Growing Healthy Mind

School:: Poinciana Elementary
Subject:: Science
Teacher:: Joanna Campanile Janell Matos
: Janell Matos
Students Impacted:: 300
Grade:: K
Date:: July 23, 2015

Investors

Thank you to the following investors for funding this grant.

Amato Natale - $25.00

Joann Natale - $25.00

Roxanne & Bianca - $10.00

Island Walk Tropical Swing - $148.01

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 50

As we were working up plans for the garden we were inspired to add more than we originally anticipated. The outcome has been amazing and the adventure along the way even better. Our goals were originally to plant flowers and allow the kids to see them grow in a natural habitat instead of in a cup in the classroom. We also wanted them to grow foods that they would want to eat. Instead, we were able to do a whole lot more. We planted butterfly weed and the kids have seen butterflies, eggs on leaves, baby caterpillars, holes in the leaves as the caterpillars grow and now we have chrysalis around the garden. What an amazing way to learn about the life cycle. We also decided to plant more vegetables and fruits than we originally thought. The grant has allowed us to take our original thought and make it grow into a whole new classroom outside. We have lettuce, carrots, kale, peppers, cucumbers, onion, basil, peppermint, strawberries and that is just to name a few. How exciting it was to see the joy and awe in the children’s eyes as they dug holes, laid soil, put in seeds, watched them sprout and are now able to enjoy eating some of their hard work. One major detail we added to our garden was a bench. We were so excited to have a place to sit, relax, observe, and learn in an atmosphere that would not have been possible without the giving hearts of Champions of Learning.

grant photo

Original Grant Overview

Goal

My goal is to continue keeping the garden alive while teaching students to participate in an ongoing project at Poinciana Elementary School!

What will be done with my students

This gardening project will start at the beginning of the school year and be a permeant ongoing project. The students will learn to plant and care for their community garden. The students will learn what it means to work hard and work cooperatively in order to eat healthy and live a healthy life style. This project ties in to the kindergarten curriculum through science, social studies, reading and writing. The students will be learning what plants need, parts of plants, how to work together, reading about garden care and writing about what they have accomplished.

Benefits to my students

The outcome of this wonderful project will inspire children to plant and care for a garden. It will help them understand why it is important to eat healthy and how they can be part of their community. There will be 100 kindergarten students and 5 teachers working to create and maintain this garden. The whole school will benefit from the beauty and the food that will be grown in our school community.

Budget Narrative

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Basil Plant	$4.98
2	Banana Tree	$71.20
3	Tomato Plant	$4.95
4	Glenwood Outdoor Storage Box	$89.00
5	Sweet Mint	$4.90
6	SunFlower Seeds (.50 a pack)	$1.50
7	Carrot Seeds (.50 a pack)	$1.50
8	Cucumber Seed (.50 a pack)	$1.50
9	Soil (4 bags at 5.00)	$20.00
10	Garden Mesh	$8.48
	Total:	$208.01

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