MONMOUTH, Ill. — The newest classroom in Monmouth isn't like any you've probably seen.
For the past few years, Monmouth College has been providing area elementary students with several types of hands-on learning at the Monmouth College Educational Farm. And now, those students will be able to learn in a brand new outdoor classroom space — a yurt!
A yurt is a traditional tent-like house that was used by nomadic tribes in central Asia, particularly Mongolia. Monmouth College's yurt has a 30-foot diameter, seats up to 40 people and provides a sheltered area for students and teachers to spend more time on-site during field trips. The yurt will also be heated, and be equipped with tables, chairs, magnifying glasses, binoculars, microscopes and other scientific tools.
"They'll be able to be out there for all seasons and for longer amounts of time," educational studies professor Craig Vivian said, a co-director of the farm who's one of the main advocates of the place-based learning that the College is helping to bring to area schools. "They can get out here in the morning and spend three hours out here, or more. It will give them much more substantive opportunities for the kids to do projects related to math and science."
The college said it decided to construct the new learning space because the students' walk from school to the farm is nearly an hour, meaning there hasn't been as much learning time as initially hoped.
There are future plans for the farm as well, including solar panels, a walking path, a pumpkin patch, added farm animals and a revamp of the existing pond.
Tune into The Current from 4 to 5 p.m. on weekdays to catch even more live interviews impacting you, your family and your hometown as well as all of the biggest headlines of the day.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel