Inside MDY ECC’s Living Rooftop Classroom
Above the busy traffic and daily hustle of McDonald Avenue, a quiet transformation is taking place. Perched on the rooftop of the Magen David Early Childhood Center, amidst the ongoing construction and expansion of our growing school, lies a brand-new green oasis. This isn’t just a garden. It is a living classroom designed specifically for our youngest children to experiment, discover, and connect with the world around them.
As spring arrived and our students headed outdoors, their classroom curricula came to life. From our littlest toddlers to our oldest kindergarteners, every child at MDY ECC stepped into the role of caretaker, getting their hands dirty to plant, nurture, and watch something very real grow.
In our Reggio-inspired spaces, where the environment serves as the third teacher, we had to be highly intentional from the very start. Designing this from a truly child-centered perspective required working backward from a tight deadline. We knew our families would begin traveling for the summer in mid-June. We wanted these concrete learners to experience the patience of planting, but we also knew they needed immediate feedback to stay engaged. To bridge that gap, we made two deliberate choices. We bypassed seeds in favor of seedlings to foster an immediate sense of responsibility, and we opted for plants that would mature quickly. This allowed the children to see rapid growth and harvest edible plants before the school year concluded.
The rooftop quickly became a shared community effort. Each grade, class, and child had the opportunity to plant something that anyone in the MDY ECC building could enjoy. The bright flowers now beautifying the front of our center are a point of immense pride for our students. They eagerly share their achievement with their parents and caregivers, take turns with the watering cans, and beam when passersby notice their work.
The edible garden has been equally collaborative. When making pizza in honor of Shabuot, classes headed to the roof to harvest fresh rosemary, thyme, and basil to flavor their dairy treats. On warm afternoons after playing outside, they picked fresh mint to turn their classroom water into an extra refreshing treat.
But a living classroom isn’t just about successful harvests. It is about real-world science and life lessons. When our classes completed their lifecycle experiments, watching caterpillars turn to butterflies and larvae to ladybugs, they learned how these insects benefit an ecosystem and released them directly onto the roof to help our garden thrive. In another classroom, after a nutrition lesson on avocados, students saved and sprouted the pits. Once they noticed roots forming, they knew the pits were ready for soil and proudly moved them to the rooftop.
More importantly, the garden taught our children patience and how to manage disappointment. The truth is, not every plant thrived. Some grew for a short period and stopped. Some flowered before we could enjoy them, and others didn’t grow at all. And sometimes, that is just how life goes. Navigating these moments allowed the children to experience a whole spectrum of emotions, turning mistakes and natural mishaps into profound teaching moments.
As educators, we devote ourselves to the development of the whole child, and the garden offers a perfect landscape for social-emotional growth. The children explored the world through all five senses, smelling herbs, tasting greens, and feeling the rich texture of the soil. While some children immersed themselves immediately, others needed time and space to gain comfort before choosing to participate. Watching the children navigate their own boundaries and comfort levels was a beautiful testament to their growth over the year, and it has already inspired a spark of new sensory activities for our future curriculum.
Big shifts always begin with a single vision. What started as an adult passion project shared among a few dedicated people ultimately became a canvas of infinite potential for our children.
As our hallways grew quiet and our families enjoyed the summer, this rooftop oasis stands as a vibrant symbol of what our community can achieve together. The physical garden will continue to change over the next few months, but the true growth has already happened within our children. They will return from break not just as students, but as scientists, caretakers, and collaborative members of a community, ready to reunite with a living classroom that will continue to teach, inspire, and bloom.
