My students need 1 Worm Composter Classroom Kit to introduce them to vermiculture and composting as part of a larger unit about ways in which we can make a positive impact on our communities.
The very diverse population of children who attend our urban, Title l school share at least one important characteristic. Each of them finds deep satisfaction from activities which engage them in fulfilling some of life's most basic needs.
Most of our students no longer have the opportunity to measure flour to make the family's daily bread while reading a generations-old recipe AND keeping an eye on the clock so the soup stock doesn't boil over with Grandma or Mom as a mentor. Using a tape measure to determine how many boards will be needed to build a fence to protect the family's chickens is not an option for most children in our current world.
Despite attempts to engage them with "concrete" materials and simulations, the children get most excited about their learning when they have "real-world" experiences. A field trip to a farm was the source of unending questions and discussions! Reading and writing about what they learned and introduction of math concepts directly related to the farm experience provided the most successful learning of the year! The art that was created during this time was wonderful! The children felt confident about experimenting with "invented" techniques that resulted in unique and often complex ways of sharing their observations about their trip! Planting seeds, caring for them, and harvesting their "bounty" created almost a passion within many children for growing their own food.
The "worm composter" will provide an irreplaceable next step in our first graders' participation in ecologically sound food production. As we work to expand our on-campus "farming" opportunities, learning about the value of the role that worms can play in food production, will introduce a greater number of students to the joy and value of learning ways to grow one's own food. At the same time, students of a range of grade levels will have the opportunity to explore possible ways to address a number of our planets most urgent needs. Overflowing landfills, increasing depletion of clean water sources, rising costs for food, concern based on recent events about the safety of our food supply all can be explored while engaged in producing safe, inexpensive, highly beneficial nutrients for an increasing number of food crops.
Your assistance with this purchase will provide an extremely valuable tool for our students to extend their experience in engaging in one of humans' oldest and most necessary activities, providing food. The children will be thrilled to get to "know" the worms, learn about how they (the worms) work, and the value of the product they (again, the worms) create. Activities will include evaluating the impact that the worm-enriched supplement has on the production of "crops." Engagement in these and related activities will enable students from all backgrounds to learn "required grade-level" skills in a context they will not be able to resist! Thank you for your consideration of this proposal!
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