Details of the Jenks Outdoor Classroom Shared By Tulsa Landscaping Company

In one of our earlier blog posts, we discussed how a “living classroom” is being created for Jenks Public Schools by Tulsa landscaping company Oklahoma Landscape.

More than a simple garden, this Tulsa landscape design will be an interactive outdoor space with a variety of features including rain barrels, butterfly gardens, Chimney Swift towers, granite trails, composts bins, a water feature, and more. Called the “Flycatcher Trail,” this outdoor classroom will help students learn how to manage a garden, plant vegetables, manage a landscape, and more. 

As a Tulsa landscaping company, we know how inspiring working with nature can be, so this project will help students increase their creativity and discover the sense of pride that comes from caring for gardens. 

What are some of the many details of the Jenks landscaping project?

The entrance of the classroom will have rain barrels for capturing run-off storm water and compost bins for creating organic-rich compost to use for vegetables and plantings.

Granite trails will be made using decomposed granite. This abundant, permeable material makes a pleasant, natural trail. The decomposed granite adds color and compacts very well while not breaking down like mulch. 

Chimney Swifts, which are a bird species that often nests and roosts in chimneys, are often identified by their gray silhouette, tiny body, and curving wings, but they also have a distinctive style of flight and a chattering call, one author noted. They can quickly maneuver over rooftops and rivers to catch insects. Chimney Swifts spend most of their time in the air. When they do land, they can’t perch. They cling to vertical walls such as those in chimneys and those in hollow trees or caves. So, with the decline of chimney use in North America, also came a drop in the Chimney Swift population. 

They were abundant in North America, but by the late 1980s, the amount of swifts migrating to North American from the Amazon River Basin had declined. A growing number of people across North America are now building nesting towers and are leading Chimney Swift conservation projects in their own communities. Bird conservationists have a step-by-step guide to making more habitats for the beneficial, insect-eating Chimney Swift.  This living classroom will not only give Chimney Swifts a habitat, but will also give students a great opportunity to study these amazing birds. 

Other features of the classroom will include a water feature, a butterfly garden, and split rail fencing. The butterfly garden is a specific space that utilizes butterfly-attracting plants, which yield flowers the butterflies are attracted to. These types of plants, like the butterfly bush, will attract a wide assortment of butterflies to the garden that the teachers and students can use to view and study. The split rail fencing is a cedar post and rail project that will give a rustic, open, and natural appeal to the space. 

This outdoor classroom will certainly give students a chance to take a closer look at nature and study all the splendor it holds. While the weather may have slightly delayed the project’s progress, Tulsa landscaping company Oklahoma Landscape - with the help of many other sub-contractors and suppliers who have also donated time, labor, and materials - will continue to plan and build this unique and exciting living classroom.  

'Living Classroom' Coming to Jenks Public Schools - Landscape Design by Oklahoma Landscape

A unique project is currently in progress for Jenks Public Schools. A “living classroom” including Chimney Swift towers, butterfly gardens, rain barrels, and other landscaping features is being built near the Freshman Academy in Jenks, Okla. This interactive outdoor living space will serve as a fascinating way for students to learn about nature.  

The school and 9^th grade biology/ornithology teacher Todd Humphrey approached Tulsa landscaping company Oklahoma Landscape in Spring 2013 with the idea for a living classroom. Our licensed landscape architect Paul Strickland then got to work creating 3D concept models of how the finished classroom would look. 

As a Tulsa-area landscaping company, we can see the sweeping benefits a project like this could have. In thinking about the project, we felt this was a very unique school concept that could spread across the Tulsa area into other school systems, allowing kids the opportunity to learn more about landscaping, plants, caring for gardens, etc. 

“We are excited to see this continue to grow each week,” Oklahoma Landscape President Aaron Wiltshire said. “Ultimately, this will be an incredible and unique space.” 

We’re also excited that many of the Jenks families we’ve done landscaping for have children who attend Jenks Schools, so they’ll get to enjoy this natural space.  And the site for the project is actually just a mile or so from the Oklahoma Landscape office, so it really feels like it’s in our own “backyard.”

When the “Flycatcher Trail” classroom is completed, students will be able to plant vegetables, perennials, feed birds, and study insects. Students will also be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the gardens, trails, and water feature. 

“This project can help students in many ways. It can teach them how to do things outside. We all know how electronics can dominate the time of our youth. This project helps kids to get their hands dirty, into the soil, so to speak. It helps them take pride in caring and nurturing plants and gardens,” Aaron Wiltshire said. “There’s a lot of pride that comes from nurturing living things and benefiting from the beauty that is created.” 

As a landscaping company, we know the benefits that come from working with nature and the creativity that can be awakened in the process, and we hope this project will continue to foster that sense of creativity in our children…and it could even inspire a future Tulsa landscape designer. 

“Some of our youth will become aspiring designers, architects, etc., and there are little opportunities we can make available to help put something in front of them that may guide them one way or the other,” Aaron Wiltshire added. 

What are some of the features this distinctive classroom will have? 

Entry structure with rain barrels and a pergola pass-through.

Water feature with streams and a stone bridge.

Compost bins

Butterfly garden

Upright Chimney Swift towers

Native landscape plants and trees

Fully automatic sprinkler system

Cedar split rail fencing

Extensive decomposed granite trails

While Oklahoma Landscape is spearheading the project, there are many others who have donated time, labor, and materials to make this happen. We felt like we could pull off this huge undertaking because of our reliable team of professionals and with the valuable help of our trusted sub-contractors and suppliers. 

“Tulsa and the surrounding towns have made Oklahoma Landscape what it is today, and this project is a great opportunity for us to give back to the community we all share!” Aaron Wiltshire noted. 

The Flycatcher Trail, located in a lot east of the 9^th grade center, is estimated to be completed in March or early April. Stay tuned for more information on how the work is progressing and the various features of the living classroom…