The Kokomo-Howard County Public Library is raising funds to start an outdoor classroom geared toward children and families.
The library is hoping to gain a Nature Explore Classroom certification, a national certification for outdoor classrooms around the country. These outdoor areas include spaces to build, climb, dig, get messy and play. The outdoor space will be developed at the library's Russiaville branch.
The Nature Explore Classrooms is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Dimensions Foundation, which aims to connect children with outdoor learning opportunities. In Indiana, there are seven certified Nature Explore Classrooms, all at day care or nature centers. This would be the first one at a public library in Indiana.
To gain the certification, the library’s outdoor space will need to include several elements, according to the Nature Explore website. The library would need to show that its outdoor space is well-developed and meets the certification standards, that the staff involved with the space have attended a Nature Explore Workshop, and that the space encourages family involvement.
Trina Evans of the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library said library staff visited an Anythink library in Colorado, which has a Nature Explore Classroom. The staff decided to bring the concept back to Howard County, but it was an idea that would require funding.
That funding started with the Wilma and Gene Parks Endowment Fund, with a total amount of $13,000. The money is meant to enhance the library’s programming, especially toward children, Evans said.
With funding and a vision for an outdoor space, the library worked with Backyard Gardeners in Kokomo to come up with a plan and an estimate for the cost, which came out to $75,000, Evans said.
The library is writing grants proposals to help make up the difference in the estimate and the money it already has for the project, but it’s also asking for community donations through generosity.com. As of Tuesday, more than $600 was already raised, with an overall goal of $20,000.
The goal is to have the money raised by next Arbor Day on April 28, 2017. Donations can be made at https://www.generosity.com/education-fundraising/russiaville-outdoor-classroom.