Mt Baldy School

Mt Baldy’s tagline is “because how you learn begins with where you are”. We recognize the impact of that sentiment and capitalize on the fact that our school sits nestled in a forest in the San Gabriel mountain ranges.

Therefore, we created outdoor spaces in order to erase the four walls of the classroom and get outside. We have gardens, an outdoor education center, a pond area, observation and stream viewing decks off classrooms, and our Wild Space, filled with the shade of tall trees, and the scent of pines. We use these spaces with purpose and joy.

Our school has well-loved gardens.  One sits in the courtyard area among pine and fruit trees. The other beds are in easy-to-access raised beds in the primary playground right outside of the TK - 1 classroom (our scurry of squirrels class).  

Students, teachers, parents and community members value our gardens and spend time and effort to maintain them. Volunteers work with small groups of students planting, picking, and weeding.

The benefits of the garden extend beyond the obvious aesthetics and knowledge about healthy food and nutrition. Children learn about science and math, art, social studies, and language arts through gardening. They learn about what grows in high elevation and what a cold snap in October does to nasturtiums. Many a student has even learned a bit about trust after planting a seed and watching it grow.

Students enjoy an occasional treat picked fresh from our garden and prepared with the help of volunteer farm-to-table chefs. We have found that even turnip soup becomes a sought-after snack for children when they have planted, watered, picked and prepared the turnips.

Due to the positive impact our gardens make on our learning community, we continually pursue avenues of funding in order to expand the garden program both physically and through the curriculum.