“King’s Gate has such a healthy and vibrant learning community, where teachers strive to individualize instruction to every child’s learning requirements, all the while partnering with parents.”
Melissa Mbride
King's Gate Christian School
WONDERGROUND
King’s Gate, widely recognized for its wildlife conservation and stewardship science program, gladly presents our outdoor classroom, the Wonderground. This is not just a classroom. It’s a robust learning environment where students of all ages have opportunities for long-term involvement in habitat enhancement and protection, citizen science, and conservation education well after they leave the school environment.
The Wonderground is currently made up of three unique areas:
Pollinator Garden
Our students have recorded over 40 species of pollinators in our pollinator garden, including Monarchs and Painted Ladies. Our garden was designated a Monarch Waystation in 2020. Butterflies need milkweeds to lay eggs and nectar for survival. With the help of our students, we maintain a safe and healthy place for butterlies.
Observation Deck
From our observation deck, we’ve seen many different species of mammals in our riparian habitats and upland forest including the red fox, raccoon, opossum, striped skink, white-tailed deer, armadillo, and fox squirrels. Our Wondergound also supports over 25 species of nesting birds and twice as many migrating birds.
Vernal Pond
The horseshoe-shaped vernal pond allows students to observe and interact year-round with several species of frogs, salamanders, and crayfish. Our vernal pond was designated a protected wetland by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. From age three, our students learn to be citizen scientists protecting GOD’s creation.
Rock Classroom
Our outdoor rock classroom features large rocks suitable for climbing or class gathering. Students also learn about native plants in our prairie garden. By observing footprints in the tracking station, they can track what kinds of animals roam in our Wonderground.
As citizen scientists, our students participate in the care and upkeep of our Wonderground, learning about the chemical composition of soils, water conservation, the life cycle of butterflies, and how to create a suitable environment to promote pollinators. Students of all ages participate in national research projects, submitting data to world-renowned labs.
Conducive for integrating science with art, history, literature, and physical education – the Wonderground provides critical learning opportunities that extend and support the impact of conservation and stewardship while providing the perfect environment to teach ecology and the conversation of natural resources.
We are so grateful to our families, as well as our business and government partners for helping us establish this unique learning experience for our students.
Contact us
for more information about:
Participating in workdays to help with upkeep or sponsoring our Wonderground to help with expenses.
