Urban Garden Discovery

A Lowe’s grant helps build an outdoor classroom in the heart of the capital for D.C. children.

Photography by Scott Suchman

Urban Garden Discovery

The garden provides opportunities for hands-on learning.

This month: Washington, D.C.

Throughout the Capitol Hill Historic District in Washington, D.C., urban gardens sprout in the narrow strips tucked between city streets and adjacent buildings. One particular public garden serves as an outdoor classroom for the students of Peabody Early Childhood Center. Once an empty eyesore separating the school from the street, the Peabody Discovery Garden now flourishes in the space, thanks to the hard work of volunteers and a $25,000 grant from Lowe’s.

While working toward her Master Gardener certification, D.C. resident Mary Blakeslee took on the challenge of turning the space on the west side of the school into an attractive garden for the community and a learning component for the curriculum.

In the Discovery Garden, children play hopscotch on stepping-stones engraved with numbers to help develop early math skills or with words associated with gardening, such as blossom, grass, root, ladybug, and spider. A Creepy Crawler Maze, made from concrete pavers and gravel, teaches students directional thinking and problem solving. An outdoor classroom under a pergola is a favorite spot for little ones to draw and write in journals about seasonal changes.

“The children were very excited about what was coming up in the spring,” says Gail Murdock, a teacher with more than 21 years of experience. “We went out every day looking for bulbs to emerge and buds on the trees.”

Plants chosen for this project are predominantly native to the area, few in number, and small in stature to be accessible by children and accommodate their natural tendency to run and step on things.

“The garden is very contemplative for adults in this hectic city, and we invite others to get off the beaten path and come see our garden,” Blakeslee says.

Oasis in the City
  1. Discovery GardenThe Discovery Garden is used by the students at Peabody Early Childhood Center, but it’s open to the public as well. Visitors can stroll through on weekends and after school hours.
  2. Hopscotch The children can play hopscotch with numbered stepping-stones on one of the garden’s paths.
  3. Outdoor ClassesOutdoor classes are a special treat for students.

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