Community Action Celebrates Completion of New Nature Explore® Outdoor Classroom

On Thursday, September 6, Community Action (communityactionatworkorg.presencehost.net) donors, board members, staff, and friends, gathered at the agency’s Health 360 Head Start Center (2301 O St.) to celebrate the completion of its new Nature Explore® outdoor classroom.

The new outdoor classroom, named “Apples Way Playground” in recognition of the company’s generous lead contribution, is intended to help nature become an integral and joyful part of children’s daily learning. The outdoor classroom is designed to support children’s learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as well as language/literacy, the arts and social/emotional development. The space contains lush raised bed gardens where children are able to get hands-on experience growing fruits and vegetables, as well as numerous themed sections including music and movement and nature art areas.

Dimensions Educational Research Foundation led the process of designing and constructing the outdoor classroom using input from teachers and children when designing the best playground possible. During the planning process, one child indicated specifically that she would like the space to have a place where she could paint—and she got just that! Dimensions also brought in additional partners, Community Health Endowment of Lincoln and Campbell’s Nurseries, to bring the vision to life. Kind volunteer groups from Union Bank & Trust, Inspro Insurance, NRC Health, Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, Indigo Bridge Books, and United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County, also put in the sweat equity to install the playground.

For more information, or to schedule a visit to one of Community Action’s Head Start centers, contact Heather Loughman at (402) 875-9339 or hloughman@communityactionatwork.org.