"I would love to take my students out to the school garden more often, but I'm not sure how to manage that many kids."
— Teacher in a Life Lab Science Program workshop

The idea of conducting serious academic work with a class of 20 (or more) students in an outdoor setting can be daunting for some teachers and administrators. In many schools, students go outdoors for two primary purposes: recess and physical education. Their concept of the great outdoors during school hours is as a place to play, run, yell and otherwise "blow off steam." The outdoors can be endlessly distracting-other classes at recess, balls flying and traffic noises - keeping students from focusing on the lesson at hand.

How can educators channel the high spirits and energy of their students into focused study of the natural world? Here are some strategies that have worked for Life Lab teachers.

• Establish clear rules of behavior for outdoor work, just as you would for the indoor classroom. When students are part of the process of establishing these rules, they are more likely to uphold them. Post the rules for easy referral. Working outdoors is generally viewed as a privilege by students. Reward their good behavior with more time outdoors when possible.
• Train students in cooperative learning techniques in the classroom, before you go outdoors. Life Lab's activity guide, "The Growing Classroom," contains many such activities in the unit titled Let's Work Together: Problem Solving and Communication.
• Whenever possible, work with smaller groups in the garden classroom or other outdoor setting. Bring in parent volunteers to help out once a week, or contact your local Master Gardeners group. While the volunteer helps manage a gardening activity such as weeding or watering, the classroom teacher can present the academic lesson. Other sources of volunteers include local university or college internship programs, cross-age tutoring programs, or senior centers.
• Set up stations so that students can rotate through different activities. Here is a sample schedule of 20 minute blocks.
  Station 1) Students work independently, writing in their field journals. They make note of temperature, weather conditions, and natural history observations.
  Station 2) Students work with the teacher on a plant dissection activity.
  Station 3) Students work independently on a math activity, measuring and answering questions about plant growth on a worksheet.
• Coordinate with other teachers at your grade level to help each other get more small group time outdoors. For example, if the teacher next door takes half your class for P.E. twice a week, you can take the smaller group to the garden.

Life Lab Science Program is a non-profit organization with over 20 years of experience in developing cirricula and materials for school gardens. For more information, please visit our web site at www.lifelab.org.