Creating Outdoor Classrooms: Schoolyard Habitats and Gardens for the Southwest

Lauri Macmillan Johnson; Kim Duffek

Published by University of Texas Press 2008

Creating Outdoor Classrooms

Schoolyard Habitats and Gardens for the Southwest

Lauri Macmillan Johnson and Kim Duffek
Illustrator: James Richards

https://doi.org/10.7560/717466

Overview
Contents

About this book

Schoolyards have come a long way from the barren playgrounds that many people remember. Today's school campuses often feature gardens in which students can learn about native plants and wildlife, grow vegetables and fruit, explore cultural traditions, practice reading and math skills, and use their imaginations to create fun play spaces. And for a growing number of urban students, these schoolyard gardens offer the best, if not the only, opportunity to experience the natural world firsthand and enjoy its many benefits.

This book is a practical, hands-on guide for creating a variety of learning environments in the arid Southwest. Filled with clear, easy-to-use information and illustrated with photographs, drawings, and plans, the book covers everything necessary to create schoolyard gardens:

An introduction to schoolyards as outdoor classrooms and several types of habitats, including art gardens, cultural history gardens, ecological gardens, literacy gardens, and vegetable gardens
Design theory, including a history of garden styles, and design principles and design elements
Beginning the design process, including identifying participants and writing a design program that sets out goals and requirements
Conducting site research and synthesizing design elements to arrive at a final design
Design essentials, including project funding and design features, maintenance, accessibility, safety, and project evaluation and revision
Wildlife ecology, including elements needed for survival such as food and shelter
Creating gardens for pollinators and other wildlife, including hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, moths, bats, and flies, as well as pest control
Lists of native plants for various kinds of habitats and nurseries that sell native plants, as well as books, web sites, and other resources for learning more about native plants and wildlife

This guide will be essential for landscape architects, school personnel, parents, and students. Indeed, its principles can be used in designing schoolyard habitats across the country, while its information on gardening with native plants and wildlife will be useful to homeowners across the Southwest.

Author / Editor information

Lauri Macmillan Johnson is Professor in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona, as well as a consulting landscape architect in Tucson and Denver.

Reviews

A significant contribution to the fields of landscape architecture and environmental education. . . . This book's step-by-step explanation of the design process is excellent and has the potential to expand the book's audience beyond its schoolyard habitat and arid Southwest region.

— Frederick Steiner

This guide is so well developed that it can serve as a primer in the education of landscape architects and other environmental professionals. The general public also can benefit from the practical and specific design steps, as well as from the comprehensive list of plant materials for arid and semi-arid climates in the United States.

— Pat D. Taylor

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
Introduction Kim Duffek Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Chapter 1: Schoolyards Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2: Design Theory Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
Chapter 3: Beginning the Design Process Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	45
Chapter 4: Site Research and Design Synthesis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
Chapter 5: Design Essentials Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
Chapter 6: Ecological Principles and Wildlife Kim Duffek Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	123
Appendix: Regional Plant Tables Kim Duffek Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
References and Additional Reading Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 211

eBook

Published: January 1, 2010
ISBN: 9780292794177