WUES has 2 garden areas: Wildlife Sanctuary and Market Garden.
Wildlife Sanctuary
The WUES Nature Sanctuary is a natural learning area where native plants support local wildlife with food and shelter. On any given day you may happen upon a frog, a caterpillar on its way to becoming a butterfly, or even a wise old owl! Ten years ago, former science teacher Sondra Fox spearheaded the creation of the Garden with the following goals in mind:
- Help the students experience a little taste of nature, see and understand the interconnectedness of the environment, and appreciate how strong, and yet how delicate, it is.
- Show by example the beauty and importance of providing protected sanctuaries for wildlife in the city.
- Inspire children to care about and care for wildlife (both animals and plants).
- Provide a place for living, real, hands-on fun science activities.
The Garden is well-maintained by parent volunteers and open to classes through teacher or parent-led lessons. This outdoor classroom is a wonderful learning resource and environment for our students, whether for science lessons or cross-disciplinary activities such as writing projects or math measurements. Last year a project garden was added, allowing students to see how different plants grow (or don’t grow).
A visit to the Garden is always an exciting adventure for our students! Experience it yourself… bring your children along on scheduled Saturday work days or volunteer to take your child’s class on visits to the Garden.
Kid’s Garden Project
The market garden is where students can learn how to grow organic herbs and vegetables. This may happen through their class or through the Kids Garden Club, which meets weekly. The Kids Garden Club is a pilot program that teaches organic gardening and encourages students to run the garden like a business. Basic principles of product development, marketing, and selling for profit are learned in a realistic environment. When available, produce is sold at the Garden Stall each Friday near the Snow Cones.
If you are interested in joining our volunteer team in a wonderful experience please contact Linda Black, our Grounds Chair.
If you are interested in the Kid’s Garden Project please contact Dana Myers.
