Sunday, August 12, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
Our Butterfly Garden
Roosevelt School has been fortunate to receive a generous grant from the West Bloomfield Schools Foundation. We have entitled this project "Navigating through Nature.“Navigating Through Nature,” a proposed collaborative classroom grant, combines technology skill sets with plant/insect studies. The project focus establishes an ecological-based nature area close to the school’s Media Center using selected native plants to attract Monarch butterflies and involve students with a geocache tracking and release program.
This endeavor affects the entire general population of the school as well as significantly impacting targeted primary grade classrooms. Coordination and implementation of the project originating in the school’s Media Center, further promotes school-wide collaboration. “Navigating Through Nature” engages children in an authentic wide-scale research project. The use of a GPS, a global position system,. assists students in tracking, locating, and mapping while further developing a sense of location of themselves as well as a relational understanding of the schoolyard. Geocaching, an activity used in conjunction with GPS system, further promotes the sense of location and related data to the location. Participants observe and enter information into a student-produce database. The student’s information, shared with a nation-wide Monarch tracking database supports efforts to monitor and track the migratory patterns of the Monarch Butterfly.
The actual planning, purchasing, and planting of native plants further involve students. The native plant area will further enhance the playground area and provide an additional respite for the community. Informational plant markers stationed with the plantings will provide a walking tour and an educational opportunity for garden visitors. At the same time, native plantings specifically chosen to attract the Monarch will beautify the area.
This endeavor affects the entire general population of the school as well as significantly impacting targeted primary grade classrooms. Coordination and implementation of the project originating in the school’s Media Center, further promotes school-wide collaboration. “Navigating Through Nature” engages children in an authentic wide-scale research project. The use of a GPS, a global position system,. assists students in tracking, locating, and mapping while further developing a sense of location of themselves as well as a relational understanding of the schoolyard. Geocaching, an activity used in conjunction with GPS system, further promotes the sense of location and related data to the location. Participants observe and enter information into a student-produce database. The student’s information, shared with a nation-wide Monarch tracking database supports efforts to monitor and track the migratory patterns of the Monarch Butterfly.
The actual planning, purchasing, and planting of native plants further involve students. The native plant area will further enhance the playground area and provide an additional respite for the community. Informational plant markers stationed with the plantings will provide a walking tour and an educational opportunity for garden visitors. At the same time, native plantings specifically chosen to attract the Monarch will beautify the area.
Existing resources:
Wide, open area close to school Media Center
Expertise of two Master Gardeners and one Advanced Master Gardener
Expressed and demonstrated interest and cooperation for project from local community.
Natural curiosity and interest of young students in a nature-base activity.
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