Turf for Backyard

Help your kids be BACKYARD HEROES! Check out these resources on Living Landscapes to help you and your child care for green spaces sustainably.

Meet the Outdoor Powers

Green Ranger is a miniature and masked patch of grass, the foot soldier of the Outdoor Powers.

SUPERPOWERS: In a flash, Green Ranger waves and spreads, trapping carbon dioxide, reducing storm water runoff, and sharing oxygen while using his roots to prevent soil erosion and help create larger green spaces—in backyards, public parks, and more.

PROFESSOR BOTANY is the bushy-tailed brains of the Outdoor Powers, with a college degree in master growing.

SUPERPOWERS: Professor Botany busies herself on the back end—she maps out complicated greening plans for the Outdoor Powers and teaches kids about plants from the comfort of her lofty tree nest.

Big Rooty is the muscle guy of the Outdoor Powers.

SUPERPOWERS: Big Rooty uses all of his might to prevent soil erosion, trapping rainwater deep in the ground with his ripplin’ roots, while his big bushy top counters heat islands (built-up cities heat up like crazy as opposed to the countryside) with shade.

Water Warrior, made up of precious water, is the aquatic avenger.

SUPERPOWERS: H-2-Oh-NO-you-don’t. Water Warrior might be damp and drop-size but he’s an irrigating force, diving deep into the soil to mount a hydrating force to help plants grow.

The Oxygenator is the one-man wind farm of the Outdoor Powers.

SUPERPOWERS: The Oxygenator harnesses his power for pollination and brings fresh air in big gusts to plants and people everywhere.

Additional Resources

© 2016 brought to you by OPEI. Photos: superhero kid, © Dean Mitchell/Getty Images;
family walking, © Klaus Tiedge/Blend Images/Getty Images.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Void where prohibited. The contest is open only to public schools, accredited private schools, and home schools in compliance with their state of residence and have any or all of the following grades: K–5 in the fifty (50) United States (and the District of Columbia). The contest entries on behalf of the School must be composed by a student currently attending the School who is a legal resident of the United States and is enrolled in grades K–5. Entries may only be submitted electronically or via mail by teachers and/or parents/legal guardians on behalf of the student/child. To enter the Be a Backyard Superhero Contest, the eligible student must create an original picture using the character cutouts. Then the student will write a story about how he/she is a Backyard Superhero working to combat the environmental villains (Carbon Creep, Dust Demon, Dr. Runoff, and Heat Freak) alongside TurfMutt & the Outdoor Powers and save living landscapes everywhere. For students in grades K–2 the story should be 25–50 words and for students in grades 3–5 the story should be 100–150 words. Start: 12:01 a.m. ET on 10/14/16; deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on 1/23/17. The student’s parent/teacher must submit the entry in one of two ways: (i) Visit and complete the online registration form; or (ii) mail the completed entry form (available at to Scholastic’s Be a Backyard Superhero Contest, Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, 5th Floor, Attn: M. Montalvo, Office 540, New York, New York 10012. One (1) Grand Prize winning school will receive a $10, 000 grant from OPEI to improve their green space and a trip for a teacher to attend the National Science Teachers Association conference in Los Angeles, CA, 3/30/17 – 4/2/17 (Approximate Retail Value: $13, 000). Official Rules: SPONSOR: Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012