What a joy it has been to participate in the Walking Classroom! I have a class of 23 kids who look forward to our walks each week. We call it Walking Wednesday.
Each week I choose a line leader and caboose. We originally had mapped out routes to take around the neighborhood adjacent to our school (it’s quiet and safe), but now the line leader waits for my direction on where we’ll explore. We’ve come by a pond, roamed around the assisted living village near our school, and explored the aftermath of downed trees and piles of limbs from Hurricane Michael.
Each week when my partner teacher and I look through the master list, we see a variety of options that will fit our instructional needs for many subject areas! Right now we’ve got a six-session arc of lessons planned that all relate to The Great Depression.
I think my favorite lesson so far, however, has been the one about word choice. We spend a lot of time on vocabulary in all subjects!
I love taking pictures and video of the kiddos as they walk! Sometimes we stop to look at funky plants around mailboxes or recall the different fall door decorations we see when we return. We’ve seen large spiders and increased our pace a bit when dogs have barked in a fenced in area.
Parents enjoy seeing what we’re doing. A couple parents have volunteered to join us, but their schedules haven’t worked out yet. Sometimes, even the locals who drive past us or are on their own walks, wave and smile as they pass us by! We’ve had lots of lessons about road safety procedures and common courtesies of being near others’ yards!
The Walking Classroom is easy to use, fits perfectly with our classroom curriculum, and is fun! We’ve learned so much about heart rate, pace, breathing, and even eating habits.
Laura Gerlach
5th Grade Teacher
Furlow Charter School
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