The Living
Classroom
LEARNING LAB
Lessons learned with The Living Classroom Curriculum help children connect with nature, and help them understand why that connection is important. Children experience nature first hand, getting real world lessons on plants, animals, soil, ecosystems, biodiversity, and sustainability.
What I hear, I forget.
~ Chinese Proverb ~
What I see, I remember.
What I do, I understand.
Our Belief and Purpose
For 25 years, the purpose of The Living Classroom Learning Lab is for children to learn, through hands-on experiences, the intricacies, interdependencies, and mysteries that exist in nature. Our lessons guide children to understand the importance of being Keepers of the Earth.
We understand that many schools do not have the ability to establish a garden. Our lessons have been modified to use recycled materials and ordinary classroom supplies, so that any school regardless of where they are or the grounds they have access to, can present our lessons to every child. Our lessons are unique and adaptable.
We believe children need to understand their connections to our planet Earth in order to care for their environment. Based on this belief, we developed a nature based curriculum so children gain this knowledge, not only to meet academic standards, but to raise achievement, and experience the wonder and joy in learning.
Our hope is that you use this extraordinary resource.

Plant the seeds of learning, exploration, and discovery
with The Living Classroom Learning Lab!

A Curriculum Based on Inquiry
Each lesson in the LCLL curriculum uses an inquiry-based learning approach in asking children a question which they explore throughout that lesson. As they investigate, the children’s wonderings can lead to further topics to explore in that, or future lessons.
There are four major themes which run through the scope and sequence of this curriculum: Nature Detective, Ecosystems, Seed to Seedling, and Private Eye. The lessons are connected within each theme in an ascending, spiraling dependence upon one another. For a fifth grader to achieve in a Sustainability lesson, he/she must also have the prior knowledge of the basic needs of plants, animals, and humans learned in Kindergarten and First grade.
“An environment-based education movement–at all levels of education–will help students realize that school isn’t supposed to be a polite form of incarceration, but a portal to the wider world.”
~ Richard Louv ~
the themes of the lCLL Curriculum

Nature Detective
Being able to sit quietly and observe everything around one’s self is an important skill in learning about nature. As the children progress through the activities in the Nature Detective series (PreK-5th), they will need to use their senses of sight, sound, smell, and touch to understand the plants and animals that make their home there. The purpose of this lesson is for the children to deepen their observation skills by concentrating on their sense of touch while interacting with the variety of plants present in the Living Classroom as well as the world around them.

ecosystem study
Understanding the relationships between the living and non-living, the consumers and producers, and the decomposers in an ecosystem help children understand the interdependencies in nature, and why each is important. As the children progress through the activities in the Ecosystem Study series (PreK-4th) they begin to understand the vital role every creature and plant plays in creating a harmonious planet.

Private eye
The Private Eye series (PreK-5th), helps children sharpen their observation skills, to express their thoughts, to look closely and wonder, to begin to think metaphorically, and to start to theorize on their own.

Seed to Seedling
In the Seed To Seedling series (PreK-2nd) children learn what a seed is, what a seed needs in order to grow and the lifecycle of a plant. “It is also a magical moment when the children first see the green tips of a seemingly lifeless seed bursting through the black dirt becoming a living plant. Their eyes light up and they want everyone to come and look at what is happening, beaming that they are partly responsible for this amazing occurrence.”
The Concepts Taught Throughout The LCLL Curriculum

~ Ecosystems ~
&
~ Life Cycles ~

~ Adaptation ~
&
~ Pollination ~

~ Biodiversity ~
&
~ Food Chains ~

~ Patterns ~
&
~ Shapes ~

~ Diversity ~
&
~ Sustainability ~
Sample Lesson | Making A Seed Tape
This video will walk you through the entire Lesson.
additional Resources And lesson activities follow this video.
The Expandable Rows Below Contain Teacher Resources And Information About The Lesson.
The Activities That Make Up The Lesson Start Below This List.
Making a Seed tape, Lesson Activities
Activity #1: Making a Seed Tape (30 min)
Activity #2: Planting Seed Tapes, Seeds in a Furrow & Planting 3 Seeds in a Hole (30 min)
Activity #3: My Seed Tape Journal (30 min)
~ Come Walk through the lCLL Garden ~
Get In Touch
Are you looking for a hands-on curriculum for your child, school or school district?
Contact us today to for pricing options, subscription questions or general help!
call us
+1 (503) 770-0860