
A Whole-Hearted Commitment
St. Giles School and its PTO are working to fund and build an Outdoor Classroom and Garden on our campus.
The outdoor space can be utilized to enhance the curriculum in areas not limited to but including: science (such as studying photosynthesis, applying trial and error, observing plants and insects and their life cycle, planning and decision making regarding use of light and space--which plants should be grown in which space), math (requiring measurement and calculations regarding how many seeds should be


The Outdoor Classroom will be a series of spaces, which can be built in phases as funding is acquired. Components include an open space for seating and instruction, a vegetable and fruit garden, and a pollinator garden for local birds and insects. The space is intended to be cross-curricular, serving students from preschool to 8th grade.
Jeanne Nolan, owner of the Organic Gardener assessed the school landscape and designed a plan. Her professional experience includes planning numerous school gardens in the greater Chicago area in addition to the Edible Garden at the Lincoln Park Zoo--a field trip favorite of our kindergartners.
Why an Outdoor Education?