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Outdoor Educational Wonderlands

for Urban Schools

Our services do not include electrical, plumbing, or excavation. Clients may retain these services from other professionals. The photographs depicted on this website are for illustrative purposes only. 

"The rock doesn’t know what happens to the ripples in the pond"       J.P. Lynde

Our motto: Design, Build, Educate & Grow

Our mission: No Child Left Indoors!

Our mandate: All Abilities Included

What are Outdoor Educational Wonderlands?

 

Outdoor Educational Wonderlands (OEW) are vibrant, engaging outdoor classrooms where students can lose themselves in a state of exploration & investigation. Wonderlands for urban schools include: gardens, greenhouses, fitness forts, educational playgrounds, chicken coops & observatories for astronomy and species identification (birds, butterflies, insects). Parents, educators, students: you dream it, we build it! 

 

Beyond Structures

 

At Sprout, we don't see ourselves as a traditional build company. We are passionate designers, educators and builders - women on a mission, using every tool in our belt to affect change! We create environments that are fun, therapeutic, healthy, educational  - even vocational. 

 

Student Workshops & Professional Development 

 

With every build our intention is to maximize impact. Therefore, we pair our structures with professional development, lesson plans, and fun, hands-on student workshops with an eye towards promoting health and preventing disease. 

 

We use nature (chickens, worms, flowers and veggies) as a practical tool to teach STEM, social studies, language, arts as well as broader concepts like understanding our food sources, healthy eating, environmental stewardship and  preparation for jobs in the new green economy. 

No green space?

Our specialty is working with clients in urban settings. We work in classrooms, vacant lots, school parking lots, rooftops & walls. Experience has taught us to be crafty.  Let us help you find a solution.

Budget?

Even a small budget can make a profound impact. A program can be as simple & inexpensive as a workshop where students use old soda bottles to create mini windowsill gardens.

Or as comprehensive as the design and build of a year round greenhouse. 

Funding?

We work with passionate educators and parents, non-profits, grants, private funding, PTAs, PTOs and grassroots initiatives like bake sales. 

Impact

  • Understanding Food Source

  • Healthy Eating

  • Environmental Stewardship

  • Key STEM Lessons

  • Green Job Readiness

  • Promoting Health

  • Preventing Disease

  • Therapeutic Benefits

Who we service

  • Community Centers

  • Senior Care Centers

(Select your area of interest)

  • Rehabilitation Centers

  • Private Homes

Three steps to transform your school into an Outdoor Educational Wonderland

(Similar steps apply to all client types)

  • ​Set up an on-site visit with Ilona to:

    • Discuss your school's goals

    • Evaluate areas of desired impact (math, health, behavior, art)

    • Assess the space & take measurements

  • Analyze DOE, DOB and other requirements

  • Pick from our imaginative list of wonderland possibilities including structures and workshops. Or dream up your own idea and let us build it!

  • We will process your schools wishlist into a rendered design consisting of various components.  

  • Optional to build all at once or to stagger in phases

Step 1: Design

Garden Mazes

Fitness Forts

Green Fences

Observatories

Green Walls

Garden Beds

Greenhouses

Chicken Coops

Compost Systems

Educational Playgrounds

Interactive Musical Instruments

Step 2: Build

  • We are fully insured, licensed & bonded contractors - ready to build

  • NOTE: If you wish to prepare your students for jobs in the green economy, we are happy to integrate them into the entire design & build process

  • Students learn to:

    • Navigate the DOE/DOB permit process - where apliciable.

    • Interface with design & structural engineers, electricians, architects etc

    • Become forewomen/men

    • Design & Build

    • Use Tools

    • Take measurements and use math

    • Problem solve

    • Discover challenging, fun, meaningful work

Step 3: Educate & Grow

Once the foundation is laid and the exterior is up, it's time to cultivate the interior. 

  • Variety of growing techniques (Conventional, Hydroponic, Aeroponic, Aquaponic, etc)

  • Student Workshops

  • Professional Development

  • Garden-based lesson plans

  • Curriculum integration

  • Garden map & planting schedule for each teacher

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