During International School Grounds Month and Living Schoolyard Month, we are encouraging schools and districts to provide tours of their living schoolyards to raise awareness of and demonstrate the benefits of living schoolyards, and to advocate for the Living Schoolyards Act. We encourage you to plan events on your schoolyards in the month of May and invite elected officials.

Steps to planning a schoolyard tour:

Find a host. Schoolyard tours can be hosted by administrators, teachers, parents, or community groups. Be sure to have permission from decisionmakers!
Choose sites. Decide which schoolyard or schoolyards in your district will host tours; if possible choose both exemplary spaces and high need spaces (unshaded, paved, without infrastructure) to show contrast and inequity.
Invite guests. Decide who to invite: elected officials, the public, families

Find your elected officials here. Invite officials you know are supportive AND those who may not yet be on board. This is an opportunity for them to see and learn firsthand and that can be a powerful experience!
Reach out by phone and email to invite them. Elected officials may not be able to attend, but staffers will likely be available to represent and report back. Be flexible with time.

Set up activities and speakers. There are many things to do on a schoolyard tour if your space can support it:

Enlist the principal or teachers to talk about schoolyard benefits and potential.
Engage students in outdoor learning activities; use our schoolyard activity guides for ideas. (Be sure to have photo permission forms signed by parents for all kids participating.)
Provide an opportunity for participants to get their hands dirty.
Provide snacks.
Print out a map of your school so attendees can make notes as they tour your school, noting inspiring living schoolyard elements, challenges, and/or opportunities for improvement.
Have information on Living Schoolyards Act available

Make the case. It is important to make the case for both the value of outdoor learning and living schoolyards and the need. You can take information from this lecture series on the benefits of living schoolyards as talking points. Living schoolyards:

improve educational outcomes and student engagement;
improve mental and physical health as well as support healthy child development;
promote environmental and climate resilience;
provide community green space, and opportunities for job training and job creation.

Please let us know if you host an event! Take pictures and send them to info@greenschoolyards.org and tag us on social media.