HOWLAND — Students at Howland Springs Primary School soon will have the opportunity to experience education in an outdoor setting, thanks to an ongoing outdoor classroom project.

The Howland Board of Education on Monday heard a presentation from Howland Springs Primary School Principal Carl Clark, Title I Reading Teacher Michelle Schrock and speech pathologist Janine Turocy.

Turocy said the idea for Reading Woods, which will utilize the wooded area behind the school, came about from local resources and nearby districts, providing a natural outdoor stage, seasonal trees and designated spaces for creative projects to advance student learning.

The area also will have a “Tiger’s Den” archway to welcome students in, an interactive “I Spy” activity and a storybook trail with rotating story panels along a walking path to promote movement and literacy, she added.

Clark said Howland High School student Dominic Morataya has been “instrumental” to the project, creating several items for it as part of his Eagle Scout project.

“He’s already created the Tiger’s Den arch; he’s going to build the stage and benches and he’s raised over $2,000 to put this all together — so another great high school collaboration,” Clark said. “Great young man — he also helped us clear the woods out back a few months back.”

Turocy said the Reading Woods might have been the initial idea, but it has transformed into more, and she considers it an opportunity for both the community and the building to grow.

Turocy said the school takes care of some of the “tiniest brains” at ages 3 to 6 years old, being 80% developed structurally when they arrive and leaving at 90%.

“10% gets to grow here, and it’s just such an opportunity to influence them cognitively, with social emotional, social development, just to set that stage for their future learning,” Turocy said. “The idea is to kind of integrate storytelling with curriculum, with outdoor exploration to support all kinds of learners. Some of our learners learn in the classroom; some of our learners learn outside and apply it, so it’s just creating more opportunities for the kids.”

Turocy said each story comes with a prompt to get kids active, such as “jump up and down 10 times and make a silly face,” or social, like “shake a friend’s hand.”

Schrock said she was “very blessed” when Turocy approached her with the idea, noting that it was another idea of how to incorporate the school’s library books outside, while also giving students another place to explore.

“One of my passions, even when I was a homeroom teacher, was integrating the curriculum as much as we can; as you all know we have limited time with our children, and we try to make the most of that time,” Schrock said. “We also know with young minds, if we don’t start bridging the concepts together and show how they’re related, they don’t actually stick into their long-term memory.”

Schrock said the goal is to take as many concepts and skills as they can and stick them together, adding that the Reading Woods lends itself to other subjects.

She said they were grateful Clark purchased the book “School is More Than a Building” by Kelley Donner for the school because it introduced other ways children can communicate, noting that some kindergarteners aren’t always social and don’t know social cues and prompts.

Schrock said they are hoping to involve the entire staff in the project, adding that they are also excited to see other ways teachers will utilize the space.

“They could take this book a little further and (consider) how they can engage the children as best suits their needs, and it also empowers our teachers because they know their students best,” Schrock said.

Turocy said they’ve already had plenty of district and community support, from Morataya’s projects that come with support from Lewis Construction, to Clark donating the book, a monetary donation from the Howland Classroom Teachers’ Association and the staff and families that helped clear the area Nov. 15.

As for what’s next, Turocy said they have an Earth Day event planned — interactive activities for all classrooms, such as a time capsule for the class of 2037, rock painting, bird feeders and tree planting.

Their work for the project isn’t completely done, either.

Turocy said they’ve applied for different grants to finish off items such as mulch, seasonal trees, picnic tables and stepping stones, all for which they’re also seeking donations.