Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

It felt like home meeting with my first grade teacher at my old elementary school. 10 years earlier we were working on reading and math skills, and now we were planning a project. I received a grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to create a rain garden at East Elementary. A rain garden is a special garden, planned in a low area that often attracts water when it rains, with plants that thrive with lots of water, and places to lessen the effects of soil erosion.
We started planning this garden months before it was erected. Location? How big? What plants do we want? What insects and birds do we want to attract? What supplies will we need? Where will we get volunteers? All of these questions kept us busy working until the day came! A sunny Saturday in September, we met in the west playground by the pavilion, with shovels, spades, hoses, plants, and more in tow. Volunteers from my high school science club and even teachers came to help. 3 hours and 40 plants later, we had a wonderful, native rain garden for the students to enjoy at the school.
In the days following our official garden day, I got to return to work with the students on the garden. They get to put their own touch on the garden by helping to line the area with rocks we dug up, making sure the bird bath always stays filled, water our plants while the roots establish, and pulling a weed or two if they pop up. Involving the students gave them a sense of ownership, and I love seeing how proud they are of our rain garden.