Learning Through Service

1. Learning Through Service East End Elementary Easley, SC Jen McGee Hort. 461

2. Project Statement • Design an interactive learning environment for the students and faculty at East End Elementary that will help to beautify the school. • Use the principles of Service Learning to work with the students and faculty of East End Elementary

3. Main Goals • Provide a beautiful landscape for East End Elementary through Service Learning • Provide a “Learning Landscape” for the children • Learn more about how to design usable gardens

4. Service Learning Outdoor Classrooms Courtyards Carolina Fence Gardens Sustainable Environments and Energy Efficiency Getting Started: Research

5. Goals of Service Learning • Allow life experiences to inform one’s learning • Apply academic knowledge in real life settings • Recognize one’s responsibility to their local community and larger society

6. Benefits of Hands-on Learning At least 90% of working outdoors is hands-on experience. The retention rate for students is 75% for learning by doing.

7. Outdoor Classrooms • Need to be adaptable • Foster creativity • Are areas of group/cooperative learning • Feature hands-on learning

8. Courtyard Research • Be able to define space and encourage movement • Design with a view to a larger open space • Seat people so their backs are protected • Allow for areas of both conversation and privacy

9. Carolina Fence Gardens • Use plants that are readily available in local nurseries or are native • Use plants to attract the native wildlife of South Carolina • Is usually split-rail because this is what farmers used in SC to fence in their livestock in the 1800’s

10. Sustainable Environments • Way to maintain environment without reducing available resources • Low Maintenance • Conserve Water • Energy Efficient • Create a wildlife habitat

11. Site Analysis • A site analysis usually includes the following: • Base Map: utilities, building shape/size, sun and wind directions • Topography and Circulation: drainage, pedestrian and vehicular pathways, surrounding land use, views, soil analysis • User Needs: what the clients needs or wants • Existing Plants: condition and size of plants on site • Exterior Building Analysis: elevations of building

12. East End Base Map This map shows the school and its surroundings as it now looks

13. Topography and Circulation • Vehicular Traffic is heavy on surrounding streets around 8am and 3pm; Pedestrian traffic is around the perimeter of the school and in the playground area • Views into and out of the school are poor • Topography is mostly flat with few areas where water may collect

14. User Needs • Butterfly and bird gardens • Interactive outdoor classrooms • Carolina Fence Garden • Bog Garden • Low cost

15. Existing Plant Material • East End has relatively little existing plant material on site • Most plants are in fair to good condition except for those trees in the parking lot being killed from root compaction

16. Exterior Building Analysis • The building is a 1950’s style school design • The materials are mainly brick, concrete and steel • This analysis shows the location of all windows, doors, lights, and spigots.

17. The Designs • Students chose where they would like to design on the site • The areas were the courtyards, the entrance, and the playground. • Each design is sustainable and provides ways for the children to learn about nature and their surroundings

18. Courtyard Designs • This courtyard design encourages the children to connect with their surroundings by placing pathways through all the plants, and including an interactive bog garden • The plants will be labeled so the children can learn the plant names

19. Courtyard Designs • This design uses a stone pathway, custom built benches, and winding paths to allow the students to experience the area in a new and different way. • The area is partially enclosed, so children can focus on learning without distractions

20. Entrance Design • This student designed the entrance to be more warm and inviting • He did this by using “soft” plant material, curvilinear lines, and arbors covering the entryways • He also used a Carolina Fence Garden so the children could learn about native plants

21. Playground Design • This design focuses on using native plants as well as plants that attract the native wildlife to help the children learn about the plants and animals in the Southeast • The design includes two bird and butterfly gardens and a Carolina Fence Garden

22. The Final Product… • We hope to work with the students and faculty at East End to implement the projects on the school grounds • Through this service learning project, we have been able to help East End Elementary work toward becoming as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside

23. Thank you!