Carbondale New School

We continue to grow and expand our outdoor classroom with new programs and activities with the help of our students, parents, and dedicated staff. The huge playground space is certainly a draw for prospective families, as it is one of the largest playgrounds in Southern Illinois.

The designated play areas and structured activity areas flow into pine forest, grassy hills, and wilderness spaces and students are encouraged to build and create with a variety of natural materials. Student favorites are the digging area, sandbox, fort building, and the mud kitchens. We rely on student feedback to make these spaces fun and engaging.

It would be impossible to care for such a large and varied landscape without the continued support of our families. Parents are involved in design, construction, and maintenance of the grounds and equipment while students help by planting flowers, weeding, and raking. Donations of plants, mulch, gravel, sand, and hardware make these projects possible.

We are looking forward to our spring planting day to replant and expand our pollinator garden with more native flower species.