THIS YEAR'S WETLANDS & GARDEN PROJECT DESCRIPTION

WETLANDS AND GARDEN STUDY
Children will compare and contrast the ecology of gardens and wetlands throughout the seasons through regular experiences in the school gardens and trips to Fernhill Wetlands, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, and the wetland at the end of Ash Street.  In the fall children will identify what is ready to eat for humans and animals in the gardens and wetlands.  Harvesting, tasting, comparing, and observing will happen regularly as children study and explore new vegetables and fruits in the gardens.  Children will study the emerging seeds, fungi, and the decomposition process happening in the gardens and wetlands.  As the weather turns colder, children will learn how humans and some animals can store and preserve the bounty of the fall harvest in preparation for the dormant winter.  In the winter children will explore various ways that humans and wetland animals stay warm during the cold months and will observe how the rainy season affects the life of the gardens and wetlands.  Children will also begin to plan the school gardens for the year and begin to plan how to enhance the rain garden habitat on the school grounds based on their experiences and observations in the wetlands.  Children will witness the dormant natural spaces of the gardens and wetlands 'come to life' in the spring.  They will explore the first plants that are ready to eat for humans and animals after the cold, dormant winter.  While children observe seeds naturally sprouting amongst the shores of the wetlands, they will also be sprouting their own seeds for the school gardens.  Children will learn about plants of the garden and wetlands, witness and study life cycles of garden and wetland creatures, and observe and learn about the pollination cycle.  Finally, children will plant, tend, harvest, cook, and eat produce from the school garden as well as take steps towards enhancing the rain garden habitat on the school grounds.