Urban Micro-farm for Indy Kids
Donation protected
"The glory of gardening; hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but on the soul." - Alfred Austin
We are Global Prep Academy at Riverside #44 , a public, non-profit school located in the heart of Indianapolis in the Riverside Community. We are a dual-language and expeditionary learning school that serves students in grades PreK-8.
At Global Prep Academy, we believe that students should have hands-on learning that is meaningful and cross-curriculuar. We teach students in both Spanish and English during the school day and with hands-on and student centered "expeditions" which focus on learning through units of study. One of our major focuses during the school year and across grade levels is teaching about our environment. This includes lessons on life-cycles, habitats, native species, environmental stewardship, and health.
We are committed to bringing an outdoor micro-farm to our students in grades PreK-8 for our grand opening in August 2016. We need your help in order to bring our ideas to fruition!
We are located in the heart of metropolitan Indianapolis, within minutes of the state capital building, the Indianapolis Zoo, and the world renowned Children's Museum. We are a Title 1 school, with the majority of the students on free and reduced lunch. Our school is located within the Riverside community which is off of west 16th street and within minutes of downtown Indy.
The Riverside Community has a longstanding history of being used for industrial purposes and includes a working grainery, a center for Republic trash services, and a former (now abandoned) location for Bryant Heating and Cooling. Because of the industrial use of the land, the green space in the neighborhood is limited (as you can see in the photos of the neighborhood below).
The students who live in the school community see this daily on their bus routes and walks to school. There are limited trees, vegetation, and greenery within the industrialized areas directly surrounding the school.
We believe that children should have daily access to green-spaces for both their health and their education. There is currently a community garden just to the south of the school property currently maintained by a community volunteer. We believe that the school should be a partner in the maintenance of this garden space.
We see potential in the community garden as a space to extend learning outside of the classroom walls. To bring learning to life through hands-on lessons about gardening. Sensory experiences in getting little hands in dirt. Meaningful opportunities to get students interacting with both their community and their environment.
Our vision is to bring the space to life with the students taking the lead in planting, harvesting, and interacting daily with the community space. We would like to build an outdoor learning space which includes:
-Rebuilding wood boxes for raised vegetable beds
-Planting butterfly friendly plants
-Adding in native plants to Indiana
-Building an outdoor stage/chalkboard for outdoor learning
-Adding outdoor and child-friendly seating for students
-Including a chicken coop and four hens
-Planting vegetables for harvesting during the school year and incorporating into our school lessons
-Building a little free library for the community
-Adding a community bulletin board
-Adding a sensory garden for children
-Creating a fire-pit for community events
-Building a shed in order to protect our investment in tools and garden purchases
(Inspiration board pictured above)
Each of these ideas needs funding in order to come to life for our students. We can't do this project alone.
The benefits of having a micro-farm on our school grounds are many. Students who understand the process of farm to table eating choose more fruits and vegetables at school and at home. Students who work in school micro-farms have an increase in outdoor physical activity in assisting with the farm process. Students show positive social behaviors in working together toward a common goal and outcome. Students show a better understanding of life cycles and environmental stewardship.
In addition to the numerous benefits for our students, the community of Riverside will benefit from donations toward the community garden space. 50% of all produce from the garden will be donated to community seniors.
A breakdown of the costs involved in upgrading the school garden space and turning it into a working micro-farm:
- $60 Will be put toward a wheelbarrow to help manage our garden
-$600 will be put toward adding wood for new raised beds for planting vegetables (wood and hardware estimate)
-$2,000 Will be spent on a medium sized shed in order to lock up our garden tools and items when not in use to protect our investment
-$500 Will be invested toward starter plants for the vegetable garden (tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant) and ornamental plants for our peace garden (butterfly bushes, day lilies).
-$200 will be put towards the purchase of garden tools (adult and child size rakes, hoes, etc)
-$20 will be put towards the purhase of baby chicks for our chicken coop
-$299 Toward obtaining a kit to build a chicken coop to house our school hens
-$40 For a heater for our chickens' water bowl for the winter months
-$40 Will be put toward a metal waterer and feeder for our hens so that we can keep pests out of the hens' feed and keep them hydrated to produce healthy eggs
- Any additional funds will be put in a micro-farm fund so towards the chicken feed ($24/month), additional bedding for the nesting boxes ($10/month) and upkeep needed for our hens and plants (vet visits, supplements etc).
Our long term plan will be additionally to add in a beehive or two as well to extend our lessons on life-cycles, pollination, and the plight of the bees.
Please consider donating to our project. In doing so, you will be renewing the greenspace in our community and impacting both our students but also the greater Riverside community.
To find out more about Global Preparatory Acaemy at Riverside #44 you can visit us at www.globalprepindy.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/globalprepindy
We are Global Prep Academy at Riverside #44 , a public, non-profit school located in the heart of Indianapolis in the Riverside Community. We are a dual-language and expeditionary learning school that serves students in grades PreK-8.
At Global Prep Academy, we believe that students should have hands-on learning that is meaningful and cross-curriculuar. We teach students in both Spanish and English during the school day and with hands-on and student centered "expeditions" which focus on learning through units of study. One of our major focuses during the school year and across grade levels is teaching about our environment. This includes lessons on life-cycles, habitats, native species, environmental stewardship, and health.
We are committed to bringing an outdoor micro-farm to our students in grades PreK-8 for our grand opening in August 2016. We need your help in order to bring our ideas to fruition!
We are located in the heart of metropolitan Indianapolis, within minutes of the state capital building, the Indianapolis Zoo, and the world renowned Children's Museum. We are a Title 1 school, with the majority of the students on free and reduced lunch. Our school is located within the Riverside community which is off of west 16th street and within minutes of downtown Indy.
The Riverside Community has a longstanding history of being used for industrial purposes and includes a working grainery, a center for Republic trash services, and a former (now abandoned) location for Bryant Heating and Cooling. Because of the industrial use of the land, the green space in the neighborhood is limited (as you can see in the photos of the neighborhood below).
The students who live in the school community see this daily on their bus routes and walks to school. There are limited trees, vegetation, and greenery within the industrialized areas directly surrounding the school.
We believe that children should have daily access to green-spaces for both their health and their education. There is currently a community garden just to the south of the school property currently maintained by a community volunteer. We believe that the school should be a partner in the maintenance of this garden space.
We see potential in the community garden as a space to extend learning outside of the classroom walls. To bring learning to life through hands-on lessons about gardening. Sensory experiences in getting little hands in dirt. Meaningful opportunities to get students interacting with both their community and their environment.
Our vision is to bring the space to life with the students taking the lead in planting, harvesting, and interacting daily with the community space. We would like to build an outdoor learning space which includes:
-Rebuilding wood boxes for raised vegetable beds
-Planting butterfly friendly plants
-Adding in native plants to Indiana
-Building an outdoor stage/chalkboard for outdoor learning
-Adding outdoor and child-friendly seating for students
-Including a chicken coop and four hens
-Planting vegetables for harvesting during the school year and incorporating into our school lessons
-Building a little free library for the community
-Adding a community bulletin board
-Adding a sensory garden for children
-Creating a fire-pit for community events
-Building a shed in order to protect our investment in tools and garden purchases
(Inspiration board pictured above)
Each of these ideas needs funding in order to come to life for our students. We can't do this project alone.
The benefits of having a micro-farm on our school grounds are many. Students who understand the process of farm to table eating choose more fruits and vegetables at school and at home. Students who work in school micro-farms have an increase in outdoor physical activity in assisting with the farm process. Students show positive social behaviors in working together toward a common goal and outcome. Students show a better understanding of life cycles and environmental stewardship.
In addition to the numerous benefits for our students, the community of Riverside will benefit from donations toward the community garden space. 50% of all produce from the garden will be donated to community seniors.
A breakdown of the costs involved in upgrading the school garden space and turning it into a working micro-farm:
- $60 Will be put toward a wheelbarrow to help manage our garden
-$600 will be put toward adding wood for new raised beds for planting vegetables (wood and hardware estimate)
-$2,000 Will be spent on a medium sized shed in order to lock up our garden tools and items when not in use to protect our investment
-$500 Will be invested toward starter plants for the vegetable garden (tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant) and ornamental plants for our peace garden (butterfly bushes, day lilies).
-$200 will be put towards the purchase of garden tools (adult and child size rakes, hoes, etc)
-$20 will be put towards the purhase of baby chicks for our chicken coop
-$299 Toward obtaining a kit to build a chicken coop to house our school hens
-$40 For a heater for our chickens' water bowl for the winter months
-$40 Will be put toward a metal waterer and feeder for our hens so that we can keep pests out of the hens' feed and keep them hydrated to produce healthy eggs
- Any additional funds will be put in a micro-farm fund so towards the chicken feed ($24/month), additional bedding for the nesting boxes ($10/month) and upkeep needed for our hens and plants (vet visits, supplements etc).
Our long term plan will be additionally to add in a beehive or two as well to extend our lessons on life-cycles, pollination, and the plight of the bees.
Please consider donating to our project. In doing so, you will be renewing the greenspace in our community and impacting both our students but also the greater Riverside community.
To find out more about Global Preparatory Acaemy at Riverside #44 you can visit us at www.globalprepindy.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/globalprepindy
Organiser and beneficiary
Bonnie Kulenkamp
Organiser
Indianapolis, IN
Mariama Carson
Beneficiary
