"That small circle of earth became a second home to both of us. Gardening boring? Never! It has suspense, tragedy, startling developments—a soap opera growing out of the ground. I’d forgotten that tremolo of expectation produced by a tiny forest of sprouts. What a marvelous sight it was to behold Mr. Myles’ furrowed black face inspecting his smooth-skinned young, just arrived in the world he’d shortly leave. His eyes gained back some of their life. He weeded and watered with great concentration. A fact bobbed up from my memory, that the ancient Egyptians prescribed walking through a garden as a cure for the mad. It was a mind-altering drug we took daily." - Seedfolks
My students, like the characters of Seedfolks, crave community and connection to nature.
Seedfolks is a novel that explores multiple perspectives within one community. My 5th and 6th grade students reflect the diversity portrayed in this novel. They are different ages, races, and speak multiple languages. One commonality they share is a desire for nature. Most do not frequently spend time outside due to trash, noise, or crime. Their one request was for me to find a time and place where we could read together outdoors.
My Project
"Outdoors" to my students meant setting out some blankets on our school's turf field. While they would be happy with this, I know a trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden would be a much more enriching experience. None of my students knew about this garden when I mentioned it. One exclaimed that she'd never seen anything so beautiful in her whole life. Fulfilling this project would be a wonderful culmination to Seedfolks, and an opportunity to build our classroom community as readers and writers. Students will be given time to cozy up with a choice text under the warm sun. We will also have an opportunity to take a tram tour, exposing my class to many plants and animals that they have not seen before.
Your donation means my students access a resource that you and I might take for granted.
Thank you for helping to make sure nature is a right and not a privilege for all people.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Ms. Dippel and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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