By Eliana Hudson, UMKC communications intern

Mrs. Davis and her third/fourth grade class have helped to transform the outside of our building to look more friendly and inviting. Last year, they decided to build garden beds and plant fruits, vegetables, and sunflowers with an award from KC Healthy Kids and Kansas City Community Gardens. Not only did our scholars plant crops and learn about the process plants go through to grow, but they also learned about composting and eco-friendly sustainability. Every day when our scholars go outside to water the plants they add biodegradable products, such as orange peels from their lunches, to the compost pile.

Mrs. Davis’ class has made many connections with the garden. She said they include, “Read aloud, text-to-text, text-to-world, being more aware of the community and making it better– what it means, looks like, even though they’re small they can make a difference.”

One surprising connection that was made with the garden was wanting to build a fence to keep it safe. One day the scholars saw that two of their sunflowers were deliberately broken at the middle of the stem. To express their feelings, they made observational flower drawings and wrote about how they felt. That’s when the scholars discussed constructing a fence. Additionally, they talked about respecting property and each other. Even if something is not theirs they need to respect it.

One thing Mrs. Davis loves about AFIA is the student centered learning. She said, “When kids can choose what they are interested in they take ownership in their learning, ask questions and develop problem solving skills. Even in writing and how they think.”

We are proud of our third/fourth grade scholars taking ownership of their learning and using the garden as a catalyst for making connections!