BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Alvaton and Willliam H. Natcher Elementary adopted new classrooms for their schools. Offering outdoor seating areas, both schools have been working on the project for the past year and a half.

Natcher has an outdoor area behind their school, that consists of re-purposed logs for seating and a concrete platform for performances or presentations. Alvaton, calls their outdoor classroom "The Nest," offering students picnic-style tables and chairs to work on. 

Elementary school director, Sarah Johnson says everyone in the district is excited to add these new outdoor classrooms to the community. 

“Alvaton also built an outdoor garden center with their outdoor learning center, where students can learn about sustainability in terms of growing their own food source,” says Johnson. 

The outdoor classrooms were launched at the beginning of this school year. Due to the coronavirus, this school year functions much differently with students only attending in-person classes twice a week. Johnson says these outdoor classrooms can also give students an alternative location where they can learn and distance safely. Students can also utilize the space to take breathing breaks or want to remove their masks for a few minutes. 

“The learning centers are great during this time because it's great for students to be outside and to space and social distance apart in the learning centers,” says Johnson. 

Warren County Public Schools offers both in-person and online classes for students. The A/B schedule will be offered through fall break, but Johnson says they are excited to use the outdoor space for years to come. 

“Both of these schools had a vision, prior to COVID, and just to give the kids a different kind of space to learn in and we know that kids learn in all kinds of different spots, so certainly they will be used beyond this COVID situation,” says Johnson. 

All schools in the district are trying to offer alternative classroom spaces, by utilizing green spaces outside of the schools.