A Living Library = A. L. L.

Our  Roosevelt Island Living Library & Think Park behind 504 Main Street is growing !  This year the environment became a gorgeous and wonderful learning landscape and beautiful ecological place for the whole community.

We began again in the early Spring with the students from PS/IS 217 and the Beacon and prepared for Roosevelt Island Day on June 9.  RI Day was a huge success !

Thereafter we worked all summer and into the fall with children and youth.  Our new A.L.L. instructor, Susan Benarcik, is a dedicated teacher, artist, and gardener and worked with the children from 217, The Child School, and the Beacon during the school day, after school, and all summer in a robust program that included gardening, making beautiful painted canvas signs, and over-sized insects as artworks.  Neighbors too, dropped by and participated.

Do you think the children enjoyed themselves and learned some things ?

Please enjoy some pics below and let us know !

Also view links to Ms. Susan's slide show pictures of the children and the gardens over the seasons.  Scroll down to see slide shows.

Susan Benarcik has been our fabulous RI Living Library instructor, doing a wonderful job !  Thank you Ms. Susan !!!

Roosevelt Island Living Library & Think Park

May Pictures

June & July Pictures

August Pictures

September Pictures

October Pictures

This is our 11th season planting the RI Living Library & Think Park on Roosevelt Island Day with the children and youth from PS/IS 217, many graduates who have participated over the years, and the larger community.  This is the second season for our beautiful site behind 504 Main Street. Our Living Library Garden at PS / IS 217 begun in 2001, has been temporarily off limits while the school is under construction with scaffolding surrounding the whole building, so we began this garden last year with the children and community.  We look forward to being back in the school soon ! This year on RI Day we planted the concentric circle and concentric square once again with a variety of vegetables and flowers, with great support from Doryne Isley and RIOC.  Thank you ! Very beautiful !  See for yourself ! Et Voila !!! Two months later, after post RI Day classes with 217 students, and a summer of hands-on Living Library learning programs with the Beacon and Child School students .......................

You've seen some pictures in the prior post of the beautiful RI Living Library & Think Park behind 504 Main Street.  See pics now of some of the hundreds of children from PS 217 who helped prepare and grow the garden last spring, even before RI Day on June 9. 

Take a look !  The children are marvelous and completely capable.  While learning science, math, and language arts, see what they accomplished during the school day !

And after Roosevelt Island Day, many classes returned to continue developing their Living Library & Think Park Garden !  

Some students created their Living Library Garden Journals observing the changes in the garden, reflecting on them and writing about what they were seeing.  Others developed a new garden bed, and some students planted seeds !

               And soon thereafter, this gorgeous Garden emerged !!!

Our  Roosevelt Island Living Library & Think Park behind 504 Main Street is growing !  This year the environment became a gorgeous and wonderful learning landscape and beautiful ecological place for the whole community.

We began again in the early Spring with the students from PS/IS 217 and the Beacon and prepared for Roosevelt Island Day on June 9.  RI Day was a huge success !

Thereafter we worked all summer and into the fall with children and youth.  Our new A.L.L. instructor, Susan Benarcik, is a dedicated teacher, artist, and gardener and worked with the children from 217, The Child School, and the Beacon during the school day, after school, and all summer in a robust program that included gardening, making beautiful painted canvas signs, and over-sized insects as artworks.

Please enjoy some pics: