It seems I became a Habitat Steward and hit the ground running. My approach to our elementary school to become a Schoolyard Habitat, a simple enough task in that we already qualified except for needing a birdbath, turned into quite the endeavor. Soon I was leading a Habitat Team, working on a new butterfly-hummingbird garden design, creating guidelines for a new Legacy of Giving environmental project for two of our grades related to habitats, starting a new school garden blog, and, oh, what seems like a thousand other tasks. I have to say that, while it as been hard and non-stop work, I am loving it. The rewards as a parent, a community member, and a Habitat Steward have been simply so many that I can’t count them, and all of them make this little green heart swell.
The past 3 days I’ve been speaking to all the 3rd- and 4th-graders about habitats in central Texas. I’ve been giving PowerPoint presentations to back-to-back classes — today’s last and final class will make nine total. I think I know this slide show pretty well now! The kids have all been interactive and fascinated and loving all the photos. But it’s no surprise that the biggest reactions come from the giant swallowtail caterpillar that looks like bird poop!
I want to thank all my fellow Austin Garden Bloggers who generously sent me photographs of wildlife in their garden so that I could put together a very unique and special presentation. As I go through the slide show each time, I know where each photograph came from, and I feel as though all these wonderful people are right there with me helping our students love and appreciate nature. Thank you, my friends!
Congratulations! You never know what might grow as a result of your efforts. It was fun going through old photos to find shots you might use – thank YOU for doing this and for inviting area bloggers in to share the fun.
You are making impressions that will last with some of these children for their whole life. Some might never have come to appreciate wildlife if not for the efforts of volunteers like yourself.
This is great that you’re involved in this way! You’re the perfect person for the job and the job is perfect for you too! I’m taking a master gardener class now and our speaker last night talked a bit about about the importance of teaching children to be stewards of the Earth. I mean, my own kids are growing up with a reverance for their environment, but I hadn’t thought about teaching them specifically that we are here for a short period of time and that the area in which we live will remain long after we’re gone – the garden we’ve made, what we put in the yard, streams, etc. the trees we plant, etc. It’s quite amazing to ponder.
Anyway kudos to you for this imporant work.
Thanks, everyone! The nice thing about doing this with the kids is how many people I reach at once. The kids were fascinated, but the teachers and adult helpers all enjoyed the slides as well, and one mom told me that she learned a lot and is going to look at her yard in a whole new way. Wendy — you’re absolutely right about teaching kids about the time element. One of the things I talked to the kids about was that native plants have been here since long before we were and that they are adapted to be here. And then I teach them that the plants we plant need to be sustainable — what would happen if we walked away or were no longer here? What resources do they need and use? Would the plants be able to survive and continue on their own?