Pre-K and Early Elementary Butterfly Garden

School:: Rhodora J. Donohue Academy
Subject:: Science
Teacher:: Amy Gawron
: Mary Graboski, Jillian Smith
Students Impacted:: 75
Grade:: Pre K - 5
Date:: September 4, 2024

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

A Champion For Learning - $2,000.00

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 103

The Pre-K Butterfly Garden project has been the highlight of the year for many of our children at Donahue Academy. The youngest ones (PK4) were the most involved with the garden from the beginning stages. They watched its installation earlier in the year and discovered new monarch caterpillars and a chrysalis on our milkweed today! They helped with all the planting, both from seed and from plants started off campus. They held and described the various seeds and carefully put them in the ground. These children were responsible for watering with our set of small watering cans, and they also assisted the teacher watering with the hose in small groups. They learned how to identify and pull weeds, trim the blue porter weed bush with child-size scissors, and walk carefully on the stepping stones to avoid stepping on plants. They practiced patience in taking turns, diligence in work, responsibility for creation, and appreciation for the beauty of the natural world.

The children in grades Kindergarten and 1st also used the playground daily and were drawn to the garden. They enjoyed hopping on the stepping stone path that winds through the plants, balancing on the wooden walk "balance beam" around the edge, and observing the growing assortment of creatures that set up their home there! The Kindergarteners were so captivated by the Pre-K project that their teacher decided to let them pitch in and add some flowers and a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to make a prayerful spot in the middle of the Butterfly Garden.

The second grade class hatched painted lady butterflies in their classroom this year. They were able to also visit the Pre-K Butterfly Garden and observe the life cycle unfolding in the real world! Next year, we will have the 2nd grade release their class butterflies into our garden and hope that some of them decide to stay!

We are in the middle of a large expansion of the school and will have 2 classes for each grade next year. We are hoping to continue to grow the garden space and add more activities and work tasks for the children. Many of the plants that we have now will last and spread year after year. Next year, we would like to get a couple fast-growing trees to help provide shade in this popular space.

grant photo

Original Grant Overview

Goal

We are currently expanding the enclosed area of our school playground with the goal to add more play space and room for gardening with these youngest children. Our goal with this grant is to create a Butterfly Garden using a portion of the playground space to give the children a closeup view of life cycles and a place to ponder and appreciate beauty while they are at recess every day.

What will be done with my students

During instruction time, the students will learn about the life cycles of butterflies. Using a virtual field trip provided by the Naples Botanical Gardens, as well as books and photos, they will learn about the common native butterflies of our area. They will work to help prepare the ground to receive the plants. They will differentiate between host plants where the butterflies will lay eggs and the nectar plants which will provide food for the butterflies. They will regularly assist in watering, weeding and pruning the plants. They will observe the garden daily.

Benefits to my students

The children will be immersed in a beautiful environment and fully engage their senses of sight, smell, hearing and touch. They will experience wonder and awe while observing the life cycle of native butterflies. They will also learn responsibility for caring for nature and the value of diligence and patience.

Budget Narrative

The funding will be used mostly to fill the new garden area with new soil, host plants, pollinator plants and trees. We would like to also add child size benches to encourage the children to spend time in the area while resting and observing.

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Child size benches	$600.00
2	Plants and trees	$800.00
3	Soil	$600.00
	Total:	$2,000.00

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Pre-K and Early Elementary Butterfly Garden

Investor

Impact to My Classroom

Original Grant Overview

Goal

Category

What will be done with my students

Benefits to my students

Budget Narrative

Items

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