environment based education at seth
boyden
Environment Based Education
(EBE), an educational
strategy that uses the
environment as a tool and a
focus for learning in all
subject areas, transports
the theory of multiple
intelligences at the heart
of the Demonstration
School's philosophy beyond
traditional classroom walls
to our "outdoor learning
lab." Strawberry Fields
honors the legacy of
creativity and discovery of
school namesake Seth Boyden
who experimented with
strawberry breeding on these
very grounds. Environment
Based Education activities
in Strawberry Fields provide
a hands-on,
multidisciplinary, real-life
approach to our students'
required studies.
Educational studies of
schools with similar EBE
programs report better
performance on standardized
measures of academic
achievement in reading,
writing, math, science, and
social studies; reduced
discipline and classroom
management problems;
increased engagement and
enthusiasm for learning; and
greater pride and ownership
in accomplishments.
Strawberry Fields includes
natural habitats, teaching
gardens, a music garden, a
stage, a storytelling
circle, fitness equipment,
running track, climbing
wall, and a community picnic
area. The two areas
essential to EBE are the
Teaching Gardens and Habitat
Gardens.
The
Teaching Gardens
Every Seth Boyden class has a garden
bed to plan, plant, and maintain.
Students experience the life cycle
from germination through harvest,
from garden waste to re-use, using
their own hands and resources to
complete the cycle. They learn to
properly nurture plants and develop
an understanding of the
inter-relationship between wildlife
and plant life.
Vegetable, flower and herb gardens
teach about processes, cause and
effect, and healthy nutrition.
Through garden design and
management, students learn about
ratios, perimeters, area, survey
design, graphing, measurement, and
calendar skills. Counting,
measuring, and weighing reinforce
math skills. Students visit the
garden daily to observe and note
changes, and keep individual and
classroom garden journals. |
 |
New
Jersey Habitat Gardens
Seth Boyden students and staff study
birds, animals, insects, plants and
microorganisms in the New Jersey
Habitat Gardens. Second grade
students use the Habitat Garden to
learn about butterflies and
habitats. Fourth Grade students use
the Habitat Garden to learn about
mapping and coordinates, plant and
animal classification, food chains
and food webs and
ecosystems. |
 |
