As a new project in 4th-grade students took part in a greenhouse experiment to benefit both science class and the foundation.

Outside of classrooms in 4th-grade teachers created small gardens. Together with students and Don Hector; the maintenance in charge of gardening in school, they started to work on the project. On the 14th of September, they dedicated an afternoon to prepare and plant the crops, which included; Tomatoes, lettuce, basil, carrots, etc.

“We were with Mr. Hector, he taught us how to use the beds, then the teacher is teaching us about photosynthesis(…)” Rosario Suarez, 4th-grade student, said.

The project was designed with two goals in mind, first as an activity that was exciting for students and could be worked on along the year. It was also planned to be beneficial to the foundation.

“Yeah the teachers got together and thought we could use our budget for this, we planned it to be a way for the students to learn while interacting with the subject.(…) Yeah, if we figure out how to do it. By selling them to the school, to parents, or something like that. The money would be given to the foundation.” William Stanton, 4A teacher, said.

Each class has a budget which they can spend as they seem accordingly. 4th-grade teachers decided to use the budget to create the gardening project.

“Each class in fourth grade gets a budget of six hundred thousand pesos to spend in whatever we need. We decided to make a project out of it.” William Stanton, 4A teacher, said.

The class was taught by Don Hector, who is in charge of gardening at Columbus School. It was a special block at the end of the day in which classes partnered up for a twenty-minute lesson, resulting in three twenty minute lessons in which they were taught to prepare, care for and work with the material.

“Today, Hector from maintenance is gonna come and give a lesson about gardening to all the 4th-grade classrooms. We have these beds out here and our goal is to grow something and do some kind of activity with the foundation.” Tania Howard-Gibbon, 4F teacher, said.

After asking for a couple students and receiving half a class the majority said the project was enjoyable. The active class was a change in the monotone schedule of the kids, but it was a kinesthetic approach to science class.

“My favorite subject, can we say recess, well it’s science. I think it’s fun to do projects and use them to teach, beats math. But I still don’t know what we planted.” Matias Gaviria, 4th-grade student.