Is Your Classroom Alive?
The Standard for Outdoor Learning Environments.
Leading the way in outdoor learning environments and re-naturing school grounds for over 20 years.
Where Green School Grounds Began
After reading Sharon Danks, groundbreaking book, Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation, we were inspired to create scalable systems for outdoor classrooms and living school grounds.
From the development of robust soil microbiomes that support healthy, drought-resistant school forests while doubling carbon capture, to patented outdoor classroom systems designed by educators and rooted in pedagogy, Bienenstock has scalable systems to re-nature every school.
Timeline
2001
Founder Adam Bienenstock joined Evergreen as the Program Manager and developed the plan for the Brick Works
2005
Richard Louv published Last Child in the Woods
2010
Sharon Danks groundbreaking book - Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation is released, inspiring Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds to create scalable living schoolgrounds
2015
BNP completes its 1000th project.
2022
Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds surpasses 3,000 completed natural playgrounds and living schoolyards
2003
Adam Bienenstock branched out and started social entrepreneurship focused on building and designing Natural Playgrounds. The first natural playground was completed at the Metropolitan University Early Childhood Centre
2007
Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds completes its first 100 natural playgrounds
2012
first 500 projects completed by BNP
2019
BNP hits milestone of 2,000 completed projects
2024
Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds reaches milestone of 4,500 completed projects
Timeline
2001
Founder Adam Bienenstock joined Evergreen as the Program Manager and developed the plan for the Brick Works
2005
Richard Louv published Last Child in the Woods
2010
Sharon Danks groundbreaking book - Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation is released, inspiring Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds to create scalable living schoolgrounds
2015
BNP completes its 1000th project.
2022
Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds surpasses 3,000 completed natural playgrounds and living schoolyards
2003
Adam Bienenstock branched out and started social entrepreneurship focused on building and designing Natural Playgrounds. The first natural playground was completed at the Metropolitan University Early Childhood Centre
2007
Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds completes its first 100 natural playgrounds
2012
first 500 projects completed by BNP
2019
BNP hits milestone of 2,000 completed projects
2024
Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds reaches milestone of 4,500 completed projects
Our Focus Areas
It’s more than just green school grounds and living classrooms—it’s about creating environments that support every aspect of outdoor learning. The actions we take today will shape the future of our children. Discover our customized 4-pillar approach to outdoor education and green school grounds below:
Biodiverse Forests
The approach begins with planting biodiverse climate-ready school forests that will thrive today and survive the next 5 decades of climate shifts, transforming the concrete school grounds of today into thriving ecosystems of tomorrow and for years to come. The impact is profound: a flourishing canopy above, a living soil microbiome below, reduced heat island effect, 10x boost in carbon capture, effective stormwater management, and replenishment of local watersheds. This is more than a solution—it’s a vision for the future, and how the environment will flourish and continue to support students over the next 50 years.
Outdoor Classrooms
Building on the foundation of the forest, our outdoor classroom configurations are where education meets nature. These patented, fully-compliant classroom configurations are ergonomically designed by teachers for teachers, featuring student and teacher furnishings that facilitate the easy transition from indoor classrooms to outdoor learning.
Mentorship
Our mentorship programs are designed to make teaching the curriculum outdoors simple and accessible. During these sessions, our network of mentors model best practice to teachers by taking their students outside and into the forest to gain firsthand insight into how the curriculum can be easily and practically delivered outdoors in all seasons.
This hands-on approach eliminates the need for substitute teachers, ensuring there are no added costs to the school’s budget for world-class professional development. Teachers leave with practical strategies to confidently deliver the curriculum outside, while students benefit from an engaging and enriching outdoor learning.
Curriculum
Excellent outdoor curriculum exists today. Written by teachers for teachers, this easy-to-implement outdoor curriculum is fully compliant with state and provincial standards. It empowers educators to bring all subjects taught indoors to the outdoors, seamlessly integrating an environment, climate, and regenerative landscape focus—all while staying true to the curriculum.
Benefits
Boosts attention spans by 50%
Decreases bullying by 87%
Improves information retention by 50%
Lowers temperatures by up to 30%
Increases carbon capture by 1000%
Reduces VOCs to zero
Scale
We’ve created over 4,000 outdoor learning environments where children and communities thrive in natural, beautiful spaces that celebrate their cultural and environmental heritage.
Outdoor Classroom Demand
The call for outdoor education is stronger than ever. Since 2021, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds has been hosting a North America-wide contest to support this vital need. The map below highlights interest from over 16,000 schools and child care centers eager to build outdoor classrooms—if only they had the necessary funding.
Bienenstock is one of my heroes…a world leader in the development of natural playgrounds, an important strategy in our efforts to create nature-rich cities.
This kind of place-based environmental learning is powerful, helping children view themselves as part of, not apart from, the natural world. Understanding that we are embedded in the places we live is a critical step on the path to regenerate the natural world and ensure a healthy Earth for generations to come.
I really admire what Bienenstock has done with their curriculum. It’s so important for kids to learn how to grow food, care for the soil, understand the changing seasons, identify useful plants, explore healing herbs, appreciate the beauty of flowers, and recognize what attracts pollinators. The key to inspiring our kids is shifting the curriculum to include more of this hands-on, nature-focused learning.
The entire process of working with Bienenstock was exceptional. Their design work was innovative and exceeded expectations…If you want to build a real cutting-edge nature play area that is based on experience and not an idea of what might be best in class, hire Bienenstock.
a true visionary within the child and nature movement. Their natural playgrounds are an oasis of calm within a busy world. Their unfailing dedication to making the world a better place is inspiring.
Selected Projects
Our work spans across schools in Canada and the U.S., delivering regenerative environments that inspire learning, support mental health needs and address climate change.
Dundas Central Public School, Ontario
Dundas Central and Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds have been working together to rethink the way local school boards consider nature play and stormwater management. This project has been an over 10 year odyssey to challenge the way local school boards think about the learning environment outside the walls of our local schools. From early on, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TDFEF) has partnered with Bienenstock to assist in the transformation and create an iconic schoolyard and community gathering space.
District School Board, Ontario North East
Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds transformed a number of school properties across the District School Board Ontario North East (”DSB1”) into custom outdoor learning environments.
Canadian Martyrs, Ontario
With only asphalt and turf to play on, this flat schoolyard, part of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB), had no playground and offered little shade.
Leon Valley, Texas
Collaborating with the school principal, and other key partners in the Leon Valley School community, the outdoor classroom promises to enhance the learning and development of children for years to come.
Sand Creek Elementary, Colorado
To revolutionize the learning experience for students and staff at Sand Creek Elementary, this outdoor classroom has been strategically positioned to face the mountains and sit beneath the shade of existing and newly planted tree.
The Fay School, Texas
The Fay School recently renovated their traditional playground equipment to a fully inclusive nature playscape. They specifically requested Bienenstock to design the space due to aligning values of inclusivity and whole-child well-being.
Edmonton Catholic Schools, Alberta
This pilot project, developed in collaboration with the school board, was driven by the planning manager’s vision to create customizable outdoor learning environments.
< More Projects
More Projects >
The Next Step
Join schools across Canada and the U.S. in creating green school grounds for children today and for the next generation. Contact us to start your transformation today.
