We ended last school year planting and nurturing our pollinator seedlings
and it has been amazing to see their growth over the last few months. With the extreme heat it took some extra TLC
to get them going, but they are in full blossom now! Here are some photos from the plants we grew in our garden at my house this summer.
Common Milkweed
Butterfly Milkweed
Random species from Pete's Pollinator Mix
Hopefully some of you were able to have success with your own pollinator gardens, but if not we will be growing plants again this year in our greenhouse. The student-built greenhouse will transfer hands this year as our current 6th grade students will pass the baton to our current 5th grade class for maintenance, structural improvements, and botanical studies.
The 5th grade's first task will be to use the remaining 2-liter bottles to design a Spanish tile roof and add a ventilation/fan system. Unfortunately at the end of the summer we had some intense wind storms come through the area that tore our plastic sheeting roof completely off. I had a bad feeling after the second storm, so I came up to CDS the next morning and sure enough...
Speaking of the greenhouse, I was asked to present on our greenhouse project at the U.S. Green Buildings Council's Sustainability Institute for Educators held at MICDS this summer. It was honor to represent our school at this event and a joy to share our students' work. After my presentation I took a few questions from the audience and my favorite one was "Can I be in your class?" I think that comment speaks volumes about the project and I know I continue to be amazed at what we accomplished every time I pull into the upper parking lot and see the greenhouse.
This summer was also a time for me to grow as a professional and to that end I spent a week in Colorado learning with Mrs. Mićić and the staff at the Watershed School. This independent school in Boulder is an expeditionary school that integrates their curriculum through local trips and even traveling abroad. The major highlight for me was the use of art and journaling to help students process content knowledge and something you will be hearing more about over the coming school year.
I look forward to seeing how our students have grown and progressed over the summer as we get back into the swing of school this month. We hit the ground running in science as our 6th grade students will be preparing for their weeklong expedition to the Ozark mountains, our 5th grade students will be designing a new roof for the greenhouse, and our 4th grade students will be... well, I can't tell you that yet. Magicians never give away all their secrets, but I will have more to share soon! Here's to another great school year, tremendous growth, and conquering challenges!
Don't forget to follow me on twitter @chanceofscience for updates about our project work, in class learning, and expeditions!
