Earth Camp

Earth Camp

Earth Camp is an award-winning water quality field science program for fifth-grade students attending Title I schools in the Austin Independent School District. Students spend four school days at outdoor sites participating in hands-on science with City educators and scientists. One of the activities includes visiting the Becker Green Classroom where the students are learning about aquifers, water runoff, composting and organic gardening. Earth Camp teacher, Sara Hilgers is available to offer composting classes to any class at Becker Elementary. Lastly all fifth-grade students participate in the Earth camp program

Sharing the space with Earth Camp allows all children (Becker and Earth Camp) to learn about:

• Helping – As the space is shared everyone pitches in to tend to the gardens especially when the seeds are germinating or seedlings are growing. The orange flags all around the garden gives visual clues to everyone that they are areas that need watering.
• Boundaries – The children see markers around the garden identifying the owners of the plot. Children can only see and admire other’s garden but can only eat if there is a “Ok To Eat” sign.
• Respectful – Being respectful of others by walking on designated paths and not in other’s garden.
• Follow Rules – All children learn to follow the rules of the Green classroom by adhering to walking in the garden, putting away tools, cleaning up after themselves and helping in the common areas.
• Homemade compost – Earth Camp 5^th graders make the layers of the compost, turn and sift the compost. Becker students also participate in the process, learning the whole process of making homemade compost. The compost is then eventually used in the garden. Recycling and Reuse of organic matter.
• Identifying bugs – The gardens, compost and flower beds allow students to identify bugs and understand the benefits of all insects in the garden They learn:
  1. Bug categories – predators, pollinators and pests of the vegetable garden.
  2. Bugs that are not harmful to native and adaptive plants.
  3. Good bugs that help decompose the organic matter into compost.