Everyone knows that organically grown food tastes better, but did you know that there are many more environmental benefits to organic gardening? To name just a few, organic gardening helps to reduce topsoil erosion, conserves water, and stops environmental pollution from potentially dangerous chemicals and fertilizers. This is particularly important in our area as our school has helped to found a protected FL scrub habitat surrounding our school property. I teach science to grades 3-5 in a predominantly low-income school, and we are working with a local garden club to start a joint school and community organic garden on our campus.
As we are in a low-income area, students at our school do not often have the opportunity to have fresh fruits and vegetables at home. We also have many students faced with the problems associated with childhood obesity. Our organic gardening project will enable students to learn how to grow their own fruits and vegetables in an environmentally-friendly way. They will also reap health benefits from the physical activity required in the preparing and growing of an organic garden. Through this project, our students are also being taught how humans have abused the land, and how we can help to repair it so that it can continue to feed a growing population. Students will be taking part in all aspects of organic gardening - from preparing the soil and creating compost to the actual planting and caring for the plants. They are even excited about spreading manure for fertilizer!
While we have already received help from the local gardening club in the form of expertise and guidance in organic gardening, we still need many bags of peat moss to enrich the sandy topsoil before we can plant our garden. We also need a locking storage shed in which to keep our gardening tools.
Please help us in our efforts to bring the benefits of organic gardening to our students, and therefore instill a sense of environmental responsibility in our younger generation.
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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. Judisch and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.