Help us make our garden grow!

Help us make our garden grow!  This year, SRMCS has an exciting, new goal...to build a child-friendly, stand-alone greenhouse.  Over the years, our students have worked with raised garden beds planting sunflowers and a variety of vegetables. These have all been, and will continue to be, wonderful opportunities.  It is thanks to these experiences that we feel it's time to graduate to the next level.  It's time to build a sheltered space where students can gather together year-round in the name of environmental education and community.  It's time for a Swan River greenhouse!  

As research shows, there are countless benefits for children who garden:  

1. Engages the senses. Between touching the dirt to smelling the scents, children learn best when ALL senses are integrated.   Gardening is a perfect way to accomplish this all at once!
2. Encourages healthy eating.  Children who take part in growing their own vegetables will more likely eat them!
3. Enhances fine motor development. Scooping up dirt, placing seeds in pots, and pouring water all take control and strength.  As children garden, they develop important fine motor skills that will help them improve academic skills such as writing, cutting, and typing.
4. Teaches responsibility.  Children learn that they have to take care of their plants consistently for healthy growth to occur.  This takes commitment and commitment requires responsibility!   
5. Introduces students to scientific concepts.  Gardening is a perfect introduction into the world of science, especially botany, biology and chemistry.  Students make their own hypothesis and record progress consistently.  Without even realizing it, they learn the basic steps of the scientific process!  
6. Highlights the importance of taking care of the environment.  When children garden, they realize how important it is to take care of the Earth if they want their plants to grow.  It creates the perfect opportunity to talk about environmental issues such as pollution, pesticides, and recycling.
7. Develops math skills.  Gardening provides many teachable math moments.  Measuring the growth of a plant then creating a graph, noticing geometric shapes and counting the number of leaves or petals are just a few great examples.
8. Enhances the ability to plan & organize.  Those who already garden understand that planning and organizing a greenhouse garden is somewhat of an art form.  You have to know what flowers bloom during what time of year, how long it takes a seed to actually turn into a vegetable and when is the best time to plant various seeds.  Involving children in this process helps increase planning and problem solving skills.  It also enhances their organizational strategies which can be carried over to every facet of life!

To get a better idea of what Swan River would like to build, please visit https://www.greenhousecatalog.com/product/halls-magnum-8-14/hobby-greenhouses  OR  https://www.greenhousecatalog.com/product/riga-deluxe-greenhouse-9-14/hobby-greenhouses.

Help us make our garden grow.  Please donate to our greenhouse project today!