If you’ve ever nudged your child to spend more time outdoors or cracking open a book, you’ll appreciate the reading gardens parent groups are building at many schools. They range from simple spaces with a few benches or boulders to major landscaping projects. In many cases, PTOs call on businesses and community groups for help setting them up.

A Simple Space

An aspiring Eagle Scout did much of the heavy lifting for the reading garden at Ocean Breeze Elementary in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. The scout worked with the PTO landscape team, applied for a grant to purchase plants, and asked for donations of materials. He also recruited many of the volunteers who joined PTO members in building it. The garden, located near the school’s portable classrooms, features paving stones, benches, and native plants in planters.

A Grand Garden

At the other end of the spectrum is the $22,000 reading garden at Glebe Elementary in Arlington, Va. The PTA spent two years raising money for the project, which features native trees and shrubs, a boardwalk over a stormwater channel, and barrels to collect rainwater. Among the products and services donated is a website that recognizes donors and provides information about plants native to the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

An Indoor Garden

The PTO at Whittier School in Blue Island, Ill., wanted to build a reading garden that students could enjoy in any season. The solution was to convert part of a balcony above the gym floor into an indoor garden. Volunteers painted murals with farmhouses, flowers, and trees; covered the floor with artificial grass; and placed pillows and chairs for students to relax on. Classes visit the space for reading and discussion when it’s too cold to go outside.