The FRC School is located in the Downtown section of Jersey City. We have 615 students from a wide range of diverse ethnic backgrounds including children of Asian, African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and Caucasian backgrounds. We have students in grade levels from Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade. In attempting to connect with the greater community, we are committed to providing all our of students an outstanding education and are driven by a desire to being inclusive while respecting diversity in a collaborative setting.
My Project
Making use of outdoor space exposes children, through direct experience, to the natural world, and fosters active, hands-on, inquiry based learning in a real world setting. Through group problem-solving activities children can embrace the learning process as well as discover final outcomes. In addition, outdoor classroom spaces will:
• Make learning a multi-sensory experience.
• Fosters the use of systems thinking.
• Lends itself to inter-disciplinary studies.
• Accommodates and celebrates different learning styles.
• Connects the school to the neighborhood, families and interested stakeholders.
The children will have a very active role and planning, creating and maintaining the garden. This process will become the core of a focused Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) study. The garden will be included into curriculum planning and guided by the New Jersey Department of Education Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards.
The tools we are requesting as part of our project, wheel barrel, gloves, and child size gardening tools will be used to support the Social Emotional Standard of 0.2. This standard provides them opportunities to demonstrate self direction and taking responsibility to initiate simple classroom tasks and jobs. For example, helping to fill planting beds, planting seeds, caring for mature plants and engaging in nature studies. The arbor, art easels, and stepping stones kits will be used to support the Visual and Preforming Arts Standards specifically Standard 1.4; children express themselves through and develop an appreciation of the visual arts. For example, using the outdoor easels children can be inspired to creatively represent what they see when working in the outdoor classroom. The picnic tables are needed so children can sit in small groups to represent observations and work through drawing, recording data, and “writing” (e.g., drawing and “writing” on observation clipboards, making rubbings, charting the growth of plants).
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. CW and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.