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Science lab garden supports science standards benchmarks

By Sandy Mouat
CORRESPONDENT

At Happy Valley Elementary School in Lafayette, not all of the classrooms have four walls and a roof. Some of the most exciting learning takes place in the great outdoors at the school's outdoor science lab.
           A science lab garden is a place for students to commune with nature while learning the elements of scientific theory, forming hypotheses, conducting experiments, and explaining their observations. With the help of the Lafayette Arts & Science Foundation and the Happy Valley Parents' Club, first through fifth grade students have a conveniently designed and safe outdoor lab, where they can learn all about the principles of plant biology.
           The garden features California natives, and offers students opportunities to develop skills in observation, measuring, classifying, predicting and testing, creating models, and research, in botany, zoology, entomology, ecology, and geology. The garden supports state mandated Science Standards benchmarks at all grade levels.
           The idea to build a science lab garden was first brought to LASF in a grant proposal by Happy Valley Science teacher Adrienne Small. After extensive research, Small wrote the curriculum for all of the grades participating in science lab garden activities.
           "By extending the walls of our laboratory classroom to the real world, I felt I could provide my students with the most authentic, hands-on science experience where they could apply newly acquired concepts," Small said. "I have worked with lesson plans and activities, and ways to engage all my 450+ students in this project to teach them about California Natives and garden ecology. Third graders planted the California Natives, while the second graders sowed local wildflower seeds in the soil , as per their science standards. Third graders even learned a song describing why we planted Natives."
           Small said that she was so happy when she received the LASF grant that "I quickly got started in the building process. However, when construction time came the reality was that the grant fell short of the actual cost." Fortunately, Small said, she knew Norm Oldroyd of Norm Oldroyd Concrete Construction.
           "It was his professional input, manpower, and generosity that completed our garden. Parents Club, too, helped pay a portion of Norm's expenses. Employees from our school district were also invaluable as they hooked up the water system and brought in the soil. Joe Malley, part of our district crew, is an exceptional craftsman and he designed, built, and installed the garden arbor and gate."
           On this day, the second grade students are updating their California Poppy journals in which they record such data as when they planted the seeds, the scientific name of the flower, what conditions are best for the flower, predictions as to how long the stems will grow, and a weekly record of watering.
           Second grade students Shelby Sanders and Alison Flanagan both said how much they enjoy working in the garden, and observing the plant life close up. "They are so pretty. I especially like the Golden Poppy, which is our state flower," Sanders said. Flanagan added, "I really like seeing all of the plants grow and doing all of the activities."
           Their teacher, Evelyn Dykstra, gave her perspective on the project. "The garden helps me look with the eyes of a child. I see the children checking out the garden and listen to the wonder and answer the questions and realize that what seems common place or common knowledge is actually new and wonderful to a child, and this opens me to the wonder I feel in discovery. Sharing wonder is the reason I teach. The garden is an important reminder to point out the beauty and wonder in our surroundings and to look for tangible examples to enrich the curriculum."
           The fourth grade students take a "Garden Safari," during which they are given an extensive field guide, written by Small, in which are stated clear objectives, such as defining an ecosystem, naming abiotic and biotic factors in an ecosystem, identify the source of energy in the ecosystem, draw a food chain, a food cycle, a food web, explain integrated pest management, and learn the benefits of planting California Natives.
           During their investigations, they learn that an environment provides everything an organism needs to survive. They learn the relationships among living things classified as producer, consumer, or decomposer, and the individual as part of a population, and a community. They observe, classify, and communicate information about everything they can find in their assigned "explore zones."
           "The garden is a perfect vehicle for covering many of the science standards found in both the Life and Earth Science curriculums and also helps students to connect with nature," Small said. "The children become fully engaged in the process of digging in the soil, planting seeds, and discovering life through a hand lens. Working in the garden gives students a feeling of accomplishment and pride. The interrelationships between sun and plant, insect and flower are observed first hand, and the learning is profound. As the garden project grows, a sense of community has developed among students who take part in caring for and nurturing the plants."
           Proudly pointing toward a lush grove of thriving plants, second grade student Brandon Leamy said, "I planted the Blue Lupines. See, they are really growing!"
           His classmate, Laura De Crescenzo, said, " I think some of the flowers are sprouting. They look really pretty when they sprout. It is much more fun to actually do these things than just read about them in the books."
           "All the plants are California Natives," Small said. "The purpose is to share with students the value of reestablishing local plants, which in turn provide food and shelter to native wildlife. I hope that the garden will not only be an educational tool, but will also provide an opportunity for the children to develop a love for the land and a bond with nature."

04/30/03 Reprinted with permission. Visit the Contra Costa Times on the web at www.contracostatimes.com.

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