Blog

Garden Place Academy Advocates closing the funding gap for schoolyard

This time last year a fund raiser and student art exhibit was held at the National Western Complex.  With the focus on the talent behind Garden Place Academy (GPA) and the efforts of Garden Place Academy Advocates (GPAA), it’s no surprise the Denver community showed up and raised $36,000 towards reimagining the almost twenty-year old Learning Landscape.  Alongside GPAA was the participation of Councilman Albus Brooks. Continue reading “Garden Place Academy Advocates closing the funding gap for schoolyard”

HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT

Grassroots Community Engagement – Conversations

As we partner to create and move our projects forward, we try to amplify the voice of the community. TBS provides targeted backbone support and planning for human-centered adaptive design.  Our measure of success: community ownership of the project.

Education

TBS supports comprehensive schoolyard planning that goes beyond an outdoor classroom. Our holistic approach includes physical and academic education to address the social and emotional growth of children. We work closely with school principals, teachers and staff to design and implement a highly functional, usable, and educational outdoor space.

Design & Implementation

We view schoolyards and parks as community economic development projects, and we maximize community and volunteer opportunities. TBS encourages a broad spectrum of construction: traditional public bid work, volunteer driven projects, and in-kind support from local business and trades.

McKinley: Celebremos

“Our mission is to provide a nurturing, supportive, and actively engaging environment for students and families,” reads the mission statement of William Mckinley Elementary. The environment at the June 3rd Celebremos Our Community Our Ideas event, was nothing short of this school’s mission. Continue reading “McKinley: Celebremos”

Dig Philly: Civic Innovation

The Big SandBox, a Philadelphia nonprofit, is pleased to announce it has won a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Knight Cities Challenge award, following an application process that saw more than 7,000 applicants from around the country. The Big SandBox is one of seven Philadelphia area recipients, 32 awards were given in 12 cities.

Continue reading “Dig Philly: Civic Innovation”

FitCity Comes to the Big Apple

TBS Chief Strategist Lois Brink joined influential designers on Monday, May 11, at the FitCity 10 event in NYC, hosted by the American Institute of Architects New York chapter. With a program designed to promote access to physical activity, healthier food, and overall well-being, TBS was a perfect fit for this panel. Building on ideas of fellow panelists and the topic of Urban Schoolyards, Brink expanded the conversation from the national to the international with her involvement in the Philadelphia and Denver schoolyard movements, and her knowledge of the ongoing urban work in Boston, Houston, San Francisco and Toronto.

 

Check out the full event program here