This group of Thoreau Elementary School students — the Student Playground Leadership Team — helped to design the school’s new playground, which will be known as “Thoreau’s Backyard.” (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
CONCORD — Henry David Thoreau, the American naturalist and transcendentalist, believed in the absolute appreciation of nature and the inherent value of education.
Now, more than 200 years after his birth in 1817, a school in his hometown bears his name, and a new playground behind that school will be known as “Thoreau’s Backyard.”
“The playground is phenomenal and lit a fire inside every Concordian old and young,” said Thoreau Elementary School fifth grader Robbie Morgan, one of the eight Student Playground Leadership Team members who helped to design the playground.
By mid-2026, all of the children of Concord will be able to play in a fully completed Thoreau’s Backyard, following a complete site renovation funded mostly through grants and a hugely successful donation drive. Meanwhile, students are encouraged to start exploring the play structures already in place and accessible to all youngsters in town.
“This playground is inclusive and there is something for everyone to enjoy,” said fifth grader Archie Kinch, another Student Playground Leadership Team member.
Children have been climbing the new rope bridge, a treehouse and rock walls since the project’s Phase 1 wrapped in August. Phase 2 has just begun and will include the creation of a nature play area, with paths, trees and shrubs, a sand box, musical fixtures, rock gardens and two tiny Walden-esque playhouses.
“When you’re at the top of the treehouse in solitude — it is so beautiful,” said fifth grader and Team member Simon Goodrich.
Thoreau Elementary School Principal Justin M. Sparks expects a landscape and architectural plan to be ready to go out to bid in November, a vendor selected by the New Year and a possible construction start date sometime around April. Planners are hoping for a possible spring ribbon cutting and an overall completion date by the end of the school year.
“We started this project years ago,” said Principal Sparks. “We had some priorities. We wanted this play space to be fun, inclusive and nature-based, in the spirit of Henry David Thoreau — a space for everyone to enjoy. Even though we’re not done yet, when I walk out there, the entire neighborhood is filled with laughter and children playing.”
“This play space is truly for everyone,” said fifth-grade Team member Gautam Siva.
The Student Playground Leadership Team — Archie Kinch, Eli Ajemian, Gautam Siva, Leo Routhier, Madison Taranto, Robbie Morgan, Simon Goodrich and Stella Wang — spent a lunch period each week working on the playground plans.
They started working on the playground plans as third graders. The Team polled the entire student body, asking what their fellow classmates would like to see constructed in Thoreau’s Backyard.
“Kids come from all around to play here,” added fifth-grade Team member Madison Taranto.
Prior to Phase 1 implementation, the school set a $610,000 fundraising goal. A couple of months later, their efforts far surpassed that goal, raising $637,041.
The ultimate goal was to create a play space that offers a wide range of opportunities for different types of play, combining carefully chosen manufactured play equipment with natural, park-like areas to deliver exceptional value for every dollar raised.
The new and durable play equipment, erected by Blackstone-based Ultiplay Parks & Playgrounds Inc., will provide exciting, physically challenging activities like spinning, swinging, climbing and scaling heights.
“Phase 1 is done,” declared Principal Sparks. “All the elements are in place — the structures, the rubberized surface. For now, we’ve created some temporary accessible paths.”
A lot of factors may contribute to the final construction completion date.
“We’re pretty confident that it will be done by the end of the school year,” said Principal Sparks. “Our kids have been heavily involved in the process. They surveyed every student at Thoreau. We took all of that data and compiled it.”
The Student Playground Leadership Team heard requests from students who wanted to “run and play” and “climb real high.” They considered the risk attached to each element.
“It’s really cool to see so much community effort, a true collaboration between staff and students,” Principal Sparks said. “It’s just fun to be a part of it.”
Principal Sparks promised the Team that “they’ll see this completed before they head off to Middle School.”
“And they’ll feel good about what they have done,” he added. “And hopefully they’ve gained some valuable leadership experience along the way.”
The Thoreau’s Backyard project has also been guided by the adult members of the Thoreau Playground Committee — Chairman Mitch Brooks, Principal Sparks, Cristina Aspuru Viciana, Benjamin Klein, Michael LeFante, Adrienne Query-Fiss, Erin Sahacic, Matt Strauchon, Courtney Ward and School Committee Representative Carrie Rankin.
“For this amazing project, we’ve enlisted a team of incredibly bright students and paired them with the dedicated staff at Thoreau Elementary School,” said Superintendent Dr. Laurie Hunter. “So far, the results have been absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to see the ribbon snipped on this completed playground.”
Click here to view the Thoreau’s Backyard website.
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This group of Thoreau Elementary School students helped to design the school’s new playground, which will be known as “Thoreau’s Backyard.” (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
The new playground will be located between the parking lot and the forest on the East side of the school. The approximate area and location are shown above in green. (Image Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
Concept rendering of what Thoreau’s Backyard may ultimately resemble from above. (Image Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
Concord kids sample the completed bits of Thoreau’s Backyard, which is expected to wrap construction by the end of this school year. (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
Thoreau’s Backyard will feature play structures inspired by nature. (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
Thoreau’s Backyard will feature play structures inspired by nature. (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
A group of Thoreau Elementary School students helped to design their new playground, which will be known as “Thoreau’s Backyard.” (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
Thoreau’s Backyard will feature play structures inspired by nature. (Photo Courtesy Concord Public Schools)
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