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Illinois School Board Journal
November/December 2002

Garden provides natural learning environment

by Denise Faris

Two federally funded grants broadened students' learning experiences in Matteson Elementary School District 162 and helped them understand that they are able to make positive contributions to their community.

In 2000-01, a $10,000 grant enabled students at Illinois School to reclaim a small section of prairie, as well as transfer academic skills to development of a natural habitat for plants, birds and small animals native to southern Cook County. A second grant in 2001-02 supported similar projects at Matteson and Arcadia schools.

"Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center has worked with the district's teachers and students to assist with the curriculum design and construction of the schoolyard habitats," said Dave Guritz, Irons Oaks' director. "The district and Irons Oaks also formed partnerships with the Possibility Place Nursery and the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener Program to supply native plant materials and gardening expertise to ensure the success of the program."

Awarded through the Learn and Serve America Program, the grants fund projects that underscore the relevancy of learning by putting the learning into action, according to Brad Lewis of the Corporation for National and Community Service. CNCS is the federal agency that administers the grants through the Illinois State Board of Education.

"The Illinois School project exemplifies our agency's premise that academic learning must be connected with service to the community. The garden is good for the environment, and reclaiming prairie land and preserving their natural history is service to the community. The garden also is a wonderful classroom," said Lewis, who visited the site earlier this year with Gary Greene of ISBE.

"At my visit, the students walked around the garden and discussed its shape, which launched a lesson in geometry. They used standard and non-standard measurement devices to estimate perimeter, and science discussions ensued as the students pointed out the various kinds of plants in the garden," he said. "The students are involved in good service learning."

Coordinated by parent volunteer Dianne Gallagher, the prairie garden boasts such native plants as asters, Black and Brown-eyed Susans, prairie coreopsis, prairie grasses, purple coneflowers, columbine and wild petunias. Stepping-stones made by the students form a path in the garden. The grant also funded curriculum development, training for teachers and the purchase of supplies.

"Students used the development of the plot of land as the basis of study in all areas of the curriculum," said Joyce Carmine, principal at Illinois Primary Center. "The garden curriculum is aligned with the state learning standards. The garden has taught the students about civic responsibility and the importance of contributing to the community."

The first year, the students learned about prairie plants, their growth cycles, their ability to thrive with little care and what differentiates them from alien plants. Last year, they prepared a kit for Irons Oaks to show students in other schools how they can develop and maintain a comparable garden. The kit included field guides written by second through fifth graders, and a Power Point presentation created by second and third graders. The sixth graders created a Web page.

A $500 environmental grant from Wal-Mart also supported activities in the garden this past year.

Matteson students planted a part-sun, part-shade ABC garden and put their floral selections in alphabetical order to integrate lessons in horticulture as well as natural area restoration. Throughout the winter, Matteson teachers attended workshops to learn about native plants and students began growing plants from seeds. The plants' growth was charted in math classes.

Workshops at Irons Oaks and a naturalist helped the Arcadia staff select a wooded area near the school as the site for the students' natural woodland setting, said Marilyn Bonick, Arcadia teacher. The students worked to restore and diversify plant species at the site.

"The selected area has a 300-year-old oak tree that will be a wonderful historical reference for the students," Bonick said. "In preparation for the spring planting, the students used the Internet and books to research native plants. The information they gathered was applied to writing projects, and they used their math skills to lay out the garden plot and create a footpath. It created a classroom in the woods with a focus to make students realize that they have a responsibility to maintain a heal thy environment for the community and for small animals."

ISBE's Greene added: "The critical element is that children learn about biology, botany and American history through these gardens. The classroom may be moved to the prairie plot, but teaching and measurable learning is still going on."

For additional information, contact Denise Faris at 815-469-9166.