OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — There’s an early childhood learning center in Jenison giving young students a chance to spend a lot more time outside than just at recess. Students at the Kids First School in Hudsonville are enjoying class outside even when there’s snow and below-freezing temperatures.
Meagen Russ is the outdoor kindergarten teacher and says, “There’s no bad weather, just being dressed poorly.”
Each day at school, step one is getting dressed in their colorful Oaki Wear, which are waterproof jumpsuits provided by the school.
Crystal Morse is the director of the Jenison Early Childhood Center Director and the creator of this new outdoor program. She said, “If we can stay dry, we can stay warm.”
That’s something these kindergartners have learned to do independently, a skill that’s considered an unexpected result of the program now in its second year.
“It starts raining and we don’t just pack up and go inside, we just shift gears and put on our Oaki suits and get to business a little differently, and so there are not that many 5-year-olds that can be that flexible and just know how to problem solve,” said Morse.
Russ is in her 22nd year of teaching but says becoming an outdoor kindergarten teacher was quite the change.
“The nature of this program really appealed to me as gen-ed teacher who’s just kind of done the traditional role for many, many years,” said Russ, who added that she’s always felt students “needed more than just four walls and so when I heard about this program I was so excited that we were going to explore this as a district.”
The students learn everything they would in a traditional classroom, while also learning what it means to go with the flow.
“I think we live in a very perfectionist-driven society and I’ve long felt that we need to teach kids that mistakes are a wonderful thing. That’s our venue for learning,” said Russ.
Morse is confident that “our kiddos are capable of learning no matter where they are.”
“My hope is that these kiddos will leave me and just have a love of learning and a love of nature,” said Russ.
This outdoor program is done in partnership with the Outdoor Discovery Center (ODC) in Holland. ODC partners with dozens of schools across West Michigan to offer this program.
It means the kids spend most of the school day outside unless weather conditions are unsafe.
Kids First in Jenison is planning to expand the program in the years to come to even more grade levels.
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