Magnuson Outdoor Learning Laboratory Annual Report 2006–07
Field Science and Service Learning for Middle School Students

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Hands-on science, outdoor investigation, student challenge, and service learning: it's all part of the Magnuson Outdoor Learning Lab (MOLL). An innovative partnership between the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, Seattle Public Schools, EarthCorps, and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, MOLL is a science education and restoration program for urban middle school students. Now completing its third year as a pilot program, MOLL engages students in outdoor learning at Seattle's Magnuson Park.

Program Goals

One of the two main goals of the program is helping students to develop their science skills. Students learn field measurement techniques, collect data on insect activity and plant populations, and design their own field science experiment. Some student groups might test soil temperature and its effect on soil invertebrates; others might speculate on how plant diversity differs between a native planting site and a site dominated by invasive plants.

Another goal of the program is helping students to make a positive impact in their community. Students tend to the plants and trees of Magnuson Park. Guided by EarthCorps, a Seattle-based environmental service organization, students practice plant identification and learn the value of native plants. They remove unwanted plants such as blackberry and ivy, which compete with native trees and shrubs. The students then plant and monitor native trees and shrubs suited to the Magnuson Park ecosystem.

A Unique Partnership

The Magnuson Outdoor Learning Laboratory stands as a model for an effective and critical environmental education program, catalyzing schools, a museum, a restoration organization, city parks, and the community to protect our environment. This partnership between a school district, park system, service learning organization, and natural history museum is certainly unique, but the goals and impact can be replicated elsewhere in Washington. What is needed is a public green space, a group committed to managing and restoring that space, educators committed to science and environmental education, and a core of committed teachers. As for classrooms of eager students who need more chances to shine: this certainly is not the limiting factor of the equation.

Thanks to the generous financial and in-kind contributions of the City of Seattle, Discuren Foundation, EarthCorps, Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Burke Museum, Seattle Public Schools, and private donors, all costs – from busing to supplies to staffing – are paid for by MOLL.

Participating Schools

In 2006-07, more than 200 middle school students from three school groups participated in MOLL. These students were the 6th and 8th grade classes from Madrona K-8 School and the 8th grade class from Meany Middle School. Developed with the classroom teachers and in consideration of the school's needs, each of the three programs delivered a mix of in-class visits, field science at Magnuson Park, restoration of Magnuson and Interlaken Parks, educational tours at the Burke Museum, and classroom use of the Burke's Traveling Study Collections.

Program Impacts

In 2006-07, more than 200 middle school students from three school groups participated in MOLL. These students were the 6th and 8th grade classes from Madrona K-8 School and the 8th grade class from Meany Middle School. Developed with the classroom teachers and in consideration of the school's needs, each of the three programs delivered a mix of in-class visits, field science at Magnuson Park, restoration of Magnuson and Interlaken Parks, educational tours at the Burke Museum, and classroom use of the Burke's Traveling Study Collections.

In three years, MOLL students have given almost 2000 hours of community service to the popular Seattle city park, Magnuson Park. With work gloves and tools, they have removed a half-acre of invasive plants and planted over one hundred native trees and shrubs. They are newcomers to this type of work so our focus is on making it fun and personal. The goal is not how much they accomplish but how they talk about this experience to their friends and families when they go home that evening.

Through hands-on field studies, MOLL students learn real science skills: how to design an experiment, make quantitative observations, record data, work in a research team, analyze data, and then present the results.

MOLL students demonstrate increased comfort and pleasure in the outdoors. Being urban school students, many on their first visit to Magnuson Park sit for lunch on the pavement rather than on the grass. Sometimes their fear of snakes, mud, or mosquitoes makes focusing on science difficult. Only working with gloves and tools gives a safe distance between them and the thorny blackberries they're removing. But after visiting the park, these same students have marveled at worms and how they make a living, at seasonal changes in the plants, and how – in the words of one student — "getting dirty out here isn't that bad."

Quotes

"It's a blast for the kids. MOLL gives the Madrona students an opportunity to get out in the field with real scientists and not only do excellent science, but interact and learn from positive, professional, adult role models."
Thatcher Wood
6th Grade Science Teacher
Madrona K-8 School

"Science learning doesn't only happen in the classroom. Putting the students in the role of a field ecologist allows them to explore and discover local systems. Students naturally begin asking more and more questions. MOLL provides a framework to help them better understand and appreciate the natural environment."
Kathryn Kelsey
Middle School Science Coach
Seattle Public Schools

"The MOLL program provides an opportunity for students to learn by doing and to create a connection with the natural world with authentic guidance. They learn that restoration can happen in their own backyard or in a park and that anyone can do it. Given the restoration needs of Seattle's forests, we love planting a seed in the minds of as many young people as possible, so in the near future we have stewards for our city's parks and green spaces."
Su Thieda
Program Director
EarthCorps

"Thanks so much to you and your staff for all the hard work that went into preparing for this wonderful day. I know students don't always appreciate or comprehend how much work a day like this takes, but I sure do."
Carol Furry
8th Grade Science Teacher
Meany Middle School

MOLL 2007–08

Now entering its fourth year, the Magnuson Outdoor Learning Laboratory will continue to serve middle school students from Seattle Public Schools through science and service learning. Included in this year's program are Madrona K-8, Aki Kurose Middle School, and AS#1. Each school and its teachers will play a critical role in designing their programs to meet the needs of their students.

This year will also highlight new techniques for student and teacher evaluations of the program. Another focus will be on securing grant funding and/or creating fee-based programs to develop MOLL into a sustainable model for outdoor education partnerships.