Our City Campus
The Learning Project is a small school with a big experience. Located in the heart of Boston, and close to the public transportation hub of Copley Square, our students regularly venture out for City Campus Trips, accessing and engaging with the rich array of resources just beyond our doors.
While we are always updating our City Campus Trips, the following lists the locations and partners that the school has engaged with in recent years.
The Learning Project:
Nestled among the rows of brownstones in Boston’s historic Back Bay lies a small, yet mighty, elementary school. For over 50 years, The Learning Project has remained consistent in its mission and size, staying intentionally small to have a large impact on its students and community. 107 Marlborough Street is our epicenter—and we utilize its space fully. This location serves as our access point to a city campus, complete with history, parks, museums, and much more.
Clarendon Street Playground:
The Clarendon Street Playground is used for recess, physical education, After School, community events, and more. This space provides excellent opportunities for children to be active, experience cross-age socialization, and for lessons on sharing and supporting public spaces. 5th grade students engage in activism and leadership by completing several annual playground clean-ups, as part of their Leadership Seminar.
Kindergarten:
While we have known 110 Commonwealth Avenue as the “kindergarten classroom” since 2006, its role in the history of The Learning Project is fixed as the location where The LP was founded as a one-room schoolhouse in 1973. After a complete renovation in the summer of 2023, 110 Commonwealth Avenue gleams light and bright, and has adopted several new offices and a meeting space for staff and parents.
Charles River Esplanade:
A favorite for many Bostonians and visitors alike, the Charles River Esplanade and its many parks, paths, and playgrounds, is a beloved and often utilized outdoor space. LP children access the abundant green space for physical education classes and After School clubs, and enjoy watching the boats on the Charles and waving to the bikers and kayakers on their walks back.
Boston Public Library:
Home to the first large, free municipal library in the United States, Learning Project students access the BPL frequently with regularly scheduled trips. Considered our main school library, children can be found often exploring the whimsical and vibrant Children’s Room, and connecting with their beloved librarians. Students enjoy checking out books of all genres and settling in to read a few pages before returning to 107. Located within the Boston Public Library, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center houses a collection of research, educational, and exhibition programs relating to historical geography. First grade students travel to the Map and Education Center when studying their history and geography curriculum, “Our Special Location.”
Teddy Ebersol Fields:
These fields, located at the tip of the Esplanade, are the location of two of The LPs favorite yearly traditions: Field Day and Olympics. Each fall, students spend a day playing games, learning sportsmanship, and building community at our Field Day. Students return to the Ebersol Fields once more in May to take part in the Learning Project Olympics, coordinated and led by 5th graders. Students describe these events as some of the most memorable moments of their elementary years.
Castle Island:
At the end of each school year, families are invited to a community wide picnic at South Boston’s Castle Island. Parents, children, faculty and staff, and the occasional alumnus or two, gather together over dinner, treats, and drinks to watch the sunset and enjoy time together before Graduation and the summer break begins.
Commonwealth Avenue Mall:
In addition to being another green space occasionally used for recess, P.E. or a quick class walk outside, the paved walkway of Commonwealth Ave. Mall is home to our Halloween celebrations. Each year at the end of October, students are invited to dress up in costumes and “trick-or-treat” in the city to raise money for UNICEF. Afterwards, students, teachers, and families gather on Comm Ave for a song and celebration, known as Zoodio.
First Church Boston:
Just down the street from the McCord Building, First Church in Boston is used for our Winter Concert each December. With plenty of seating and often beautifully decorated, the FCB creates the quintessential atmosphere for a Winter Concert. Children sing in all school, upper grade, lower grade, and kindergarten choirs. Community members, past and present, await this event throughout the fall. Also hosted at FBC is the school’s Graduation honoring the 6th grade class at the end of their Learning Project journey. Graduation is a community wide event that includes singing from all grade levels, heartfelt traditions, and poignant remarks for school faculty and staff as we acknowledge this major milestone in the lives of our oldest students and their families.
Symphony Hall:
Biannually, LP students attend a whole school field trip to Boston’s Symphony Hall. Here, they listen to music performed live by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, known as one of the “Big Five” American orchestras. Students marvel at the stunning renaissance architecture, world renowned acoustics, and incredible musical stylings while in this music hall.
Boston Common Frog Pond:
Just a few minutes from The Learning Project, students often travel here on walks, tours, and visits to the park's many statues and memorials. Notably, when studying civil rights, third graders visit the Common’s newest memorial, “The Embrace,” which commemorates the life, legacy, and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King. LP students also walk to Boston Common in the winter when cross-grade Pencil Pal groups take to the Frog Pond for a morning of ice skating and hot chocolate.
Copley Square and Trinity Church:
Thankful for all the resources Boston provides to our school and community, The LP annually provides a “gift” back to the city. This gift is a public performance with singing, dancing, and a maypole, known as Mayfest. Mayfest typically utilizes Copley Square and the steps of Trinity Church for this event.
Paddle Boston:
Each fall, students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade have the opportunity to canoe down the Charles River. Accompanied by parents and staff in kayaks, students launch their canoes from the Newton Historic Boathouse and travel downstream to Auburndale Park. After stopping for a quick lunch, and maybe a soccer game or two, students paddle up river returning to the Boathouse by the early afternoon. Our ‘city kids’ love this day on the water and the chance to perhaps try something new with their peers.
Rose Kennedy Greenway:
Studying urban greenspaces as part of their City Study curriculum, third graders travel to the Rose Kennedy Greenway every year. Here, students have the opportunity to learn about the Big Dig and the creation of the Greenway, the use and importance of public parks, local architecture, and enjoy some of Boston’s outdoor, public attractions such as the Greenway Carousel and fountains.
Copley Farmers Market:
As part of the school’s City Study program, First Grade studies ‘food in the city.’ What foods are important to local history? Where does our food come from today, and how does diversity impact access to food in cities? How does global food differ from locally grown foods, and what impacts do they have on the environment? As a culmination to their unit, First graders visit the Copley Farmers Market to meet with vendors, learn about their livelihoods, sample some delectable fruits and vegetables from local growers.
The Copley Farmers Market also plays a key role for our Fifth Grade class each spring. A unique aspect to the school’s science program is the innovative Design Thinking units. In fifth grade, students are presented with a problem related to oceans and pollution and are tasked with designing and building creative solutions for the earth. In groups, students build actual models, create presentations, and then present their final products to the public in Copley Square.
Blue Hills Reservation:
As part of the 6th grade Advisory curriculum, students and their advisors attend a fall hike at the Blue Hills Reservation. The trip to the observation tower at the peak symbolizes the class’s journey through elementary school, and provides plenty of opportunity for individual and group reflection and relationship building as they begin their final year together.
Waterworks Museum:
The third graders learn all about city water and sanitation as an aspect of their city study.
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Museum of Science: Museum Of Science Driveway, Boston, MA 02114
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Museum of Fine Arts: 465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
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New England Aquarium: 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
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Boston Children’s Museum: 308 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
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InkBlock: 90 Traveler St, Boston, MA 02118
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Black Heritage Trail: 46 Joy St, Boston, MA 02114
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Concord Museum: 53 Cambridge Tpke, Concord, MA 01742
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Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate: 210 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125
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Charles River: Fourth Grade boat tour
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View Boston: Kindergarten
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Massachusetts State House: First Grade
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Pao Arts Center: Fourth grade historical and cultural tour
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Boston City Hall: 6th Grade
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Eastie Farm: First Grade
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Wheelock Family Theater: School wide (James and Giant Peach, SpongeBob the Musical)
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Cradles to Crayons: Fourth Grade service trip
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Rock Spot Climbing: Upper grades
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North Point Park: 1 North Point Blvd, Cambridge, MA 02141 (fifth grade Leadership Hike)
Additional Trips:
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Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (Waltham): Second grade
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Concord Museum (Concord): Fifth grade
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Hale Education: Fifth Grade overnight
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Washington, D.C.: Sixth Grade overnight