Valley Central elementary school hits the outdoors to teach during the era of COVID-19

In September, "The Woods" is very much an active work site, trees were being felled and carried out to the parking and the sound of saws and laughter filled the air.

But these workers weren't being paid for their efforts. They were learning as part of Mrs. Potter's Grade 6/7 science class at Valley Central elementary school in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Mrs. Potter's class was just one of three classes learning outdoors that afternoon, and that's because teachers at Valley Central have been building the outdoors into their curricula for several years now.

And in the age of COVID-19 schooling, that's paid off tremendously.

"This has been a blessing space for us, you know, a positive for our school. But in COVID, it's really become a double positive because the reality of COVID learning is that they are inside, they're in single desks, and it looks a little bit like 1915 in our classrooms again. And that's tough … it's tough not to interact," said Christy Radbourne, the principal of Valley Central.

Take a listen to the sounds and scenes of Mrs. Potter's class here.

She added, "in COVID, collaborative working has been really difficult because we can't put two heads next to each other, right. And so now they're working in pairs and small groups [outside] and really gaining those social emotional skills that were the big reason that people like Sick Kids and other big medical organizations said children need to be in school."

During the afternoon period, Mrs. Potter's class was just one of three outside.

Her class was learning how to identify and remove buckthorn trees, an invasive species.

Roran Wright was hunched over a stump, slashing away at branches sticking out the side.

"Buckthorn trees are an invasive species in Canada … I'm pretty sure it originated from Europe. They can grow very aggressively and block out nutrients for like maple trees and other stuff, so we're trying to get rid of them or stop them from growing up so they can't produce more trees," Wright explained.

Just behind him, a group of three girls in the same class prepared to cut down another clump of buckthorn trees. But first they had to make sure the tree actually was a buckthorn.

"The leaves are kind of rounded and they have a point at the end, they're not at all bumpy. And then the thorns, so you can peel back and see the thorns here and there, all along the branch."

All of this learning is taking place in what the Valley Central community likes to call "the woods."

Radbourne explains that just a few years ago, children weren't allowed into the acreage, because it was essentially a swamp, complete with fallen trees and abandoned barbed wire. But quickly the school community rallied together to turn the area into a usable space.

Hear more about the origin of "The Woods" and how it is being used during COVID here.

So the woods were cleared up and a trail system was installed and ready for use by the spring of 2019. But the school didn't stop there. By the fall of that same year, Valley Central unveiled its open-air classroom.

And that's where the Grade 8 art class was based as they worked on an ephemeral art project.

Sam Williamson is in that class. He spent the afternoon collecting natural items, largely at random, before putting the pieces together to create a natural mural.

"I like to make my art very symmetrical. At first I kind of grabbed some dull colours and placed them together, and then decided if I put some colour in, it'd probably look better, so that's what I did."

The aspiring artist also said he was excited to come back to school in September and wasn't too worried about COVID-19. A month in, Williamson says this has been his favourite school year.

"Since the new school year started, we've been doing a lot more outside since the pandemic. So this year is kind of the best so far."

Radbourne says it has been a very intentional decision by school staff to get their students outside as much as possible.

"In previous years, we have encouraged our teachers to use the space. But this year it's almost essential. Teachers are craving the opportunity to teach children and community and to teach through relationships and to teach through team building., Radbourne said.

"And that can't happen under public health guidelines right now in classrooms in the same way that we can bring it outside and make it happen. And so this is the place."