: : Green Playces: Manchester

Green Playces: Manchester

Manchester Academic Charter School (MACS) has operated as an independent charter school since 1998. It thrives on extracurricular enrichment.  In an evolving process to enhance the extracurricular enrichment focus, MACS has teamed up with Grounded Strategies to support its innovative approaches to education.

Grounded implemented our Green Playces model at MACS to transform vacant land owned by the school in the Manchester neighborhood. In Manchester, this will include a nature play-space and outdoor classroom for tactile, exploratory play and learning. The Manchester Green Playces will be built in the Summer of 2019 with support from community volunteers and contractors.

The positive outcomes associated with students’ participation in outdoor learning and classrooms are promising. In a recent research study, teachers reported students having significantly larger gains in self-esteem, conflict resolution, relationships with peers, problem-solving skills, motivation to learn, and positive classroom behavior among children who attended outdoor classroom learning compared to children who did not. Grounded Strategies’ Green Playces are hives of education, innovation, creativity, science, and, most importantly, play.