Project Description: Our project demonstrated the impact the Grand River and
ultimately the Great Lakes has on their school. With the support of
community partners and student organizations, third- and fourth-grade
students monitored the school's watershed through a site inventory,
stream sampling, runoff collection, and land management in order to
return the property at Meadow Brook to its original ecosystems
(woodlands, wetlands, and meadow). Students also collected data,
analyzed findings, and presented results about the impact of their
work to the community. As stewards of their land, students were
actively involved in decision-making and planning service learning.
They initiated, organized, and implemented place-based learning activities.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship: Students understand how the scientific method can be used to
measure human impact on the environment.
Partners: Koetsier's Greenhouse, Ada Township Parks, AbonoChar
Teachers: 3
Students: 134
Funder: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Project Description: With the support of community partners and student organizations,
third- and fourth-grade students monitored the school's watershed
through a site inventory, stream sampling, runoff collection, and land
management activities to return the property at Meadow Brook to its
original ecosystems (woodlands, wetlands, and meadow). Students used
this information to restore creek banks damaged by erosion, eradicate
invasive species throughout woodland and wetland areas, and add wood
chips back to hiking paths. Students also collected data, analyzed
findings, and compared data from fall to spring. Students also
composted lunchroom waste with the aide of worm composting as a way of
limiting nonpoint source pollutants from lunchroom waste getting into
the water. The vermicompost will be returned to the property as a way
of restoring soil health, improving plant growth and water quality. As
stewards of their land, students were actively involved in
decision-making and planning service learning. They initiated,
organized, and implemented place-based learning with school-wide and
community activities.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship: Students can communicate to their community the importance of
being stewards of their watershed and to help make decisions that
improve their quality of living.
Partners: Ada Parks and Recreation, Koetsier's Greenhouse, VermiChester, Plarn
Project Description: This project made a positive impact on the Grand River and
ultimately the Great Lakes. With the support of community partners and
student organizations, third- and fourth-grade students monitored our
school watershed through a site inventory, stream sampling, runoff
collection, and land management activities to return the property at
Meadow Brook to its original ecosystems (woodlands, wetlands, and
meadow). Students used this information to learn about the importance
of restoring creek banks damaged by erosion, eradicate invasive
species throughout woodland and wetland areas, and add wood chips back
to hiking paths. Students collected and analyzed data and compared
data from fall to spring with other sites downstream. Students
composted lunchroom waste with the aid of worm composting. The
vermicompost restored soil health, improving plant growth and water
quality. As stewards of their land, students were actively involved in
decision-making and planning service learning. They initiated,
organized, and implemented place-based learning with school-wide and
community activities by placing signs on storm drains, distributing
door hangers to inform neighborhoods, and reporting findings to
classmates. Students participated in the final dedication of a nature
center building at Camp Manitou-Lin in memory of a peer and support of
the family who lost their child and completed water sampling on the site.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship: Children have learned that they can make a difference in the
place that they live and see how they are connected to the Grand
River, the Great Lakes, and beyond. Children can teach others and
practice sharing their knowledge by demonstrating examples of how they
eradicated invasive species on school grounds, cleared brush from
Plaster Creek to slow erosion on the banks, and promote citizen
awareness of ways to stop water runoff and NPS pollution running into
storm drains from the Plaster Creek and Great Lakes watershed.
Children also learned how to cultivate compost and vermicompost
through worm farming to restore soil quality. Additionally, with a new
partnership with Camp Manitou-Lin, students now recognize the
importance of building relationships beyond their school through art
and stream sampling. Students also can collect plastic grocery bags,
instead of filling landfills or even recycling, and make them into
Plarn for weaving into mats to be sent to Haiti.
Partners: Ada Parks and Recreation/Roselle Park, Koetsier's Greenhouse,
VermiChester, Plarn, Camp Manitoulin, Willem’s Discovery Place,
Driftless Forestry Consultants
Project Description: With the support of community partners and student organizations,
third- and fourth-grade students monitored our school watershed
through a site inventory, stream sampling, runoff collection, and
service learning activities to educate nearby neighborhoods to return
the property at Meadow Brook to its original ecosystems (woodlands,
wetlands, and meadow). Children designed an observation platform in
the wetlands. Student designs included places for student observation
and research about the wetlands and Little Plaster Creek. Students
were a part of teams to remove invasive species throughout woodland
and wetland areas, and add wood chips to hiking paths. Students also
collected and analyzed data, and compared data from fall to spring.
Students also collected data from Roselle Park. Students composted and
weighed lunchroom waste to collect data to compare amounts of NPS
pollutants from fall to spring. Vermicompost was returned to the
property as a way of restoring soil health, improving plant growth and
water quality. As stewards of their land, students became actively
involved in decision-making and planning service learning. They
initiated, organized, and implemented place-based learning with
school-wide and community activities by placing markers on storm
drains, door hangers in neighborhoods, and reported findings to the
student council.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship: This project encouraged lifelong stewardship by providing
children the opportunity to explore the world around them and taught
them that they can make a difference in their community. Children can
now teach others and practice sharing their knowledge by demonstrating
examples of how they have participated in eradicating invasive species
on school grounds, cleared brush from Little Plaster Creek to slow
erosion on the banks, and promote citizen awareness of ways to stop
water runoff and NPS pollution running into storm drains from the
Little Plaster Creek and Great Lakes watershed. The project also
provided an opportunity to teach children how to cultivate compost.
Students can make Plarn for weaving into mats to be sent to Haiti and Guatemala.
Partners: Ada Township Parks, Forest Hills Northern, Koetsier's
Teachers: 2
Students: 52
Funder: Baldwin Foundation
Project Description: Outdoor-learning wagons were designed and purchased for each
grade level. The students became increasingly engaged with learning in
their local environment, and this enthusiasm now drives
students'Â learning outside.
Partners: West Michigan Environmental Action Council
