Green Playces Curriculum

The Green Playces team has been working with our fantastic partners at Allegheny Partners for Out of School Time (APOST) to design a series of lesson plans that can be used at any of our Green Playces sites throughout Allegheny County. Covering topics from Native Plants to Repurposed Spaces to Stormwater, these lesson plans are custom-designed by a local teacher for our sites.

Each lesson is designed to take place over an hour, and is ideal for middle-school aged kids. They are quick and easy, don’t require a whole lot of prep, and could be easily integrated into other activities. The lessons require no background knowledge from the facilitator, little-to-no external materials, and they include all external documents needed.

 

Best of all, they will all be available for download as PDFs on our website – for free!

 

 

The first lesson plan is available now on our resources page. The others will be coming soon, every few weeks throughout the Spring and Summer of 2016.

 

Lesson 1 offers a basic introduction to the Green Playce. It walks students through the concept of vacant land, the idea behind the Green Playces program, and the steps we took to reclaim the lot. Students get an opportunity to learn about the community-driven design process, and think through the use of space and the elements included in the Playce. They have time to creatively brainstorm how they would design a similar space, and what types of activities could be done in a Green Playce.

This curriculum isn’t just for teachers or school settings, though. It’s designed to be used by anyone and everyone. A babysitter could download the PDF on his or her phone and walk one or two kids through the lesson. A daycare group leader could facilitate. Student teachers can practice their skills with it. Girl Scout troops, mentoring programs, after school clubs. Got an hour to kill between activities? Parents can use this too! Teachers could incorporate pieces of it into their curriculum. Offer childcare at a community event? Have it at a Green Playce and use the curriculum to keep the kids busy. The possibilities are endless.

If you use the curriculum and have feedback – let us know! We would love to hear your thoughts on what worked, challenges you faced, and suggestions for the next round!

As we work to build out Green Playces with our community partners in the Hilltop, Hill District, McKeesport, and Wilkinsburg, stay tuned to see how the community is utilizing the spaces and the curriculum.

The next Lesson Plan will be about Exploration & Making Scientific Observation. Keep an eye out for it in the coming weeks.

We’re also looking for your ideas for creative uses of our Green Playces sites! How could you use a Green Playce? Leave your ideas below.