Education
Katy ISD's Outdoor Learning Center Gives Students Hands-On Learning Experiences
September 28 2022
Katy ISD's Outdoor Learning Center is one of the 55 school design projects across the state chosen for the TASA/TASB 2022-23 Exhibit of School Architecture. This exhibit of new and renovated Texas school facilities includes projects from 36 school districts and two colleges that were submitted by 16 architectural firms.
The Welch Outdoor Learning Center, established in 1981, is a facility owned and operated by the Katy Independent School District. The center is named after Kenneth Welch who played a key role in the planning stages of the center and making the outdoor learning center idea a reality. The OLC, as it is most often called, is located about 1/4 mile west of the Katy ISD Administration building at 6301 South Stadium Lane, Katy, Texas.
The facility consists of 34.5 acres of land, much of which is wooded. The buildings on the site include a science classroom/museum, a caretaker’s cottage, a history classroom/museum, and a large barn and a barnyard. The barnyard includes a windmill, a variety of farm animals and a small pond. A large garden area is located behind the barnyard area. A smaller demonstration garden is located across the street from the front of the barn. The center also has hard surface roads to the buildings, a 1.3 acre pond with piers and a bridge, and several wooded nature trails.
The OLC provides additional hands-on experience through the following:
- 1st Grade Incubators to hatch chicks on campus
- 4th Grade Field Trips to the OLC Science classroom and the OLC History classroom/Museum
- Folk Life Festival
- Summer Recreation Program
To learn more about this dynamic facility, visit Katy ISD's website.
