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Carolina Fence Garden Gives Foster Park Students a History Lesson Through Nature
| Name | Anne P. Brock | | Situation | Foster Park Elementary School is located in the city limits of Union, and has a studentbody of 544 students, in grades 4K through 4th grade. In a partnership effort, Union County 4-H office, along with the Foster Park School Improvement Council, and Principal Dale Goff, applied for a Landscape for Learning grant to construct a Carolina Fence Garden on the school grounds. A Carolina Fence Garden was chosen because it is a simple, yet powerful tool to teach youth the natural and cultural elements that have been designated as symbols of our state. The components of a Carolina Fence Garden - a split rail fence,Yellow Jessamine plants, native wildflowers, a Carolina Wren house, and a piece of Blue Granite - allow students to explore their natural environment in
an outdoor classroom setting while learning the importance of our
state symbols. | | Response | The Union County 4-H office enjoys a productive relationship with the elementary schools in the county, many of which have in-school 4-H clubs, or 4-H clubs incorporated within an after school program. Foster Park Elementary school has been a 4-H partner for the past three years, with 4-H in-school clubs in their kindergarten classes. In an effort to expand the 4-H experience throughout the Foster Park student body, and
coordinate the 4-H programs with the South Carolina Content Standards, Union County 4-H proposed to the School Improvement Council and the Principal, Dale Goff, the opportunity to partner in a Landscape for Learning grant to build an outdoor classroom on the school grounds. A Carolina Fence Garden was chosen as the project because of its correlation with South Carolina history through a gardening experience. They were very receptive to the proposal, and the grant was written, submitted and approved for the 2004-2005 school year.
Three planning meetings were held in the fall of 2004 with members of the school staff, the School Improvement Council, Union County master gardener volunteers, members of the local garden clubs, and the Extension Agent. A wonderful display of cooperation among the entities represented resulted in school maintenance personnel plowing the garden spot, parents volunteering to travel to Greenville and pick up plant material and help on the scheduled installation day, and master gardeners and flower club members volunteering to draw the garden design. The school was successful in getting the mulch donated, as well as, securing matching funds through the School PTO to make future improvements to the outdoor classroom.
In preparation for the installation of the garden, school maintenance
crews had plowed the plot, and the plant material had been delivered.
One of the teachers, Mrs. Heather Vinson coordinated the activities for the day. Parents and master gardeners placed the plant material around the garden spot where it was supposed to be planted. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., each grade level came outside to the garden to plant a portion of the Fence Garden. Before each class began planting, a 4-H lesson was taught about how plants grow, and the plant's significance in the Carolina Fence Garden. Fourth graders planted Butterfly Bushes, third graders planted the Yellow Jasmine, second graders planted bulbs, and first graders and kindergarteners planted Celosia and Liriope. After completing their plantings, each class helped in mulching the area around their plants. At the end of their school day, each student had the
satisfaction of knowing they had an integral part in constructing
their outdoor classroom.
The Carolina Fence Garden is being integrated into all areas of the
teaching curriculum. It is an inspirational point for the topic of
writing assignments. Students are keeping a journal, either a class journal or an individual journal, documenting the construction and maintenance of the Carolina Fence Garden. A Carolina Fence Garden Scrapbook is being assembled with input from each class from 4K through 4th grade. Students can learn science information relative to environmental concerns, plants, entomology, wildlife, and the water
cycle. Students will be able to apply math principles through measuring for the fence construction, measuring wood pieces for the wren houses, as well as ongoing lessons such as measuring rainfall amounts, charting temperatures and other environmental changes. Additionally, the Carolina Fence Garden is helping the students foster a better understanding of the heritage of our state as symbolized by the Garden's components. The Union County 4-H office is providing educational resources, as well as conducting related programs to each grade level at Foster Park. | | Impact | The Foster Park student body and the teaching staff are enjoying the satisfaction of having a meaningful exhibit of South Carolina history on their school grounds. Teachers are allowing students to integrate their
classroom curriculum with hands-on activities in their outdoor classroom. The Carolina Fence Garden is providing an outdoor classroom for experiential learning in other curriculum areas, including mathematics, science and English/literature. Student test scores, as well as art and creative writing, will serve as evaluation tools. 4-H programs on plants, entomology, and soils are encouraging students to
continue in the 4-H program through afterschool clubs, traditional 4-H clubs, and summer daycamp opportunities. |
Last update8/14/2008
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