Innovations Learning Garden

 Students, teachers, and parents at Innovations Academy Charter School have rallied around building a strong foundation for our garden program the Innovations Learning Garden. Gardening is the perfect match for the project-based philosophy at Innovations Academy where students learn concepts from working with materials and researching solutions to problems as they arise. Students K-8 have been involved in the planning, designing and construction of the garden. Younger students will learn about the life cycles of various plants and what it takes to tend different kinds of plants. Middle school students will consider their garden in the context of politics and the process of food production. Teachers and students will be involved on a daily basis while maintaining and tending the Innovations Learning Garden which is located on the back lot of our school campus. In Spring of 2012, students from all grade levels participated in the building of 8 raised garden beds, and we received donations of soil and composting worms from the San Diego City Farmers Nursery. Sixth graders worked hard last year to acquire these donations as well as digging and installing a pond. The teachers and students at Innovations Academy are still in need of lumber for the construction of more planter boxes as well as the soil and plants to put in them. The goal is to have a raised planter for each grade level at the school. We have a sustainability educator who is ready to organize all of these projects and oversee the parent volunteers as they help get this garden growing, but we need the money to buy these supplies, so that we can continue this important project.