Big Map-Out! End of Semester Celebration

Sarah Amin talks with two young students. Photo by Rose Hardesty

Agraria’s historic barn was filled with maps, posters, drawings, and people on April 30, as local students and their families celebrated the end of the year-long Big Map Out project. Led by Mills Lawn School PBL teacher Sarah Amin with lessons and videos by Agraria staff, the project got Yellow Springs K-3 students outside and connected them to their outdoor spaces during a year of mostly online learning. Watch the slideshow here: The Big Map-Out! Project

Over this year-long partnership, students followed an outdoor prompt each week to create detailed maps of their personal outdoor space, including their backyard, flower bed, sidewalk outside their home, or simply the view outside a window. They studied the soil, and how water impacts the space, trees, other plants, mammals, insects, and birds. Students received a Big Map-Out! backpacks to help them study their space as well as field guides, Alison Farrell’s book The Hike, soil testing equipment and magnifying glasses, and other tools. Former Agraria staff member and educator Meredith Florkey conceived of the project, which received funding from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation. This project was also sponsored by Yellow Springs Community Foundation, and the Mills Lawn PTO.

Students show family and friends their map projects. Photo by Rose Hardesty

Sarah Amin says this project has changed her life. It inspired teachers to take their students outside, and encouraged families to go exploring in neighborhood parks and trails around the area.

You can find the Big Map-Out! videos and other educational content on our YouTube channel.

Families use maps to explore Agraria. Photo by Rose Hardesty