To integrate the experience of outdoor learning into urban schoolyards, we partnered with the Boston Schoolyards Initiative to transform nine underutilized Boston public schoolyards with an adaptable “kit of parts.” We were tasked with adapting these sites—each under 3,500 square feet, and challenging, flat spaces of expansive asphalt, cracked concrete, and compacted earth—into welcoming gardens for play and exploration.

Our set of flexible design elements could be tailored to each site’s unique conditions and curriculum. These elements included mounted meadows to introduce topography, raised bed planters, armatures for scientific experiments, and flexible gathering areas. With rain gardens and planting palettes spanning from woodland to meadow, our designs offered seasonal diversity and stormwater management that became learning opportunities in themselves. These interventions also emphasized permeable paving, recycled materials, and fencing that delineated learning from recreational programs.

The Boston Schoolyards Initiative trained teachers to empower them to utilize the spaces to facilitate experiential and field-based learning across science, art, and writing disciplines. These lively, textured, and experiential spaces have engaged students and teachers, and have become both a resource and source of pride for the schools where they are located.