Garden Mission

The South Bronx Schoolyard Garden and Outdoor Classroom (SBxSGOC) is a microcosm where students equitably engage in and explore the living environment, sustainable living, and leadership in order to positively influence the greater world. Founded in 2008, we have seen our gardening program foster tremendous environmental literacy development. We will raise students’ awareness about the degraded state of the living environment both near and afar. Through this capacity building we will ensure our students develop leadership qualities that they will implement in multiple arenas supporting sustainable living in the coming years. Through hands on investigations of the natural world students will be empowered to ‘green the South Bronx.’ As a consequence our students will become environmental stewards in New York City and beyond.  The space is now recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

Garden Vision

The South Bronx Schoolyard Garden and Outdoor Classroom (SBxSGOC) provides an outdoor, hands on platform for children more familiar with a concrete landscape to explore the natural environment. This is accomplished during the school day and after school. The garden has a special emphasis on three specific outcomes: a) targeting and engaging English Language Learners with the English language; b) fostering the idea of a garden as a food source; and c) demonstrating humans connection to and impact on the natural environment.

We believe by targeting these three areas through a focused science and environmental perspective, we prepare students to have a well informed voice that shall speak for the natural world and our need as a society to understand the connection. While these areas form the primary emphasis of The South Bronx Schoolyard Garden and Outdoor Classroom, we draw to connections to other avenues of learning.

Using the Garden

Find field journals and ideas for creating tutorials for using the garden!   You can also use a nature exploration bag to observe nature closely.  As you become an expert gardener, you become a teacher too!  Want to teach and learn in the garden during summer break?  Visit the Summer in the Garden page.

Garden Guidelines and Rubric

Practice these important rules when you are in the garden.  Here are tips for teachers for using garden and outdoor spaces for learning.  Thank you, NYBG, for this resource.