Elementary/Middle: Living Schoolyards
Living Schoolyards reaches Elementary and Middle School communities by creating dynamic school garden committees, developing a schoolyard master plan, and organizing community work parties to achieve the vision for the Living Lab. The ultimate goal is to create a prolific and sustained project for which there is strong community support, embedding outdoor learning in the culture of the school.
Living Schoolyards operates in three general phases:
'Seed Starts': In the first few months, interested parties come together to collaboratively design an outdoor classroom based on needs, desires, and resources. Key to the success of the project is a cohesive garden committee. Garden committees are usually made up of school teachers, staff, the principal, community partners, parents, and even students. The garden committee, with support from Living Labs Project, will design and implement the master plan.
'Growing Together': Living Labs Project partners with various community organizations and businesses support the creation of these outdoor classrooms. We host work parties at the schools that offer opportunities for people to donate time and resources. Work parties range in content, from building beds, to painting benches, to building cob walls or compost bins. The work parties are delightful events for the entire community and everyone contributes to the growth of the Living Lab.
'Sharing the Harvest': This is the time for connecting effective curriculum and teaching tools to all aspects of the Living Lab. The educational objectives are all linked to maintaining the projects in the outdoor classroom. Teachers can hold classes regularly in the Living Labs. Our staff provides support through curriculum packets, teacher trainings, and guest teaching. We also bring in experts from our community network to host engaging hands-on workshops for students, parents and community members. Living Labs Project continues to work with the garden committee as they learn how to sustain their projects. There is plenty of food to harvest all along the way and we love to gather in the Living Lab for meals from the garden.
Whether your school has an existing schoolyard that needs development or you are interested in creating an outdoor classroom, contact us to learn more about the Living Schoolyards Program.
