The Orion Garden
The botany class at Orion Academy develops an organic vegetable garden and will incorporate garden activities into the botany curriculum. Students in the botany class at Orion Academy will build and maintain an organic garden at Orion Academy that will be used as an outdoor classroom for all science classes. The involvement of the students in the garden gives them ownership of their environment, meaning that they are more likely to care, and take responsibility for it. Organic gardening is inexpensive, environmentally friendly and provides an example of sustainable development in action for the students. One of the most important features of the garden is that students learn by doing.
Goals:
- Students will be able to apply their understanding of ecology topics such as nutrient cycling and food webs by participating in the creation and maintenance of the organic garden.
- Students will understand their role in the environment and the impact their
actions have on the environment including:
- Water Quality and Conservation
- Urban runoff
- Students will learn how organic farming differs from other farming methods and the benefits of organic farming.
- Students will understand how plants develop by watching them develop from seeds -> plants -> fruits
- Students will increase their sense of responsibility by tilling the soil, planting the plants, weeding the garden, etc.
- To develop problem solving strategies. Within gardening investigations or projects students will need to:
- develop the skills of identifying and understanding a problem
- plan ways to solve a problem
- monitor progress in tackling a problem
- review solutions to problems
- Students will learn gardening techniques they can apply to gardens at home.
