Images: The CU Treehouse
Video: The CU Treehouse

The CU Tree House

Outdoor Learning Center and Amphitheater

The CU Tree House Outdoor Learning Center and Amphitheater, completed in 2007, was built as part of the school's "Business Electives" program. Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students gained real-world experience designing and building a 300-square foot tree house and amphitheater among oak trees on the school's campus.

The students worked alongside volunteer professionals from the community. The CU Tree House is a quiet place to observe and discover nature, as well as read, write, draw or paint. The amphitheater gives students an attractive theater space for performing plays and music.

Students at the Children's University have worked all year on an innovative real-world project to explore careers and entrepreneurial opportunities.

These young students have learned and practiced every aspect of the Tree House project, including:

Site selection and planning
Architectural planning
Design
Creating working drawings/blueprints
Materials planning
Construction parameters
Construction planning/scheduling
Materials purchasing
Hands-on construction activities
Finish work

Volunteer professionals from the community have served as mentors during the project, working side-byside with the students. Our volunteer professionals include architects Deborah Gagliardi and Dean Saadallah; structural engineer Tom Graham; general contractor/builder Bob Turman; interior designers Julia Boyd-Rogers and Millie Harris.

Our elementary students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades have been working all year on "The Tree House Project" at Children's University. Through the school's unique program of "Business Electives," these students have had the real-world experience of designing and building a 300-square foot tree house, nestled among oak trees on the school's campus.

Our students have used critical-thinking skills, made decisions, developed creative solutions, organized, prioritized, and more in this special elective class designed to build confidence, self-esteem and teamwork as well as improve skills in reading, math and vocabulary.

Christened "The CU Tree House" by our students, the two-story outdoor classroom includes the enclosed tree house, with nine windows and a crow's nest, plus an amphitheater space below on ground level. Now completed, The CU Tree House is a special place to observe and discover nature, including plants, birds and insects. We plan to make the space available for quiet creative work, such as writing, drawing and painting. The theater space will be used for students to put on plays and perform music.

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