It should come as no surprise that the third graders are growing a prairie on a plot of land on our campus. After all, the third graders have been encouraged since kindergarten to seek solutions to problems that plague our world…and after comparing maps of the American prairie from different time periods, they saw a problem. Our grassland biome is shrinking…and since humans have destroyed it, humans must restore it.
So they are bringing the prairie to Mirowitz.
Mirowitz students have had a special affinity for this native biome. As part of the third-grade grasslands unit, students hike in the prairie, camp in the prairie and pray in the prairie. They collect seeds from the prairie, plant them in flats for greenhouse germination, and replant them around the prairie’s edge to restore the prairie.
At school, they apply mathematical knowledge of measuring area to determine the number of square feet and the number of plants they will need. With support from Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, they determine which native plants to grow.
It’s a science project. It’s a social studies project. It’s a math project. And above all, it’s an opportunity for children to understand that they have the power to make a difference.