1. Share the Concept
A schoolyard naturalization project generally begins as the inspiration of one or two people, but in order for this dream to become a reality, enthusiasm and support must be generated by sharing the concept of schoolyard naturalization. Start by gauging the interest of all the identified stakeholders including the principal, teaching staff, caretaker, students, school board, parents and community members.  At this point you are seeking approval in principal and permission to explore the possibilities.  Discussion should be geared to finding out what stakeholders really think about the school ground and how it functions, and if they see any room for improvement

Strategies for soliciting opinions and creating interest may take a variety of forms.  Consider using questionnaires and surveys, presentations, posters and flyers.  Materials may include photos of other schools, videos and guest speakers.  For suggestions and to access these tools see the Resources page, and the Map for information specific to your region.

Be prepared to explain to stakeholders what schoolyard naturalization is, why schools are naturalizing and who is naturalizing.  This will serve to ensure people new to the concept have a clear idea of what is being proposed.  Refer to the Before you start section for more information.

Be ready to address questions around cost and available funding, safety, vandalism, maintenance, timelines and increased workload for teachers. Answers can be found in our Frequently asked questions section.

2. Form Naturalization Committee
The long-term success of the project is reliant on the support of a number of people with a range of backgrounds and skills.  Spreading the workload not only lessens the time commitment for each individual, but leads to a more creative and diverse project.

Try to draw committee members from school administration, teaching staff, parents and students as well as from the surrounding community. Create roles and provide volunteers with detailed job descriptions to ensure they have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities. It is good practice to follow a more formal format for meetings with agendas, attendance sheets, notes and action items.  This tends to make for more effective use of volunteers’ time.

For a handout on committees click here or see the Manual for more in-depth information.  More resources on working with volunteer groups can be found in the Resources section.

3. Develop Vision and Curricular Links
Building on the general feedback gathered in Step One, it is necessary to identify specifically why stakeholders want a naturalized site, how they would use it and what they envision it looking like.  This will lead to a shared vision for the final project that reflects the unique wishes of the school community.  The creation of a written goal or mission statement will help to guide the future direction of the project.  It can be extremely useful when orienting new people should staff or volunteers change, and provides a document that can be referred to that will help keep the project on track.

Methods and resources are similar to those used in Step One (see the Resources section and Before you Start) and can include field trips to schools and natural areas near you (see the Map).  When planning, take care to consider the primary users of the site - the teaching staff and students.  The interaction of students with the process and with the completed landscape must be a priority, and teachers will guide much of this activity.  Teachers should outline specifically how the physical site will be integrated with the curriculum so that elements can be incorporated into the project to facilitate such activities. See the Curriculum Connections section for more information.

4. Obtain School Board Approval
In order to ensure that you are aware of all appropriate regulations, determine the school’s jurisdiction.  School grounds may be owned by their school board or by private owners; they may also be jointly owned and managed by the school board and the city or municipality.  If your school is within more than one jurisdiction you must follow the regulations of all the landowners.  Generally this information is available from your school board (see the Map). 

The Calgary Board of Education has a set of written guidelines (click here to download a PDF version) that includes the necessary forms and agreements to be signed.  Check your location on the Map to see if your board has a similar document.

For more details on any of the process steps, refer to the Manual or consider taking one of the Workshops.  To discuss your project with the Zoo’s Grounds for Change staff Click here.