There’s a wide world of discovery and adventure awaiting students, according to Sharon Brittingham, AS70, EHD09PhD. It’s waiting for them right outside.

A Delaware-based educator with decades of experience, Brittingham says that when students explore and play with their natural surroundings, they become curious, active learners who gain an understanding of basic concepts and improve their own confidence and social skills. As youngsters playing outdoors, they are learning the skills that will help them excel across subjects—from storytelling to science.

“Although much of my career has focused on secondary education and literacy, I’m passionate about what we do in early childhood education to instill a love of learning, and to help children understand that learning is about being engaged in whatever you are doing,” Brittingham says. “Getting children outside to explore and experience the world around them connects students with so many opportunities to learn and become curious.”

Now, Brittingham is hoping to bring that kind of experience—the ability to connect and learn through interactions with nature—to more children. She recently made a gift to the College of Education and Human Development’s Early Learning Center that enabled the Center to break ground on an outdoor learning environment.

Inspired by the campus’ nearby wetlands, woods, creeks and nature trails, the Center’s leadership has long talked about transitioning its playground space to incorporate more designs compatible with outdoor learning and easy exploration, but needed investment, says Linda Zankowsky, interim director of the Center. Transitioning the existing playground will create more opportunities for students to learn about the importance of environmental stewardship and their essential connection with the natural world.

With Brittingham’s gift—and insight from UD faculty and students in the Colleges of Agriculture, Earth, Ocean and Environment and Engineering, as well as the Delaware Master Gardeners and the Cooperative Extension—the Center was able to launch the project. Working together, the group came up with ideas for platform stages, gardens, trails and music walls.

“We know that children really need more experiences outdoors where they're creating, and they're actually doing, rather than using. How do we establish an opportunity for children to really engage with nature outdoors?” says Zankowsky. “Collaboration opened doors for us to find the answers, and for UD students to gain unique experiences.”

So, instead of a playground constructed of mostly enclosed spaces and fixed spaces designated for certain activities, the group focused on creating a free-flowing design with equipment that could be used for multiple purposes. A music wall, garden and paths and tunnels for exploration were part of the suggested design.

As part of the project, UD architecture and engineering students evaluated safety concerns on the playground, developed a schematic plan to envision how it might change, created an extensive budget for the project and helped install some of the first pieces—outdoor wooden stages on which students can climb, gather for storytelling or create their own performances.

“This collaboration with the Early Learning Center has an incredible impact as it has allowed me to dive deep into the design and build process as well as afford me the opportunity to wear many hats throughout the project,” says Alexia Stock, EG20, a civil engineering major and vice president of the UD chapter of Engineers Without Borders. “I have been able to explore my creativity as a designer, tie in my knowledge as an engineer, and work with a dynamic team as both a leader and a member in ways my traditional education can simply not provide.”

Brittingham is amazed at how her gift has helped the project grow, encourage cross-campus collaboration and inspire even more learning experiences.

“This project is not just one part of the University, but different parts working together, and it’s wonderful for me and other alumni to be able to see this unfold and then to see the project growing and children engaging with it,” Brittingham says. “We can start to help teachers see ways to use the outdoors learning environment for new teaching experiences, and that will provide more opportunities for children to learn and succeed.”