Lookingglass Elementary School
Land Lab
established 1995
A National Gardening Association Schoolyard Garden
A National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat
An Oregon 4-H Wildlife Steward School
The playground of Lookingglass Elementary School has been transformed since 1995 into a land laboratory named "Lil Sprouts Discovery Lab". Lookingglass Site Council had a ten year plan to develop the land lab property. Through grants and fundraising efforts, construction and development of the project has been completed. The school's site council maintains yearly goals to sustain the existing programs. Each lab area helps meet the hands-on science curricular goals and objectives of students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Students from Douglas High School have also used the land lab for math and science projects.
Goals
The primary goals of the land laboratory include:
a. developing an appreciation of the natural environment and commitment to it's stewardship
b. identifying and studying indigenous trees and plants
c. learning to plan a garden, care for plants, and provide for their needs
d. extending their hands-on learning activities into all instructional areas
e. learning to work cooperatively
Map of Land Lab
The work completed on the land lab allows students and visitors to follow a trail winding through raised flower and vegetable beds, a nursery bed, berry patches, herb garden, two song bird gardens, an experimental iris garden and a butterfly garden. The trail continues behind the playshed through a small fir grove, pine grove, indigenous trees, ornamental grasses and other plant life through seasonal wetlands to Myrvang Marsh, a group of three small seasonal ponds. A greenhouse has been added to the land lab project to help support winter and spring planting projects. The generous support of staff, volunteers, community and business partners have allowed us to make the progress to date and ensures the continuation of our projects.
map shows school building site with garden areas and trail in the beginning stages,
prior to the development of the marsh and wetlands
Raised Flower & Vegetable Garden Beds
The twenty raised bed flower and vegetable gardens are tended by classes and the after-school Garden Club. The students determine each year what plants they wish to grow in their garden boxes. Many students raise their plants from seeds in the adjacent green house. Each bed is watered by teachers, students and volunteers.
Honorary Rose Garden
The Rose Garden was established to commemorate significant dates for the students of Lookingglass School. The Peace Rose was planted to remember the students at Thurston High School, Springfield Oregon. Other roses have been added to honor community members who have passed away.
Green House
The green house was added to the land lab project in the fall of 1999. Students raised money for the greenhouse and plumbing. The greenhouse allows students to work with their plant projects through the winter and spring. The students produce plants for an annual spring plant sale.
Song Bird Garden
The song bird gardens were added in the spring of 1999. The bird houses were built by students. Wildflower seeds were collected by students, packaged and sold for a fundraiser. Several birds have taken up yearly nesting in the birdhouses. The birds can be watched and studied from the classroom windows.
Discovery Trail
The Discovery Trail winds it's way through the playground and behind the play shed. It was built by volunteers in 1997. Students may study different plant life along the trail, from pine and fir trees to manzanitas and Oregon grape. New trees and other plant life are added each year. Since 1997 various indigeneous and evergreen trees have been planted. The trees are watered by an underground irrigation system funded and installed by volunteers, students, staff and our business partners.
Butterfly
Garden
The butterfly garden was added to the land lab in 1998. It is an extension of the second grade butterfly science curriculum. Students raise butterflies, watch their growth, document their observations and release them into the garden. In 2005, the gardens were redesigned with a water source, butterfly house and more butterfly friendly plants in memory of long time
Winston Dillard teacher, Mary Cooper.
Myrvang Marsh
The marsh area was named for a long time Lookingglass teacher, Marshall Myrvang, who retired from teaching in the spring of 1999. The pond and marsh land facilitates and extends the classroom science water and wetlands curriculum. The marsh area has a collection of three small seasonal ponds with nesting areas for ducks. The surrounding area has been planted with native trees, grasses and other plant life. An outdoor classroom was designed and built by Eagle Scout, Matthew Blanchard. Students gather in the area to search for pond creatures, conduct scientific inquiry activities, and explore the pond area.
A grant helped complete the project in the spring of 2000. The project continues through yearly fund raising activities.
Lil Sprouts Garden Club
An after-school program, Lil' Sprouts Garden Club, has become a very popular activity each fall and spring. Students kindergarten through sixth grade are encouraged to join other 'gardeners' each Tuesday to work and learn more about the plants in the gardens. Grades four through six student leaders develop activities, manage tools and equipment and take charge of activities for the younger garden clubbers.
Volunteers assist teachers with the after-school program. Guest gardeners assist students learning about planting, care and maintenance of school gardens.
Garden Club members Garden Club has fund raisers throughout the year to buy plants, materials and supplies for club activities. During the fall, Garden Club holds a bulb fund raiser. Information will be available the first week of school. All year, garden photo cards, magnets, seed packets and other student made gift items are available in the school's office. In the spring, Garden Club has a plant sale with plants 'home-grown' by students and community business donated plants.
4-H Wildlife Steward School
The 4-H Wildlife Steward program is a national program managed through the 4-H program of Oregon State University Extension Service. In 2003, Lookingglass School became an Oregon 4-H Wildlife Steward School. Lookingglass' land lab committee created and has sustained a habitat education site to reach Level Two of the 4-H Wildlife Steward School program. Students and volunteers were honored with a "Celebration of Certification".
A team of adult volunteers have been trained by the the Wildlife Steward program in educational programs. Volunteers assist students with inquiry based activities on the land lab. A junior Wildlife Steward student leadership team representing kindergarten through sixth grade explores and develops projects throughout the year. Students have written grants, set up wildlife observation data collection and organized "School Pride" days.
A composting project was started during the 2004-2005 school year. Temperature and decomposition experiments were conducted, data collected and a display was created for the Douglas County Fair.
School Pride Day, organized by student leaders, invites community and school volunteers to assist students in building garden projects, maintain the trail, and clean up the lab in the fall and spring.
Students will continue to be involved in scientific inquiry activities through the Wildlife Stewards program. It is expected that Lookingglass will complete Level Three of the program in the fall of 2006.
