My students need materials for outdoor tutoring lessons designed for grades pre-school to first. They need paint, brushes and smocks for art lessons, and a variety of materials for learning games and activities for specific concepts relating to science.
I teach science and math in a high needs urban setting. My students are multi-cultural coming from Mexico, Yemen, Honduras, Algeria, El Salvador, and Romania to name but a few. Ninety-five percent of our children qualify for free lunch. With our children facing an environmental catastrophe never before faced, it is all that much more important that they be prepared. Much has been made of the lack of connection between today's children and the environment. The word "deprivation" has been used and with good reason. This is even more true of the poorest of children who will also be the most harmed if they are not allowed to share in the experiences that lead to a positive connection with the outdoors. Since most of our children are not allowed to play outside, they see the outdoors as dangerous. It is difficult to develop a love of something that frightens you.
The area around our school is seriously blighted. My fifth graders counted 24 burned out homes within a four block radius. There is a desperate need for a natural area in which to conduct our cross-curriculum lessons. This led us to use several grants to create an outdoor learning center last year. Our classroom is almost complete with four raised beds (our soil is contaminated and we are not allowed to dig), a pond and partially built walk way. The area is fenced in with a lock and camera for security. Our next step is to make certain that all classes can use this space for learning experiences.
While our garden is still in need of enhancements, we must begin using it now to provide our children with a natural area, free of graffiti and garbage. Our children have begun to see the blight that surrounds them as normal which is nothing short of a crime against their ability to develop healthy attitudes toward their right to a clean environment. At this point, they don't even think their rights are being violated. By providing them with a clean, healthy, outdoor learning center, they will grow to see the benefits of such surroundings and less tolerant of the damage done around them by a careless few.
A learning center without lessons is of little use. By providing the requested materials, you will allow the fifth graders to develop leadership skills as they tutor the smaller children in their charge. Both age groups will learn to trust one another, develop positive relationships with other children, their school and the garden in which they will work. They will know that there is one small place they can learn outdoors safely, that nature is not the enemy and they they can be stewards of the garden that has provided them with a fun and valuable learning experience.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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