When you type 'greening school grounds' or terms like that into a search
engine, you can find beautiful architectural drawings of outdoor
classrooms, elaborate natural playgrounds, native plant gardens,
vegetable gardens and even ponds. Most of those school grounds look
out-of-reach for many of our communities, are expensive to install
and/or so high-maintenance in their upkeep that
they frequently end up looking unkempt. Thankfully, naturalized school
grounds do not have to be elaborate to be educationally effective.
If you are convinced about naturalizing part of your school's grounds for outdoor learning,
start talking about it.
Even though Wonder shares cheap and simple ways to naturalize a part of the schoolyard, you might be surprised at the process that it's still going to be. So this is the procedural post.
First, decide whether you are prepared to be the project's champion. If you are hesitant, find a (fellow) champion on staff. I say 'Start talking about it', because that allows the idea to start percolating in the minds of your colleagues and the administration. Meanwhile, you want to be more patient than pushy, even if you can't understand why everyone isn't as on board with the idea as you are. But keep talking about it: in staff meetings, on yard duty, with parents, regularly.
At some point soon, raise the idea more formally with the school staff and administration. It’s important to be able to articulate your goals for the project. A school’s number one job is to educate, so convince your administrator that a naturalized area will do that. Look for curriculum expectations that will help make the case for an outdoor learning space. Find successful models in your city, town, or state, and figure out what resources they use, and how you can access similar resources in your community. Be ready to demonstrate that you’ve thought through the details of how you will create the space as well as how you will engage students in outdoor learning.
Also approach the school's custodial staff and/or buildings-and-grounds department, to address any misgivings they may have. And collaborate with your colleagues about how they envision using an
outdoor learning space, and incorporate their ideas if possible.
Don't be discouraged if your enthusiasm for enhancing the school grounds
isn't front-of-mind for everyone else. Who knows what they've got going
on? And if that means that it isn't happening yet this year,
keep talking about it. Maybe the merit of it will have sunk in by next
year.
Next, select an area for naturalization.
Ideally, it's an area not next to the school so that eventual tree roots don't mess with the foundations. A great fit would be an area that is currently underutilized; that is, an area of the school grounds where kids don't play very often. If it's because it tends to not drain well, great! Or it could be a shady area where grass has trouble growing anyway.
And what will be the cheap and simple way to naturalize it? Simply
cover the area with 6-8 inches of wood chip mulch
in the spring. Optionally, tree stumps to sit and climb on can be added; they can probably be acquired from the same tree service company from which you can get wood chips. That's it for this school year. All summer, the grass underneath the mulch will suffocate and decompose, and in the fall, you will find beautiful, friable soil in which to plant trees and shrubs.
But even a simple project like this costs some money. Money for a wood chip delivery in the
spring and the plant material for the fall of the new school year. Is
there money in a fund for that? Does fundraising need to be on the radar? Are there parents or businesses that
can be approached? Is there a tree service company that could deliver
wood chips for free? Does your community have an organization that
champions greening school grounds with donations?
If it's a go for this coming spring, look for a much more detailed post here in early April.
While the mulched area won't look like much yet after it is installed, keep talking to the community about the fact that it is an investment in the following goals:
- healthy, holistic free play during recess
- an outdoor classroom with all its benefits
- a small ecosystem in which to research and study the life sciences
- a contribution towards green space and bird and butterfly habitat in the neighborhood
- a contribution towards rain management and a healthier watershed as mulch absorbs a surprising amount of water
- a contribution towards carbon sequestering because that's another thing that decomposing mulch does
That's a lot more than a piece of neglected lawn does!
For more information, and the opportunity to certify your Schoolyard Habitat, click here.
