#15. Garden Museum @NetZeroLee

Garden Gurus will host a fundraiser on February 3 and 4!

What is Garden Gurus? How are they involved in this fundraiser?

Check the article in this newsletter!

Learner-led projects can be messy and chaotic at times and require a lot of time and effort, but hosting a fundraiser offers many learning benefits. I will describe a few of them.

An example of brainstorming on Schoology about items to sell

Searching for items to sell

Voting result. We continued the discussion even after the vote to reach a final decision.

Final vote after many discussions about a $1 item.

Each task in the fundraiser serves a specific purpose. For example, the flyer and banner are designed for advertising, while the thank-you board, where customers can sign their names, expresses our gratitude. These are not just designs or drawings; they play a meaningful role in the fundraiser to support our garden.

I believe the learners recognized this significance. They understood the value of their contributions, which is why they willingly spent their recess time creating these items and remained actively engaged in the process. What are your thoughts on this?

Vote and discussions about the thank-you board

Thank-you board painting

Creating signs

Our members proposed numerous ideas, researched potential items, and shared their suggestions both on Schoology and in person. When I was in the garden, they often came to me during recess to discuss how to organize the fundraiser.

Some even voluntarily created a presentation to inform the entire school about the fundraiser and set up a waitlist sheet for the sale using the Canva app.

This initiative, which involves turning ideas into action, is what makes an event happen. I believe that hosting a learner-led fundraiser naturally fosters initiative among participants.

Searching for mini greenhouse

Discussions on how to use the funds

Assigning jobs at the fundraiser

Presentation created by our members

Pre-order sheets created by our member

Short video on Garden Guru's Fundraiser Preparation

A garden is an ideal place to foster independent thinking because people discover new things, explore with their senses, and think based on their own experiences there.

The process of thinking on their own, receiving feedback, and adjusting their thinking builds confidence, which I believe is one of the most important things children should develop in their early years to lay a strong foundation.

A simple garden task, such as harvesting leafy greens, can spark independent thinking. When children first see an example, then think, try, and learn through trial and error, learning becomes real. Through these hands-on experiences, their confidence grows as they discover, “I can do this.”

Our kindergartners have been observing the same oak tree since November. By creating a model or a book with realistic drawings, they are developing observational and drawing skills.

Our teachers connect many science topics to this activity, including physical properties, weather, seasons, plant structures, and the plant life cycle, fostering our kids’ curiosity and learning habits.

Deep learning can start with something as simple as paying attention to the world around us.

Drawing the whole tree. Which part has the most leaves?

How does the leaf look under a microscope? What can you observe on the leaf?

What is the texture of the leaf, front and back?

Drawing a leaf, mixing colors

Seasonal changes of the oak tree

P5 learners noticed their strawberry plants producing flowers and beginning to form fruit. A question, “How do strawberries form?” sparked curiosity.

The learners took a closer look at the parts of the flower. They then connected what they saw to their ideas and shared their theories.

In the garden, children spark curiosity, think independently, and learn science through real objects and experiences.

How does a strawberry flower develop into fruit?

Hand-pollinating the flowers

What is the structure of the strawberry flower?

When things don’t go as expected, we pause and ask: What happened? What does this evidence tell us? How can we test it better next time?

The unexpected results from our soil water behavior test guided us to deeper thinking and core questions:

What makes soil excellent?

How can we create the best soil for our plants?

This is where real learning begins when curiosity turns results into understanding.

G5 learners harvested salad greens, leaving some, and P5 covered the strawberry plants before the winter storm arrived.

BK, PK, and Y3 observed the Bluebonnets in the field before the storm and will check afterward to see the effect. Only half predicted the Bluebonnets would survive.

What is your prediction? Will they be undamaged?

Observing bluebonnet plants before the winter storm arrives.

The learners also observed the details of the bluebonnet leaf using a microscope on-site.

Drawing bluebonnets. What are the differences from other plants?

Found bird nests on the way.

Harvesting leafy greens before the cold weather sets in.

Covering their strawberry plants.

Will the plants survive the winter storm?

Thank you to the teachers for collaborating and being so flexible with outdoor learning!

In this newsletter, I have included the pictures taken by them.