Kindergarten students plant maple tree
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/05/2013 (4511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
George Fitton School kindergarten students now have the chance to watch a maple tree they planted themselves grow outside their elementary school.
As part of their tree unit and with some help from Patmore Nursery, students planted their own tree after the rain subsided on Tuesday afternoon.
“We got the idea that we could put the tree in the outdoor classroom where these kindergarten students could watch it grow for the next eight years and thought it would just be so cool,” said Jackie Gudnason, pre-service teacher and Brandon School Division substitute teacher. “We’re planting a maple tree because it ties in well with the social students’ curriculum and Canadian identity and it also grows relatively fast compared to other trees.”
Giving students a chance to get outside and more in tune with their outdoor surroundings was one of the perks of tree unit, she said.
“I thought it was a fantastic idea because I really believe in authentic learning opportunities for kids,” she said. “Exposing children to nature is really, really important for urban students. I have a rural background, and I think sometimes in the city we have a real disconnect from the outside world around us.”
Before planting their own tree, students also spent some time touring Patmore Nursery.
“The kids spent the whole morning getting a tour from them and got to each plant their own plant and look around the nursery,” Gudnason said.
With the addition of two new benches, George Fitton School is also expanding its outdoor learning space, giving all students a reason to get outside.
“Staff wanted a place where students could go out and do some work,” vice-principal Jaime Lambert said. “What we want is not necessarily an outdoor classroom, but an area where Grade 7 or 8 students, or all of our students, can just go out and hang out at recess.”
Weather permitting, the outdoor area is also being made available for teachers to host class time outside, Lambert said.
“It’s basically tables, which we already have, in a round configuration and we’re just ordering two more of those to add to the area so teachers can teach classes or students can just hang out.”
» lenns@brandonsun.com
