|
Planting The front of our school needed some color and a new look. This idea was the inception of the grade four environmental project. My grade four class would be learning about plant and plant growth during the year and I was looking for a hands-on project that would catch the interest of the students. This would also give them incentive to not only cover what they needed to in the curriculum, but also interest them in a topic that would become a lifelong learning experience. To hook the students I had them grow Paper whites starting as a bulb, they planted the bulb in the soil and cared for their flower. The students researched the needs and care of plants and transferred their knowledge to this project. After the Paper whites had grown and flourished the students had a meaningful gift to give to their mothers for Christmas and it was a gift that the students put a lot of pride and responsibility into.
To further our knowledge of plant growth I introduced the students to a Spider plant. The Spider plant had a number of shoots that we clipped and immersed in water. The students observed the root growth that occurred and also realized that plant development occurs not only by seeds but by plant regrowth. The next step was to transfer the clipping to soil so that the students could nurture the plants with watering and fertilization. This was a great Valentine's gift for their parents that had a lot of love in it.
The environmental project began in the first week of March. I suggested to the students that we plant a flower bed in front of the school. They were thrilled with the idea. It would be their project and the flower bed would be their responsibility. This gave them ownership. We began by planning out the flowerbed. The students searched the internet to find what plants would be suitable for our climate, where or not they needed full sun or shade. I had spoken to a local greenhouse and they were pleased that the students were interested in taking on this project. Their website is http://www.kuhlmanns.com. The greenhouse was generous in their time and donations of seeds, potting soil and all the other materials we would needed for planting. The students were broken up into smaller groups and each was responsible for their plants. They prepared the soil base planted the seeds in the classroom, gave them a sunny and warm area to grow in. As the plants grew they had to be transplanted into larger containers to accommodate its growth. The students had learned how to care for these seedlings from their other projects. They had learned about the importance of watering and fertilizing the plants. They watched their plants grow, measuring their growth, taking pictures and keeping a log on their computer file. This information lent itself for the students to chart the growth of each of the plants, gain some new insights on how plants grow but also on the difference in growth with each plant. Spring had finally come and now it was time for the students to prepare for planting in the outdoor flower bed. I had someone other than the students prepare the flower bed. The students had prepared a plan, a blueprint of what the flower bed would look like when they first started the project. In their research, they had to find out what the flowering plants would look like, how tall they would be, how large the plant grows and the spacing they would need in order for the flower bed to look good, and for all the plants to seen. In conclusion I was pleased to see the students take complete responsibility for the plant growth, their care and for the design and implementation of the schools welcoming environment.
Some of the websites that the students found useful and that added to their learning were: |
