Terry Ortiz’s Ring Elementary School UPK class waves to the camera while on one of their morning walks.

If you happen to drive by C.C. Ring Elementary School around 9 a.m., you likely have the chance to be treated to a small parade.

Each day, universal pre-kindergarten students, their teachers, Terry Ortiz and Jill Anderson, and classroom paraprofessionals, Laurie Scolton and Katrina Robbins, take a walk around the school’s campus. More than just a chance to take in some fresh air, it’s a chance for the most innocent of real-world learning.

“It gives us a chance to take in our surroundings while we’re outside,” Anderson said “And it helps so much with getting their little legs up and moving!”

Anderson said one of the big focuses is the season.

“We’ve watched the leaves turn color and fall from the trees,” she said. “We’ve even been known to stop and play in some of the leaf piles.”

Within their creative curriculum, the teachers have used the walks to help students learn about signs.

“We talk about how Signs are everywhere in our lives,” Anderson said. “From street signs, store signs, to signs in our classroom and school, the children enjoy pointing them out and talking about what they mean.”

The different features — colors, shapes, symbols, and letters — are a huge hit among the school’s littlest learners.

“A study of signs offers children an opportunity to look around their home and school environments and discover the different kinds of signs they can find,” added Anderson. “They will discover the important ways that signs are used to help find what you are looking for, to know which way to go, and to stay safe.”