Lower & Middle School Outdoor Space

Research shows that nature-based curriculum and play supports creativity and problem solving, enhances gross and fine motor skills, reduces stress, and strengthens children’s connections to their natural environment.
The Lower & Middle School Outdoor Space will enhance the student experience while aligning with our curricular philosophies and Strategic Plan. Our goal is to continue to create the optimal environment for learning.
Features of the space will include group activity areas, moveable parts, natural materials, opportunities for experiential learning and movement, and affordances such as slides, tunnels, plants, pathways, and structures.
Benefits out this outdoor space will include:
  • Social-emotional
  • Self-directed and creative play
  • Teamwork
  • Experiential learning
  • Gross and fine motor development
  • Decision-making
  • Increased use

Ryan Feeley, Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs/Director of Middle School

Traditionally, schools have drawn distinct lines between learning and play: in the old days, the classroom was where kids learned, while swing sets, fields, and climbing structures were where kids played. Educators today understand that learning and play are intertwined to the point that they're nearly indistinguishable. Middle School students learn best when they have opportunities to be active, engage their senses, and make connections between new concepts and the world around them. Our new outdoor space at Berwick will engage and motivate our students and support even more innovation from our exceptional teachers.

Joel Hawes, Director of Lower School

Place-based education is an essential theme within the Lower School program. From Project Approach work to Outdoor Classroom ventures to Social-Emotional engagement, we value authentic learning experiences. Several years ago, the Lower School faculty began reviewing ways in which a reimagined playground might enhance this productive paradigm. With its thoughtful layout and high-interest elements, we are now eagerly anticipating the added physical, social, and creative student benefits derived from our newly-proposed playspace.

Berwick Academy

31 Academy Street
South Berwick, Maine 03908

Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 520 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Postgraduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.

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