Harlem Renaissance Garden
About our Garden
Our school garden is to be used by all students throughout the school year, linking to existing curricula related to science, the arts, environmental stewardship and healthy living. It also offers an opportunity to work directly with nature, promoting mindfulness and allowing our children to take a break from our modern electronic world.
Founded in spring 2019, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the start of the Harlem Renaissance, this garden will celebrate and remember the significant impact of the Harlem Renaissance. Our school’s namesake, Alain L. Locke, was instrumental in advancing the major cultural shift which grew out of this important time period.
The garden offers a ‘Centers’ Design. There is a Reading/Teaching nook, a Sensory Garden, Sustainable Science Center, Dig It! Diamond, Zen Garden, Pollinator Gardens, and our Urban Farm (the L-Shaped beds)
Join us Friday afternoons (weather permitting) – you can volunteer or just enjoy the space!
In October 2019, Timberland volunteers helped get our garden to it’s future vision by making some great strides in landscaping and building several new beds, including our symbolic L-shaped maze of beds, in an energy filled day!
P.S. 185 was the host location for the new Garden Train D3 kick off event. This was a day where our garden was open to all, with raffles, kids activities and volunteer work caring for the street trees in the neighborhood.
Take a look at our photo album to see how the garden has transformed!
Renaissance Garden Ground Rules
Follow your Bees! Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Ready, Be Present
- Be gentle with our plants. Be aware of where they are. Do not step on or pick flowers, fruits or veggies.
- Protect our insects: be very gentle with them. If you find a root or a bug, it is usually best to leave it be.
- Keep rocks, sticks and dirt on the ground.
- Do not get tools out of the shed. The shed has some dangerous tools in it, only grown ups can go into the shed.
- Tell an adult if you see something that might be dangerous (like broken glass).
- Respect others and listen to adult directions.
A few ground rules for our Dig It! area…
- No more than five (5) children should play in the Dig It! area at one time please. Give each other safety space when digging.
- Use the small shovels hanging on outside of shed and please put them back after use. Find toys and gloves in ‘kid’s shed’ (grey box by the Dig It! Area).
- Give our trees some love… be careful of digging up or hurting roots.
- Dig in dry dirt only (no mud please).