Our school was offered a grant opportunity to complete a Project-Based Learning plan. Two of our classes became buddies and worked to turn our unused courtyard into a natural habitat for birds, butterflies, and students, but we came up 20 bags short on the lava rock.
We are a small K-12 school district with a high poverty rate and a close-knit staff.
This project involved weeks of sharing documents between 2nd and 8th grade, making wind spinners, butterfly food, bird baths, and replacing an old pump building. We moved 160 bags of lava rock to replace the deteriorating mulch and planted many flowers for the attraction of butterflies and bees which will in turn pollinate our food garden on site. On the last day, we painted a rain barrel to allow a water source to nurture the new plants. It looks incredible EXCEPT for one area where we ran out of rock and the ground is bare. If we complete this project, we can apply for federal recognition as a natural habitat area and our students will receive recognition for all of their work. But we ran out of funds and are unable to complete the task. Please help our kids do this not only right, but help them to apply for the recognition they deserve.
My Project
These kids worked so hard and really became excited about all of the possibilities that we created. We also created a bonding between 8th and 2nd graders to the point where they ate together, exchanged diaries (Google docs) and pictures. I have a long file of pictures that show these kids in laps, holding hands, helping bandage injuries, etc. We even put up THREE 15' martin houses to attract these wonderful and rare birds. We have oranges floating in bird baths to attract butterflies and spinners to deflect the hornet and wasp nests. Our plants are rotating seasonally and there are picnic tables to encourage outside classes. They have worked so hard and long (9 weeks) and we came up 20 bags short on lava rock.
The school year ends very quickly (less than 6 weeks) and I am retiring, so I really want to give my kids this closure on this wonderful project and legacy for the future generations, along with federal recognition once completed.
Please help us create a legacy for many years to come.
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