Bolivar students enthusiastically gave up their P.E. time to help construct this habitat. The kids gained inspiration from the community members and vice/versa. Many students didn’t know their principal could hammer a nail, their secretary could run a skill saw, or their science teacher could carry boards just as well as test tubes! Students and their community worked together making a difference.
Evidence of students benefiting from this project was in the enthusiasm observed not only in the students but in the teachers as well. Math teachers are taking students out to practive measure habitat dimensions such as the perimeter, the reading teacher has students writing nature poems, and art teacher has students using the outdoors to capture the environment in water color.
As the middle school science teacher I have been given an exclusive period of the day to introduce the outdoor classroom to Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade. On a rotating basis I take these students to our habitat and we explore the wonderful outdoors and apply our science skills in a real life setting – how much better can it get? These young students stop me in the hall, cafeteria, even the local grocery store asking, “Ms. Brawner when is it our day to come to science?” Even though the students measuring skills have improved along with their observation skills and basically all science process skills, the true evidence is in the desire to learn. When students want to learn you are guaranteed success!
If another campus is considering to try a program such as ours my advice to them would be to have good team members that aren’t afraid of hard work, have a plan but be flexible, and ask the community for help. We have had many donations and support from community people, some of which don’t even have children in our school. My words of encouragement - believe in the project. Our belief through this worthy endeavor has followed the saying, Work hard at something that means something. We have worked hard and it does mean something!