Home Curriculum Learning Garden
The Learning Garden is a living laboratory where students explore the natural world. With an Environmental Science focus, students learn to understand the earth’s physical and geological processes while caring for the plants and creatures who share Park Day School’s four-acres of land.
The Learning Garden educates students about natural resource management, how climate change affects systems and processes on earth, land rights and large scale land use, and teaches agricultural and culinary skills.
Plant Anatomy
Students learn the basics of plant anatomy, identifying key parts like roots, stems, leaves, and flowers while practicing how to care for young seedlings. In learning what seeds need to thrive—sunlight, water, soil, and air— students gain hands-on experience in nurturing healthy plants. This unit fosters a sense of responsibility as students learn to care for the environment, deepen their connection to nature and understand the growth cycle.
Fungi, bacteria, and invertebrates
1st graders study fungi, bacteria, and invertebrates, exploring their anatomies, habitats, and the vital roles they play in creating healthy soil. They investigate worms, pill bugs, and other decomposers in the school’s worm bins and garden beds, learning how these small creatures contribute to a healthy ecosystem.
Chicken Care
Students learn about caring for our Rhode Island Red, Easter Egg, Golden Link, and Bantam hens. They learn about chicken anatomy, clean and maintain the coop,identify potential ailments that could impact the health of our flock, and apply treatments. Students also replenish the habitat with fresh bedding and use diatomaceous earth to ensure the well-being of the chickens and gain practical experience in animal care.
Food Justice
Students get hands-on experience in a project-based learning unit on food insecurity & food justice. Using the community fridge at 44th and Telegraph as a distribution point, students grow kale and sugar snap peas and collaborate with the Seed to Table Club to clean and restock this neighborhood food access point. As part of their studies, students discuss improving access to healthy, culturally appropriate food and learn from guest speakers and local activists to gain a deeper understanding of how we can care for others beyond Park Day’s campus.
In Lower School, lessons in our expansive garden campus encourage students to become stewards of the environment and the keepers of its history. Classes incorporate curriculum from LifeLab, Occidental Art and Ecology Center, FOSS, and Edible Schoolyard. The program is closely integrated with science and social studies curriculum and adapts to emerging student interests in collaboration with each grade’s classroom teachers.
In Middle School, students participate in Ecology Club and take on full management of our Seed to Table program that provides fresh produce to the school’s hot lunch program. An important part of this work is the intersection between social justice and access to food, and studies around this (including aquaponics systems) integrates into the Middle School science program and JEDI program as well. Our biophilia collaboration between Spanish and gardening is where students learn to care for plants in Spanish and in English, working with design elements to create personalized ecosystems.