Although everyone should have walkable access to a park in their neighborhood, we know sometimes it’s more fun to bike there instead! Here’s how to request that a permanent bike rack be installed by your playground. The city prioritizes locations near schools or hospitals so you’re request will likely get boosted to the top of…
Author: tbriery
Sound & Noise in the Playground
The DEP has a new and improved education module on Sound and Noise in the city, and your school’s playground offers the perfect outdoor classroom to begin the lesson. I love how this lesson connects citizen science to an issue that impacts the wellness of students everyday. “These interactive, multi-disciplinary, STEM lessons and activities introduce…
Community Schoolyards NYC Map
Check out this map of all the sites we’ve had a hand in transforming across New York City. We have an great GIS team who helps us identify the most park needy areas in the five boroughs. We prioritize playground projects that have the most impact for the New Yorkers most in need of open,…
Leave the Leaves!
Leaves are natural mulch and turn back into soil. Our playground gardens and tree pits can benefit from the natural regeneration of soil that happens when leaves are allowed to break down. We know they can blow around and look messy so one option is to place them in a gated garden or to put…
Pop-Up Adventure Play Grants
We strongly believe that play is good for kids. It’s first and foremost good for its own sake, but we also know it’s developmentally crucial, helps students learn to assess risk, collaborate, and hones their critical thinking skills. We hope your TPL playgrounds is not only a space for recreation and outdoor learning but also…
Spotted Lantern Fly Managment
In my last post, I mentioned the Ailanthus or “Tree of Heaven” as an example of an invasive weed-tree that we find popping up in nearly every garden space and empty lot in New York City. Now there’s another big reason to spot and remove this tree: it’s host to the region’s newest invasive pest,…
Some Trees are Weeds
Some of the biggest villians in our NYC Playground trees that are also weeds! It’s great to learn to recognize these early when they’re much easier to remove. These trees establish themselves quickly so left unchecked for a season or two, and you’re likely to have trouble digging out their roots. Five Weed-Trees to look…
Herbs We Love, We Love Herbs
One of our favorite types of plants to plant in the garden are fragrant herbs. They’re beautiful, they can fill a whole garden bed, and they attract polinators. Here are some thoughts to keep in mind when planting herbs this Spring.
Meet the Grow-Getters
Gardens group can come in many forms, but one of the most successful models we’ve seen is a application-based student garden club. At La Cima Charter School in Brooklyn, the Principal announces at the start of the schoolyard that she will be overseeing a special garden club, and students then have a few weeks to…
3, 2, 1…Blast Off! PS 107’s new Community Playground rockets into the Bronx
Read more about the partnerships that made this Community Playground possible: NEW YORK — Trust for Public Land, with support from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation, celebrated the opening of the newly renovated schoolyard at P.S. 107X in the Bronx. The schoolyard is part of Trust for Public…