DRIVING QUESTION:

How do we transform the garden boxes as an act of school kindness and ongoing act of stewardship while inspiring our school community to respect them for remembrance?

Project Overview:

A gift of tulip bulbs in remembrance of the Dutch liberation by Canadian soldiers during the Second World War was given to our grade 3A class in November 2020. The act of planting and use one of the school’s garden box to plant this gift spurred the grade 3A students to investigate a problem and find a solution.
Students engaged in caretaking, research, site analysis, and communication with the elementary school community about the school’s original, eroding garden boxes. From these experiences along with guidance from their teacher and grounds maintenance, students experimented and planned for a school garden box renovation in March 2021.

Once students and the teacher analyzed the erosion and misuse of the garden boxes and collaborated with the school grounds supervisor for repair, the teacher divided the students into garden teams due to the large scale of the project as well as to honour student interests and strengths. Students reflected and shared their how we should proceed with the project and teams were created and divided on this information. Teams are not static and fluid: students fill in roles for each other as needed, consultation with the whole class on progress or problems is on a weekly basis, and big decisions and school wide communications are made as a class.
Garden teams are as follows: gardeners (those that tend the garden boxes on a recess rotation they negotiated, work closely with plant experts), plant experts (conduct the most frequent observations of the garden, communicate changes to the physical garden, research plant information as required, work closely with gardeners), artists/historians (planned, created and consulted with class on garden signage to prevent misuse of garden boxes; planning stages of signage of significance/meaning of kindness, remembrance and history, work closely with communicators) and communicators (plan and implement communication with administration and school community through emails, announcements, planning to communicate with other grade 3 classes and the original class/teacher who gifted the bulbs, work closely with artists/historians). As a result, students have had (and continue to have) multiple opportunities to practice all core competency skills both working on garden teams and as a class. The fluidity of the teams allows for students to practice a variety of skills, while working primarily in areas of interest and strength.

Present and future grade 3 students will be the stewards of the garden boxes in our schoolyard: caretaking and communicating their value in our collective sense of place and remembrance as students and staff of Abbotsford Christian Elementary School.

“While this project in many ways ‘saved’ each of us with its’ positive impact on our classroom flow, activities, and focus, this project required us all to ‘dig deep’ to keep the vision alive. From caretaking being undertaken by students during recess to pushing ourselves to think of ways to correct student misuse or misunderstanding proactively and gently was challenging. Grade 3A has a strong sense of ownership and stewardship for the respect of the present, eroding boxes and newly built garden boxes.”

Charis Millard: ACS Teacher & Project Designer

Product/Presentation:

  • Gardens

How has this engaged students in ACS’ mission and vision?

Engaging Minds: Once research how to plant and planting was completed, our class’ attention turned to the condition of the garden box area. To preserve our act of remembrance, we analyzed both how the behaviour of our schoolmates and the erosion of the schoolyard were a threat to the livelihood of our garden.

Nurturing Hearts: This project began with our hearts. Our class was gifted 20 tulip bulbs from the teacher’s colleague during a pivotal moment in our school’s and classroom’s school year: the return to school following the November break when the Covid-19 cluster had been declared at our middle school (many of our class’ siblings were affected, two students were isolation with their families due to siblings with Covid-19 positive results) and followed our class’ learning about the cost of war and Remembrance Day. The students’ background knowledge from this learning caused them to treat these bulbs with honour as another symbol of the lives saved by others’ sacrifice during war.

Shaping God’s World: Students currently engage in daily caretaking and observation of the garden. School communication has been planned and implemented by students for students and teachers at the elementary campus. Students and teacher have engaged with various partners (grounds crew, all grade 3 teachers, kindergarten teacher leading outdoor learning) to ensure the success of a renovation that is sustainable for future elementary students and staff.

How has this learning experience served or connected to our community?

Jesus is a model of compassionate correction and love for all. He calls us to be stewards of His creation and all that he has given us (our campus). He also calls us to love others as ourselves. Students’ daily modeling of care through faithful caretaking of what is broken (eroding garden boxes), engaging proactive, positive future action (sustainable renovation), and gentle correction to peers (changing our playground behaviour and uses) demonstrates tremendous opportunities for character growth. The social emotional benefits of immersing ourselves in God’s creation has led to opportunities for students to relax and rejuvenate themselves and others. The school community has been invited to and been observed using this space as place of curiosity, wonder, and peace.

Extension options for this project include:

  • Tulip bulb maintenance
  • Sunflower seedling transplanting
  • Communication with the school community about new garden boxes
  • Garden shed location and design collaboration with Mr. Fast

“For the garden project I was put in the largest group the gardeners. I had to work with many different students to weed, water, and do many different things to help the plants and boxes. I learned I can work with others to achieve a goal.” – Macy 

“I learned I can change and develop my ideas. When we were doing the shed design project. I changed my ideas lots of times to figure out the best design.” – Gavin

“Mr. Fast and the class made the world a better place by fixing the boxes. We also planted beautiful tulips and sunflowers.” – Lainey

“I learned about the liberation and the Christmas truce. When we did the Christmas truce poem, I learned I can make the world a better place. That was very important to me being a Canadian.” – Asia

Student Reflection

SAMPLE PROJECT FILES:

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The Two Great Gifts By 3A