4th Grade Native Plant Survery

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Native Plant Survey

As the Lower School at New Horizon readied its new Nature Playground, the Fourth Grade Green Leadership Team was given the special responsibility of learning about and identifying the native plants that populated the new play space.  Several science periods were dedicated to learning to identify the plants and why each variety was added to the playground.  Our landscape architect, Katherine Parra,  spent time teaching our fourth graders the Latin and common names of the plants, as well as some of their unique characteristics such as which animals they will attract to the space. 

When the green ribbon was cut and the playground was officially opened, the fourth grade Green Leadership Team did a wonderful job serving as docents and sharing their knowledge of the plants with the friends and families that had come to see the new playground.  One fourth grader was asked why we would plant deer grass on the playground and he confidently answered that while the school is fenced and deer would never get into the school this is just some interesting information to know about the plant.

The Fourth Grade Green Leadership Team was able to identify the following native plants on the playground:

White Sage, Lemonade Berry,  Deer Grass, Margarita Foothill Pentstemon, California Buckwheat, Red Yarrow, Furman’s Red Texas Sage, Hummingbird Sage, Terra Seca Creeping Black Sage, Yarrow Milfoil “Moonshine”, Sage, and Buchannan Sage.

Continuing with the knowledge the fourth graders learned, identifying native plants, they were able to create a mixed media art composition called:  go green