Book Description
In the American elementary school environment, the school yard, playground, and overall master plan of the facilities are a major part of each child's personal and educational experiences. Just as the interior environments are designed to be conducive to the educational arena, the exterior environments of these schools should also be designed to provide the same educational experiences. Although these elementary school landscapes should reflect the educational needs of the children, many schools' exterior spaces are not addressing what the quality of school landscape should address. The current state of design in the outdoor environments of public elementary schools does not focus on learning, but rather focuses on meeting codes and budget. Landscapes of public elementary schools should be designed to meet the demands and needs of all stakeholders with the primary focus of design remaining on the schoolchildren and their education and experience of the designed site.