Outdoor Learning Environment
In the summer of 2020, Ruffing’s Outdoor Learning Environment (OLE) underwent a major renovation funded exclusively through restricted charitable gifts.
Ruffing’s OLE consists of a half acre of outdoor learning and play space. Completed just in time for the start of the 2020-2021 school year, fenced outdoor classroom spaces increased existing Lower Elementary, Children’s House, and Toddler Community classroom spaces by 50%. The project included:
- Performance and presentation space with natural log seating
- A mural designed and created by Ruffing students
- Natural playground equipment, a mini basketball court, 4-square and tetherball space
- Tricycle Track for our Toddler Community, which is also enjoyed daily by children of all ages for walking, talking, and expressing creativity with chalk art
- Raised garden beds for each of the classrooms cared for by children collecting water from rain barrels
- Composting stalls for classroom lunch food scraps
- Flower, herb, and vegetable gardens designed and cultivated by students
- Pollinator gardens, bird feeders, bird houses, and insect ‘hotels’ to spark natural curiosity and exploration
- Boulder seating/meeting area
- Weather resistant work tables and benches in dedicated outdoor classroom extensions
- Wood fence lined with newly planted trees