Story by Carol Pappas
Photography by Wallace Bromberg Jr.
It’s not your typical classroom – no desks, no books, no windows to gaze out of and daydream. And that’s precisely the point.
After all, this classroom is outdoors in the middle of nature, where students are schooled by seeing, touching and learning about all that surrounds them. It’s called Classroom in the Forest, and the St. Clair County Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with the Forestry Service and 4-H to create it.
In the fall, students were in real classrooms in Springville, Ashville and Steele learning about wildlife, trees and the other treasures of the forest. By late spring, they were able to see it for themselves in a classroom of a different sort.
Lyman Lovejoy opened his 360-acre property in Ashville to the project, hoping to encourage youngsters to develop an appreciation for the great outdoors.
About 250 students rotated ‘stations,’ learning essentials about wildlife and tree identification and “what you find in the forest,” said Charity Mitcham, district administrative and project coordinator. “Our purpose was to get them out on the land and teach them about trees, wildlife, soil and water.”
She credited Lovejoy with giving students the ability to reach that goal. “It would not have been possible without Lyman. It is gorgeous property with acres of trees and wildlife.”
“I grew up working at Camp Cosby where my father was caretaker,” said Lovejoy. “Kids today have their thumbs on a keyboard. We want to get kids in the middle of the woods, out on the grass or in a field. It is so invigorating to see them in the woods, enjoying the outdoors and being active.”
Without this kind of program, “we are losing a generation,” he said. “Fishing and hunting are a lost art.” He wants to reverse that trend with Classroom in the Forest. “I get so excited to see their eyes light up when they ask, ‘What kind of tree is this? What kind of fish is this? Where does food come from?’ ”
With children spending so much time indoors with computers, video games and television, they tend to miss out on the allure of the outdoors. With this program, they are able to appreciate the scenery around them. They learn the value in it. And, Mitcham noted, they are really impressed when they see an Extension Service agent actually catch a fish in Lovejoy’s nearby pond.
It’s those memorable lessons that Mitcham and Lovejoy hope will stick with them the rest of their lives. And it’s why they’ll do it again next year – bigger and better than ever.
