In honor of Earth Day on April 22, Resilience Academy students worked on projects that celebrated growth and sustainability.
Following lessons in adolescent day treatment (ADT) teacher Christopher Plant’s class all month about composting, upcycling and recycling, teaching assistant Christina Olson and students planted sunflower and marigold seeds in class using dirt and water in containers. Olson practiced sustainability by taking seeds from already grown sunflowers she had to grow more of them.
“I had extra sunflower seeds that I thought would be a great way to incorporate Earth Day into our lessons together.”
This activity taught students about the environmental issues and climate change facing the planet and encouraged them to make positive impacts to protect it.
“They’re going to be the next ones to take care of our planet,” Olson said of her students. “They need as much information as possible.”
Olson finds that gardening can be a calming and communal activity for students who enjoy checking on a plant’s journey from seed to sprout. She hopes the flowers will be in full bloom by Mother’s Day.
“Touching and ‘playing’ with dirt releases endorphins and can be very relaxing,” Olson said. “It’s something to look forward to every day, checking on the plant and taking care of something.”
Of course these flowers will need something to rest in, so students in teacher Krystine Nardozzi’s class painted Earth Day planters that were donated by The Home Depot’s monthly kids club program. She noted that these projects help students with their fine motor skills and gets them involved in the school community.
“It’ll be great to see them out in the courtyard,” Nardozzi said.
Braedin Henry was happy to paint a planter as he enjoys art and watching plants grow.
“It’s my special thing to do, I paint and color stuff,” Henry said. “It’s my talent.”
