  I'm going to talk to our local paper about having the students write short articles about some of the plants.  We could include a picture of the plant.  I'm also going to spend more time getting other ideas from this Web site.

Native plants and grasses planted, and kidney-shaped garden plan

1.  Big Bluestem

2.  Compass plant

3.  Joe-pye weed

4.  Rigid goldenrod

5.  New England Aster

6. Royal Catchfly

7.  Spiderwort

8.  Nodding wild onion

9.  False indigo

10.  Aster Laevis

11.  Obedient plant

12.  Queen-of-the-Meadows

13.  Jacob's ladder

14.  Foamflower

15.  Showy coneflower

16.  Rattlesnake master

17.  Rock Aster

18.  Pasque flower

19.  Purple coneflower

20.  Yellow coneflower

21.  False Lupina, bush pea

22.  Blanket flower

23.  Penstemon Strictus

24.  American Columbine

25.  Three-flowered smooth phlox

26.  Wild geranium

27.  Scotch bluebells

28.  Little Bluestem

29.  Prairie Dropseed

30.  Ox-Eye Daisy

31.  Purple Poppy mallow

32.  Azure sage

33.  Mexican hat

34.  Prairie Smoke

35.  Beardtongue

Comments from Mary on the curriculum: Had not thought about putting safety first, this section in Unit 3 "had good information."  In reading Unit 1, "I hadn't thought about using drought-tolerant plants."  Regarding Unit 4 (Selecting a site and potting your garden), "all of these were filled with good ideas and information!"  "I appreciated the list of ideas," within Unit 5 under the selecting a garden them section.  Unit 6 (Site Prep, Planting and Maintenance), "very well done, lots of good information, information I'm using." Unit 8 on Evaluation offered a "good list of ideas" on evaluation methods.  Mary reports using the glossary and resources sections. Overall, "I felt that you have a very good Web site.  The information is great, everything works, and it is easy to use.

Griswold Junior/Senior High School, Griswold, Iowa

Grade level of instruction: 6-12

Subject areas this curriculum complimented: vocational agriculture, family and consumer sciences and Middle School sciences (Other classes involved included: woodworking, environmental sciences, art, physics, chemistry, creative writing, and literature.) 

Educators: Mark Schmitz, Vickie Anstey and Molly Crom

Type of project: Walking garden

Project description: (documented Dec. 2002)

In their application, educators said they were very interested in integrating their classrooms, doing some team teaching or just overlapping curriculum.  They also wanted to get outdoors, and use our natural resources.  They had been wanting to develop a green house and/or create a natural prairie/garden plot.  They had lot of interest, but needed a means of implementing it into their system.  

Teacher Vicki Anstey was particularly interested in the project because she had written environmental education curriculum for the state of Iowa in the past; most recently, the new Loess Hills curriculum.  She has been very involved in Iowa-specific environmental education involving students and teachers. 

Anstey said," We have found a great deal of interest and excitement about not only getting out of doors, but creating an appreciation in young people for the connection between nature and quality of life.  This interest spans not only science, agriculture classes and consumerism, but also business, industrial tech and creative writing."

Griswold High School Principal Darwin Lehmann said, it was "a chance for students to get their feet wet in a variety of different outdoor learning experiences." The teachers got together "from the vocational agriculture, family consumer science and the science class to fully use this space.  The food class will be planting vegetables, the science class will be using it for their classes, and the vocational agriculture class will be planting plots of different grains."

To bring this outdoor learning experience to reality took coordination from many people.  Teachers Mark and Vickie wrote the application for the $250 demonstration grant.  Iowa DOT field service coordinators Scott Suhr and Bob Rye helped coordinate the activities.  Suhr worked with the Iowa Interstate Railroad, which donated the railroad ties used for the border.  Hallett Materials, donated the topsoil.  The DOT's staff from the Atlantic garage delivered the topsoil and railroad ties to the Griswold School. 

Stewart Elementary School, Washington Community Schools, Washington, Iowa

Grade level of instruction: 2nd grade; 7-9 year olds

Total district size: 1,784 students

No. of students who participated in demonstration project: 20

Subject areas this curriculum complimented: reading, language arts, science, math and social studies 

Educators: Maria M. Haberer

Type of project: 

Project description: (documented May 2003)

Before the project was started, teacher Maria Haberer said, "Science is a special interest of mine.  I've tried to keep kids interested in reading for information as they explore science, especially with environmental issues.  We have used the Internet to explore various topics, especially butterfly and hummingbird gardening.  Some of the plants currently on campus are native plants, but most are not.

Currently, I am trying to establish a site for a naturalized garden, using native plants, and to create a more natural planting in our mini-woods, which now is mowed grass.  I needed help in planning exactly what would work in our area."

Haberer went on to say, "I am so excited to see that you are planning a curriculum that will provide that assistance!  Your quest to get easily accessible information out to schools is very commendable!"

In Haberer's evaluation of the curriculum and Web site, she offered these comments, "My students loved the Web site and their time.  We have used other Web sites and this was among their favorites when polled."  

We got our project "started and planted, mulched and of course, watered regularly.  We purchased native prairie plants from our garden center.  Couldn't get all species we wanted, but have a good variety."

"We had the junior high students over a few days of 'hard' work with our second graders and it make quick work of mulching, digging, weeding and planting.

This curriculum is wonderful.  Have used other garden curriculum and somehow the Web site made it more interesting for my students," said Haberer.

Regarding various aspects of the curriculum, Haberer offered the following comments:

the curriculum goals made it easy to align to their lessons and standards for their district; 

• it was very simple to use in a second grade lesson, we shared lessons with our kindergarten buddies and had a great experience; 

• our principal was very supportive and it took no convincing; 

• Although we had studied our environment in prior years, using the Web site made children more aware of Iowa's environmental needs;

• students really enjoyed planning their own gardens; 

• the "measuring your garden area" section in Unit 4 was a great math activity;

• the "stretching your landscape dollar" section in Unit 5 offered great ideas, we used many this year and plan to use more next year;

• the section offering "ideas for expansion and enhancement" of the garden in Unit 7 provided good ideas with terrific links for crafts and things to improve the garden;and

• as was suggested in Unit 7, "keeping a field journal," journal writing was greatly used, notes in Enviro-Explorers' field journals made it fun, as well as educational.  (Go to the "Field Journal Activity" link on this site for more information about keeping a journal.)

In a note to the DOT after completing the garden, Haberer said, 
"Thank you for the great opportunity my students and I had to use the curriculum on the Enviro-Explorers' Web site!  It greatly enhanced my environmental and habitat units.  My students became avid Enviro-Explorers and used skills learned in deciding what plants to put out and how to care for them.  We are looking forward to seeing how our little area of native plants attracts wildlife."