L.A. early education outdoor classrooms are returning to nature.

Motivated by research showing how the outdoors can aid in learning, the Los Angeles Unified School District is investing over $100 million dollars to transform heat-absorbing asphalt at every Los Angeles early education center into outdoor classrooms that reconnect students with nature.

The district has completed 23 of these makeovers, which are being used by 2,800 pre-k students.

Earlier this month, parents, community members and LAUSD officials attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Normandie Avenue Early Education Center where officials unveiled a new outdoor classroom designed to immerse young students in nature-based learning.

The $1.9 million makeover provided students with a colorful jungle gym, sprouting plants, musical instruments, and educational toys. It’s a classroom that feels like a park —  and it’s making parents even more excited to send their children to school.

“I’m terrified because I don’t like bugs, and they like to pick up rocks, so they’re gonna pick up rocks and they’re gonna bring it home, and they’re gonna bring little caterpillars and bugs,” said LaDeja McIntyre about her three year old daughter. “But I’m excited too, because she gets to explore her mind…outside of the classroom and (in the) outdoors.”

Construction at the Normandie Avenue center took about 16 months. District officials say it will take several more years to meet their goal of building outdoor classrooms at every early education center. Thirteen are currently under construction.

The classrooms are designed in collaboration with Nature Explore, a nonprofit working to incorporate nature into every child’s education. The group has partnered with LAUSD for 14 years and is currently designing more than 20 new outdoor classrooms.

According to the Child Mind Institute, outdoor learning can improve children’s mental health, foster responsibility and stimulate imagination.

Nature Explore educational consultant Kirsten Haugen and her colleague Jill Primak, an architect, are part of the team that brings the classrooms to life.

Read the full article about outdoor classrooms by Enzo Luna at The 74.