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Outdoor Classrooms

We have many outdoor classrooms in the nature preserve. Some of them are amphitheaters. These “bleacher style” classrooms were built by students and can hold one to two classes of students. They are great for whole class presentations. We also have board walk classrooms made of recycled plastic. One is located just north of the football field by the solar panels. Another is located in Swickard Woods . Teachers can also sign out a class set of portable stools that can be carried by students to create a classroom anywhere in the nature preserve.

K-1 Children's Park PreK- Kindergarten Nature Area

The ELC Children’s Park is a wooded area located just south of the ELC playground. This area has nature trails, a small pond, a shed with equipment for students and teachers to use and a rock circle. The area also includes a small amphitheater at the pond big enough for a class to sit on and another amphitheater in the woods at the east side of the park. 
 

Swickard Woods Swickard Woods

Swickard Woods is located just north of the HS football field. This area is anchored on the south end by the nature observatory building, a rock circle, kiosk, shed and duck aviary featuring the wood duck breeding program. The oldest known tree in New Albany, a red oak over 300 years old, is found in Swickard Woods. Meadows, transition areas and a small stream change into a dense beech maple forest as you travel north. The woods are home to many types of wildlife including nesting great horned owls and red tailed hawks. The northern part of the woods is the only mature forest in the nature preserve and has the most variety of wildflowers. Two classroom size amphitheaters are located here as well as a boardwalk classroom in the woods. Due to its centralized location, Swickard Woods is the most heavily used outdoor classroom space in the district. All buildings K-12 have curriculum tied to Swickard Woods.

 

Easton E3 Learning Lab Easton E3 Learning Lab

The 2009 Ohio State Solar Decathlon house was moved from an exhibit at the Columbus Zoo to the New Albany school campus where it will serves as the Easton E3 Learning Lab. E3 stands for Engineery, Energy and Environment.  The New Albany Schools was chosen as the permanent site for this international award winning building because our schools are ranked among the top three environmental programs in the United States and # 1 in the State of Ohio. The 800-square-foot, self-contained building, serves as a learning center for all New Albany School District students, The Ohio State University, Columbus State Community College and our community.