OWL Club

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Two parent volunteers led 16 students in kindergarten through third grade in an after-school nature club in our new Outdoor Wildlife Learning (OWL Center).  Each session was 1.5 hours, providing these students 9 hours in the gardens.

Each week for six weeks, a different volunteer (or group of volunteers) led a lesson on topics such as the water cycle, the importance of native plants, and aquifers.  The students labeled all of the native plants within the wildscape, added stepping stones to beautify the space, and planted a rain ladder.  The rain ladder reused playground equipment to direct extra water to plants installed in our reflection area.  The students added plants to the hanging baskets and learned how the additional water would help the plants in the baskets as well as the plants on the ground.

Students were also asked to help maintain the gardens by watering the plants and picking up trash.  

This club gave students an opportunity to engage with nature in a more relaxed environment than is often possible during school hours.  We hope to continue this club next year--to give more students the opportunity to get involved.