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At Westcliff Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas, students are learning science in a way they can see, touch, and care for. Outside, a giant “Milk Crate Caterpillar” stretches across the schoolyard. Built from milk crates lined with cardboard and filled with soil, the caterpillar has bright, alternating-colored plates along its sides, plus a giant head with eyes and antennae.

But this isn’t just a fun schoolyard feature. Each homeroom at Westcliff has its own crate, ready for students to plant and grow potatoes. Every class receives a paper sack with four potatoes that already have “eyes” and are ready to go into the soil.

For students, it is exciting. For teachers, it is simple.

“Teachers only need to show up and plant their potatoes,” shared Eric Wueste and Isabella Jaramillo, who help lead the effort at Westcliff. “We do everything else.”

That simple idea has made all the difference.

One of the biggest barriers teachers face is time. Even when they want to teach outside or create more hands-on experiences, planning, gathering materials, and figuring out what to do can feel overwhelming.

Eric and Isabella are working to remove those barriers.

Together, they create the lesson plans, gather the supplies, and prepare everything teachers need to use the school’s Outdoor Learning Classroom. This six weeks, the focus is on potatoes. They even differentiate activities for younger and older students, with one set of lessons for Pre-K through second grade and another for third through fifth grade.

Their goal is simple: make it easy enough that teachers can walk outside and get started.

The Gardening Club helps make that possible too. After students plant their potatoes, club members take care of the rest. They help water, weed, and maintain the crates so every class can continue learning and observing over time.

Instead of feeling like “one more thing,” outdoor learning becomes something teachers can actually use.

The Milk Crate Caterpillar has done more than help students grow potatoes. It has created a sense of excitement and ownership across the school.

Because every class has its own crate, every student has something to care for and watch change over time. Students can see their potatoes grow. They can ask questions, make observations, and begin to understand that science is not just something that happens in a textbook.

It is something happening right in front of them.

Eric and Isabella know that getting teachers to try something new often starts with getting students excited first.

“We make it a point to talk with each teacher to encourage them to make use of the resources we have provided,” they shared. “We also talk to the students to get them excited and to pressure their teachers to take them outside.”

That excitement creates momentum. When students are eager to go outside and teachers know everything is already prepared, it becomes easier for outdoor learning to become part of the school day.

For teachers who want to teach outdoors but are not sure where to begin, Eric and Isabella’s advice is simple:

“Don’t wait. Just get to it!”

You do not need a perfect plan or a huge space to get started. Sometimes all it takes is a few potatoes, a little soil, and a way to make the experience feel easy and possible.

At Westcliff Elementary, one colorful caterpillar is helping an entire school discover that science can happen anywhere, and that some of the most meaningful learning begins outside.

Want to make outdoor learning easier for teachers at your school or across your district? Learn how Out Teach partners with schools to provide ready-to-use lessons, teacher support, and outdoor learning spaces that make science easier to teach.