PEF is a strong supporter of PUSD students having access to the exploration of nature. Alis Vanegas of Willard Elementary school is working with her preschool class to take a more hands-on approach to getting to know nature. With help from her teacher grant, Vanegas created a new flower garden with her students.
“For some students who were having anxiety and stress, just watering the plants calmed their bodies down and it helped them cope with what they were feeling.”
-Alis Vanegas, Willard Elementary
For Vanegas, the primary goal of the garden was to create a classroom community between her students, forming an environment of social and personal growth. As the preschoolers worked together to plant and maintain the garden they learned about responsibility through sharing roles and working together with their classmates. Gardening also encouraged fine motor skills growth as the preschoolers used their tools to transfer their plants from the indoor nursery to the outdoor gardening bed. While their flowers grew, the students also worked on growing their language development skills. Vanegas synergized her reading lessons with the gardening project using themed books to expand the students’ vocabulary on plant life cycles. By the end of the project, Vanegas’s students were able to form a close bond with each over the process of creating this calming green space together.
