Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and the City of Wilmington unveil a new outdoor classroom at Cool Spring Park.
The classroom at Cool Spring Park includes an amphitheater made of recycled curbstones and newly planted native plants and trees – creating a full sensory learning experience.
Several schools are nearby – including the William C. Lewis Dual Language Elementary School and Padua and Ursuline Academdies. And City Manager of Sustainability and Environmental Compliance Alison Quimby says the space can serve many purposes.
“Give them the space to be outside where they can feel comfortable, where they can learn," Quimby says. "It’s not just for environmental stuff. You can read a book out here, you can do math, you could do some science, anything.”
Quimby notes they also collaborated with community organizations like West Side Grows Together to understand what the greater community wants and needs in green spaces throughout the city. She adds the outdoor classroom is a pilot project – and there are several more already in the works.
The $75,000 project was funded through the City of Wilmington and DNREC through a grant from the Community Environmental Project Fund and Healthy Communities Delaware.
