Author: Elinor AngelPublisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 190
Book Description
The goal of the Wilderness Elementary School is to reconnect children and nature. In the last five decades, the shift from most children growing up in a rural setting to suburban and urban settings has disconnected children from the natural world. Children are encouraged to stay inside and use technology and discouraged from exploring outside due to over protectiveness. At the some time, high rates of depression and obesity speak for children's need for the outdoors. An elementary school is a good environment to reconnect children with their natural surroundings. The school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, on an eighty acre wooded site. The use of natural ventilation, doylighting, exterior learning pavilions, gardens, cisterns and other techniques allow children to understand the interaction of building and site. Children that experience the change of seasons and the passing of a few years on the site will gain a connection to that specific piece of nature and thus gain a sense of stewardship for the natural world.
