Cedar Creek Elementary

Our mission is to link children with nature and have them be captivated by the miracles of life around them outdoors and in the garden. We are starting a gardening education program at our school which will be introduced in several phases.

I.  Three outdoor learning environments will be set up to serve three age groups:  K-1st, 2nd - 4th, and 5th grade.  These three spaces will provide an outdoor area for children to learn and interact with nature and grow specimens for study.  It will provide an outdoor environment for group lessons, reading or group movement activity for the various classes and provide options for the teachers in where to present science material to the children.

II.  An area that was once filled with portable buildings will be converted to be a garden to grow food items that can be used by the school cafeteria or be sold by the students as a fundraiser for further programming for outdoor education.

III.  A trail/track system along the perimeter of a school field will be added to provide a place for a Marathon Kids training group to practice.  Using local wildflowers and native plants, we will liven up some of these areas to be Monarch butterfly habitats. 

Our school booster club will be supporting these efforts to plan out and implement this program over the coming years.  We are in the process of creating a task force of teachers and parent volunteers to develop outdoor activities that would support the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) that the elementary teachers adhere to in their curriculum planning.  It is essential that experience based, hands-on activities are available to the children to supplement their learning in science and math.