Whee' Speak for the Trees

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During the beginning of the school year, in the first week of school, a few of my students expressed concern about how hot the playground now is due to the portable classroom outside my window replacing their former beautiful, shaded play area. Prior to the portable classroom being added this past summer there was an area under enormous shade trees, surrounded by bushes and large rocks.  The area they would play in is no longer beautiful and they wished they could do something about it.

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I suggested that they take their frustration and do something about it, something that would give them a more beautiful playground, but also add outdoor classroom components to study, to increase biodiversity on the campus and to leave a legacy that they can one day bring their children back to visit. 

 

They grew in their excitement.  Their complaints turned to inquiry.  They spent recess time researching and exploring.  They've truly  learned so much already and I appreciate this opportunity to support them by forwarding their grant request to help them realize their environmental stewardship dreams!  

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Students in grades 3-8 will be working on different components of sustainability and environmental stewardship through this project. Students will work in teams in each class to plant native plants, trees, flowers, and bushes to beautify our campus and the school's playground & outdoor classroom areas. One group will plant bee bombs and a variety of plants that attract bees. They will plan the best location for the plants to thrive. Another group of students will work with some PTA volunteers to plant oak trees then collect data on growth to ensure that the transplanted trees are growing and healthy. Moreover, part of our campus re-beautification project efforts will include replacing some of the campus fencing around the creeks and riverbeds that was damaged due to Hurricane Helene with Rivercane and other native plant species to protect against erosion.

 

Finally, our middle school has a new greenhouse where the STEM Kit will help prepare plants to grow in the greenhouse, later to be planted as part of the campus beautification and outdoor classroom project complementing the KNCB grant project materials.

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Some of the curriculum we’ll be following throughout the project includes:

LS.6.2 Understand the flow of energy through ecosystems and the responses of populations to the biotic and abiotic factors in their environment.

 

6.L.2.1 Summarize how energy derived from the sun is used by plants to produce sugars (photosynthesis) and is transferred within food chains and food webs (terrestrial and aquatic) from producers to consumers to decomposers.

 

6.L.2.3 Summarize how the abiotic factors (such as temperature, water, sunlight, and soil quality) of biomes (freshwater, marine, forest, grassland, desert, Tundra) affect the ability of organisms to grow, survive and/or create their own food through photosynthesis.​