The First Playground Planting Days 

We strive to make the stewardship of each school garden a community responsibility,  both fun and educational.  We include students in on the first plantings of their schoolyards to connect them to the process early.  By investing students in their garden early in the process, we hope to develop their sense of responsibility and pride for their yard. Students also get to showcase their accomplishments at our playground opening celebrations.

Here, Joan passes around a fragrant rosemary plant at the newly completed garden in IS 189 Community Playground in Flushing, Queens. Seeing, touching and smelling the plants makes students better able to identify the plants and more equipped to sort them from weeds in future gardening.

Students plant some native shrubs in their playgrounds bioswale.