Keister Garden Beautification

Paige Collins, Katie Spinelli, Abby Freed, Mackenzie Kowal

Starting the Project:

Our goal for this project was to do something to give back to the community that
was so kind and let us be in their classrooms for an extended amount of time this past
semester. After our meeting with the school principal, Ms. Lintner, we decided to do a
beautification project in the garden. We all decided as a team that we would redo the
garden sign that was falling apart and was losing color.
Getting the Materials:
After we decided to repaint the sign, we divided up tasks for each group members
to do. First, we needed to put together a list of materials we would need, to determine if
we had those materials or if we needed to buy them. We were able to get the paint and
modge podge from one of our classrooms, and were able to borrow a screwdriver from
the schools front office. Some of the supplies, such as primer, yellow outdoor paint,
new plywood, glue sealant, and special paintbrushes, we had to buy at Home Depot.
Some of the other materials such as a hammer and paintbrushes, were provided by
group members and the ECED 372 classroom.
Deciding on the Day:
Our group was not concerned with a particular day on which to do the project,
however we learned later that the school had a specific garden day (April 15th) in which
all the students would be outside, in the garden and enjoying the beautiful weather
outside. We realized we wanted the new sign to be up for the school community to
admire.
Putting the Project Together:
On Wednesday, April 13th, we all met together after school to make the new
garden sign. Before we worked on the new sign, we took down the old sign by using a
screwdriver to unscrew it from the fence, and then we put the old sign in the schools
gardening shed. We first started by applying glue on the perimeter of the wood board
that we bought, in order to prevent the wood from splitting and ensuring that the sign
would last as long as possible. After the glue was applied, we sprayed a primer on the
wood, in order to even out the tone of the wood and make the colors we added later pop
out more. When the primer dried, we painted the board yellow. After the yellow paint
dried, we talked about how we would design the garden sign. We decided that we
wanted a large flower on one side and the words Keister Garden on the other side. For
the flower, we painted a brown center, and then surrounded the brown center with
white hand prints. Then, one person drew and painted in the flower stem, while the
other members worked on painting the letters. Once all of this was completed, we

decided that we wanted to add in grass at the bottom of the sign. After the paint dried,
we painted modge podge on the sign to protect it from the rain and to make sure it
lasted a long time. When that dried, we worked together to nail the sign on the fence.
Farming in the City Day:
On Friday April 15th, Keister Elementary School had a Farming in the City day.
This is where different people from different parts of the Shenandoah area come and
teach lessons about various farm animals, what happens on a farm, and who works at a
farm. There was a station where the students got to go into the garden and plant seeds
and learn about garden nurturing. Right outside the garden, next to our new sign, there
was a station about seeds and how they grow in soil. Many parents and volunteers
admired the new sign and took pictures next to it.
Benefits of Garden Beautification:
Beautification helps to make an area more vibrant and lively. People naturally
want to spend time around an area that they find aesthetically pleasing. After redoing
the garden sign, people will enjoy being in the garden more, because the sign that
welcomes you into the garden no longer looks distressed. Having a pleasant looking
garden will attract more visitors to the school garden. This in turn can help boost the
activity that goes into the school garden, and get teachers more excited about doing
lessons outside. It is important for teachers to be involved in the school garden, because
children can learn so many new concepts hands on, and school gardening can
incorporate many subjects such as Math and English. Overall, beautification
encourages people to be more involved in their community, and we hope that our new
garden sign will inspire more teachers and students to spend time in the school garden,
because they are full of educational benefits!
References
Blair, D. (2009, Vol. 40, No. 2). The Journal of Environmental Education. The Child in
the Garden: An Evaluative Review of the Benefits of School Gardening. Retrieved
March 28, 2016, from http://www.csgn.org/research
Hoody, L. L. & Lieberman G. A. (1998). State Education and Environment Roundtable.
Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for
Learning. Retrieved March 28, 2016, from http://www.csgn.org/research
NGA Staff. (n.d.). Starting School Gardens. Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
http://www.kidsgardening.org/node/101651
School Gardens. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
http://www.greenhearted.org/school-gardens.html
Tampa Bay School Gardening Network. (n.d.). Benefits of School Gardening. Retrieved
March 28 2016, from http://web3.cas.usf.edu/tbsg/benefitsofschoolgardening.aspx