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EDMUNDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL |
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Teachers, parents and ecology-minded community members have built a Japanese-style water garden on the Edmunds Elementary School playground. Greenery, flowers, rocks and water provide an ideal spot for children and families to enjoy nature in the schoolyard. The water garden follows an underground stream that bubbles up and over the rocks and washes over hand-made ceramic tiles. Inspiration for the garden grew out of a conversation between Edmunds Teacher Janice Case and Ecological Designer Marc Companion while touring the Kitayama Botanical Garden in Nishinomiya, Japan . As they walked through a water playground at Kitayama, they began identifying the features of the garden that could be incorporated into a similar garden for Burlington’s children. “Photographs were taken, sketches drawn and grand visions were shared,” said Kindergarten Teacher Suzanne Clark, who also visiting the Japanese gardens as part of a cultural exchange program, referred to as the Renkei project. “After our return to Vermont, the water garden slowly took shape as part of our schoolyard habitat improvement plan,” Clark continued. “ Using Marc Companion’s expert design, the water garden dream because a reality through community partnerships.” Inspired by the Japanese use of water in a small garden, the Edmunds community created “something of beauty that everyone can enjoy,” Case added. Money for the construction of the water playground came from a National Wildlife Federation grant and contributions from Edmunds parents, according to Edmunds Principal Guy Egri. “This is a fantastic collaboration between the school and local businesses where everybody wins,” said Egri. “We had a problem with water run-off from our playground going down Main Street and turning into ice in the winter, making a bad situation worse. Through this collaboration the water has been turned into a beautiful water habitat for birds and children to play in as well as an environmental learning experience.” The actual work of creating the garden began in June of 2003 under the direction of Art Teacher Anne Lamont and parent-volunteer Gray Jones. Lamont had been brought in earlier to help with the design of the garden and then took on the supervision of construction along with Jones. She contacted the Frog Hollow Gallery on Main Street and initiated a collaboration in which Edmunds students would design tiles to line the streambed. Frogs, leaves, dragon flies, fish, and other stream creatures were drawn on tiles and fired at the gallery “By having the kids create and lay the tiles, it connect them to the school and community for life,” said Jones. “Even after they have moved on to other schools and places, they will always be able to walk past the garden and feel like it is theirs. They’ll always have this one example of doing something for the community. When they grow up and become members of their own communities, they might remember this project and get involved in other projects. In this way, it connects them with generations before and after them. “When you are at the garden, you can’t help but look down the hill towards the lake. Seeing the small stream flowing through the garden and seeing the larger body of water down below makes you wonder…Where does the water go. It must somehow connect to the lake. Having an example of nature and the water cycle right in the playground, something the kids see everyday, is a great opportunity to teach children more about how precious and miraculous nature is. “Also, the garden acts like a buffer between the playground and the water. It creates a quieter, calmer more private space. So kids have an option to get away from the sometimes crazy environment of the playground,” Jones added. Contributions and help came from parents and other members of the community. S.D. Ireland donated concrete. An artist parent donated glass beads that were sunk into the cement with broken pottery pieces from Mesa Factory Store. Four Seasons donated a gift certificate for plants and Recycle North gave building supplies. Deb Page from the state’s Master Gardener enlisted volunteers, who brought shovels, wheelbarrows and elbow grease. The water playground is part of an ongoing effort at Edmunds to create natural habitats on the school grounds. In recent years, Teacher Rosemary Sadler has created a butterfly garden; retired Teacher Laurie Mariani continues to plant flowers around the building, and Lamont can often be found with shovel in hand, either planting bulbs in the fall or digging in more plants to enhance the water garden on the playground. As a result of the work, the National Wildlife Federation has issued a certificate of achievement to Edmunds Elementary for its “habitat-based learning site. As a result of this school community’s environmentally responsible planning, landscaping, and gardening, a habitat has been created the invites and supports wildlife and learning. The Edmunds water garden has also been nominated as a model sustainability project in conjunction with Burlington’s Legacy Program.
The Renkei project, from which the water garden evolved, was
supported by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, the
Freeman Foundation, Ben and Jerry’s Homemade, Green Mountain Coffee
Roasters, the Lintilhac Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife
foundation, Barry Switzer and the U. S Environmental Protection Agency
The purpose of the Renkei project is o promote “education for
sustainability” to help students and adults understand the
relationship between economy, environment and society. Article by Donna Iverson. |
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Edmunds Elementary
School, Burlington Vermont
05401 |
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