Mapping Out the Schoolyard
Designing Gardens and Habitats

Author: Eve Pranis

When it comes to transforming a schoolyard, the possibilities are endless. Before getting into grids and plans, tools and beds, take some time to dream and let your imaginations run wild. Teacher Joan Dungey in Yellow Springs, OH, invited her students to reflect on and write about their favorite childhood places. Students next shared their stories with a partner, and each pair presented highlights to the rest of the class. "I found it interesting that nearly all of the students recalled some sort of peaceful natural spot where they had played or explored the world as youngsters," notes Joan. The features they chose for their own outdoor learning center, such as flower and herb gardens with benches for peaceful reflection, emerged as students discussed similarities in their reflections.

Here are some other strategies you might use to find inspiration for your design:

Consider your goals and curriculum. How you intend to use your garden will certainly affect your design. Ask yourselves what your broad goals are: to beautify the school grounds and neighborhood? to grow food for the school or community? to create a therapeutic environment? and so on. You'll also want to consider how you can use the garden project to reach your curriculum goals. Which concepts, skills, and attitudes have been identified for your grade level by local or national standards? Which objectives might dovetail with garden-based experiences? Are there lessons you already teach that might be extended into or enhanced by a garden?

Engage your students as planners and decision makers. Teachers across the country have discovered that when students are involved in all stages of the process, they are more invested in the project's success and inspired to care for and respect their schoolyard oases. By valuing students' opinions and encouraging them to make decisions, these educators have begun to cultivate motivated, confident, and collaborative learners. How and how extensively you involve your students in planning and decision making will depend on your goals and comfort with letting go, and on their abilities. It might mean that they select which plants to include, or you might give them the reins throughout the entire process.

Involve the school and community. Thriving schoolyard garden projects often involve much, if not all, of the school community, including administrators, who can make or break a garden project, and custodians, who can be your greatest allies. Some or all of the teachers and classes may want to be involved in the design process, or simply take responsibility for specific planting beds or garden areas.

Among the most successful gardening programs are those in which educators and students have also reached out to cultivate partnerships in the broader community. These kinds of connections are important for obtaining materials and funds, but can be equally rewarding in nonmaterial ways. They help schools build bridges to the community and help local people better understand educational goals. What's more, involving a broad range of people can decrease the likelihood of vandalism, provide connections to potential volunteers and donors of labor, money, and products; and encourage cross-generational mentoring and friendships. Here are some ways of reaching out:

Set priorities. Once you have crafted a vision for the schoolyard garden or habitat, it's time to get to work. It's important to start small and set short- and long-term goals so you can stage the process. Ask, What is reasonable to accomplish this year given our funds, equipment, time, and people power? In five years? Try to prioritize your goals and then write down what you hope to accomplish each year so you'll have targets to shoot for.

Assess your site. Before putting your vision to paper and then into action, you'll want to find the best location and assess it in relation to your plan and the basic needs of plants. Use these questions to guide your thinking and then plan accordingly.

Design/map the site. Your school garden might be small enough to require a simple planting map or it may entail many different types of features. If you are mapping a large site, you might want to consider a two-step process in which students first map out the "big" picture by identifying buildings, fences, trees, shrubs, play areas, and major pathways, and then create detailed plant maps of smaller areas, such as a rainbow garden.

In either case, students can measure the actual size of the proposed site and features and then use grid or graph paper and an appropriate scale to sketch the garden layout. (Make sure they add the four main compass directions.) You can give younger students the scale, 1 block = 1 foot or 10 feet, for instance. Challenge older students to figure out an appropriate scale.

Consider having each student or small group submit a "dream garden" design. Students might draw their visions or cut out images of garden plants from seed catalogs and paste them on paper. The class can then choose the best–and most practical–elements of each to incorporate into a final design. The concept of representing a three-dimensional garden space in one dimension can be difficult for students to grasp, especially young ones. Think about an intermediate step, like having students create a 3-D model using cardboard, natural materials, and/or a pliable medium, such as polymer clay.

Students can figure out planting schemes for different sections of the garden by consulting seed catalogs and packets, neighborhood gardeners, gardening books, and Internet sites. Such resources provide details on plant colors, heights, spacing needs, and so on. Imagine the possibilities for practicing teamwork and honing math and art skills as students puzzle out design details. How much space does a bean tepee take up? How many square feet of wood chips will we need if we want them 4 inches deep on our paths? How can we split a circular bed into six even sections?

As you and your students dream, consider different types of garden features you might include and where these might fit into your design and budget, then plan accordingly. For instance, will you have garden beds? Will they be for individual students or classes, or both? What shape(s) will they be? Will they be simple mounds or permanent raised beds made from wood or recycled plastic wood? Many school gardens also feature components such as the following: wide pathways (for wheelchair access), gathering places, living "rooms" or hideaways (such as sunflower houses), compost area, signs, ponds, and weather stations.

If you have a large project, consider finding a local landscaper or similar professional who is willing to donate time. He or she can make sure you've considered all available options and potential problem areas, and help you move the design forward. Try to find someone who will engage students in the planning and design process.

Schoolyard Mosaics Our discussions with school gardeners throughout the country reveal several broad categories of schoolyard designs. Our book, Schoolyard Mosaics: Designing Gardens and Habitats, uses the following categories to organize colorful, detailed garden plans and companion stories from schools whose students have transformed schoolyards into wildlife habitats, square-foot gardens, and more. Theme Gardens Imagine the potential for motivating students and inspiring research and investigations when you have a theme around which to weave your garden project. Some school gardeners devote one or more beds to unique themes (historical herbs or dye and fiber plants, for instance). Others create entire gardens or schoolyards around one theme. In some cases, each grade level has a chance to create a plot on a topic related to its curriculum. As you and your students consider your teaching and learning goals, think about how a garden designed around a particular theme could help you meet them. For instance, an ethnic or multicultural garden project can prompt students to dig into the cultures represented in the school and local community or those featured in the social studies curriculum. A pollinator garden, in contrast, is a great context for exploring core science concepts such as plant-animal interdependence, honing observation skills, and learning about environmental stewardship. Edible Gardens There's nothing like nurturing a lettuce plant or squash vine for inspiring proud young growers to, yes, taste vegetables. And there's noting like the flavor of homegrown peas to keep them wanting more. With childhood obesity and diabetes on the rise, schoolyard vegetable gardens serve an ever more important role in nurturing lifelong healthful eating habits. There are other powerful reasons for growing vegetable gardens. They enable students to discover where food comes from and to explore edibles from other cultures. When garden food is donated to neighbors in need, students put a face on the issue of hunger and experience the power of taking action to improve their communities. Multipurpose Schoolyards Many schoolyards have a multitude of facets and features that inspire discovery and diversion for the school and neighborhood communities: areas for recreation, habitat components, places to gather or study, artistic and cultural features, and more. Of course, these don't typically unfold all at once. Sometimes a sitewide design follows naturally on the heels of a small project. For instance, a butterfly garden could spark ideas for new habitat elements, such as trees and water for birds, and later, benches from which to observe feeding habits. If possible and practical, try to develop a comprehensive vision up from in collaboration with students, teachers, custodians, and community members. This will enable you to build enthusiasm and motivation, lay the groundwork for raising funds and support, and develop a thoughtful plan that works with your site and timeline.

NEW! School Garden Design Book

So many teachers asked for advice on designing gardens and transforming schoolyards that we worked with a host of educators to create our just-published book Schoolyard Mosaics: Designing Gardens and Habitats. It features brilliant detailed school garden maps — from butterfly oases to history gardens — along with how-to advice and companion stories on how students made decisions, built community support, and achieved learning goals. You'll also find scads of useful resources — Web sites, Listservs, books, articles, videos, and supplies. Click here to learn more or order.

 

 

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