The dream of an outdoor classroom in Eatonia comes true!

BY JOAN JANZEN
joanjanzen@yahoo.com

The folks at Eatonia have witnessed a dream come to fruition, as they watched the Eaton School Outdoor Classroom being built. It was the dream of Nichole Bredy, a teacher at Eaton School, who wanted a space where children had the opportunity to learn in an outdoor classroom. Within this space, lessons will be taught on subjects such as solar power, sustainable agriculture, wellness and health.

There will also be opportunities to learn about gardening, greenhouses, composting and various crops that are grown in the area. Children will be able to enjoy a sensory play area, all of which has become within reach because of the observations of Nichole Bredy and other Eaton School staff.

These staff members noticed they had many students who were naturalistic learners, who were tuned in with nature and loved being outside in their rural agricultural community.

“At Eaton School we believe that children can learn everywhere, that there’s learning everywhere,” Nichole said. This started the fun process of designing the new classroom; even the students got involved in the design plans.

The next step was to raise money for the project. This included filling out grant applications and conducting fundraising activities.

In a Facebook post, Nichole thanked the many businesses who were involved: Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Nutrien, Janie Honey, Decisive, Eaton SCC, the RM of Chesterfield No. 261, Richard King, Clint Hayes, Eaton School staff and Longhorn Oil.

These businesses, organizations, and many, many individuals in the community made this dream become a reality, including three generations of Bredy’s who contributed their time and talent constructing the outdoor classroom.

“An idea this amazing isn’t possible without our community!” Nichole Bredy concluded.