The students of Village Park Elementary School have teamed up with the Bucks County Audubon Society and Waste Management, Inc. to create a very special park area that not only beautifies the school grounds, but serves as an educational tool for students, teachers and the community.

The project is based on the “Guide to Gardening for Life in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” that offers gardening tips on how to create safe places for birds, insects and other wildlife. The Guide was funded through a grant from Waste Management.

Students in the school participated in the project to build the park and will use it as an outdoor classroom. The Audubon Society will provide educational resources to support the project. The goal is to use the area and the Guide to help students meet the state’s environmental education curriculum standards.

Students in the first grade and kindergarten will focus on understanding the interrelationship of living things, and that plants, air, and water are natural resources that must be protected and conserved. They will learn the essential elements of an ecosystem, to identify the organisms that can live together and the effects of a healthy environment on ecosystems. They will also study organic waste and discover its use, on-site value, and how it is managed in their community.

Grade two will identify and classify plants and animals in the ecosystem and adaptations necessary for survival. They will explore differences in living things and how these differences help or hinder survival and identify beneficial and harmful effects of pests. They will also determine the value of using organic waste as a renewable resource and experience the “how-to” of composting and identify the decision-makers in environmental protection.

Grades three through five will learn the concept of cycles and identify the changes that occur in an ecosystem that are both natural and human induced. They will identify and compare different types of pests, pest controls and integrated pest management practices used in their “on-site laboratory” and at their homes. They will also identify different types of waste and disposal options of each and examine laws for environmental protection and understand their importance using their school as a means of comparison.

The project also includes a community outreach component.

Senior citizens from the Falls Township Senior Center, members of the Parent Teacher Organization and the community at large are invited to become “Grand-gardeners” or “Community Gardeners” to serve as volunteers, sharing experiences and assisting students.

The volunteer mentors will be trained and produce an educational kiosk that will promote conservation and stewardship.

The Audubon Society will also provide a series of in-service programs for teachers that will expand their resources for using the site for problem solving, critical analysis and skills building.

Regular updates on the progress of the project will be posted on the Village Park Elementary School webpage .

For more information contact Judy Archibald, Waste Management, Inc..

NewsClip: Students Revive Area’s Ecology

6/12/2005