Background There is no debating the benefits of place-based educa- tion. I have had great experiences getting students outside to explore their surroundings. As environmental science educators, it is essential that we get our students to develop a sense of meaning and connection with the plants and ani- mals that they — often unknowingly — share their lives with. I often hear the phrase, “I didn’t even realize there were different kinds of trees around the school” when I take my class outside to learn about biodiversity on our school grounds. So, a few years ago when I took over our school’s science club — which, at the time, only had a few members — I knew what direction I wanted to take it. In 2017 when I began


to oversee the science club, I told our activi- ties director I had some ideas geared toward service and conserva- tion. Our conservation club had several partner- ship activities with our Department of Natural Resource and ran some recycling drives around school, but the activity that excited the students the most was creating a native pollinator plot on our school grounds. I was leery about the idea due to a previous experi- ence at a former school where I’d taught that had a failed native plant garden. That particular garden had been mowed over after it became an overgrown eyesore. The teacher that created it lost interest when her students lost interests, so mulberry trees and inva- sive weeds started filling it in. Regardless of that previous experience, I was determined to make the students’ vision come to life. I believed that having native plants on the school grounds was a first step in solving issues like students not recognizing the variety of plant life around them.


Steps for success The focus of this article is not how to create a great garden space for your students, but what to do once it’s on campus. But I would be remiss if I didn’t share what I’ve found to be crucial steps to achieving success. This is a big task and a long-term commitment. Make sure you have the proper foot- ings in place to make this project successful long-term.


Student involvement Without student involvement, your project will start to feel like a weight that is constantly dragging you down and sap- ping the mental energy you need for your job. Students need to feel as if this is their place and their responsibility. This creates ownership and buy-in from them. Too often we tell our students what to do and not give them a say in the pro- cess. Then, we get frustrated that they aren’t turning in the work or that they’re just going through the motions. When you turn students loose on the process, you see their creativ- ity and passion come to life. So, what are the best ways to generate student involvement?


Design competition Our students created teams and designed what they believed would be the best way to walk through the pollinator garden as a visitor. They created layout maps of what they envisioned. In the end, we voted on the best layout, then collabo- rated on deciding how we could include pieces we liked from other layouts into the design of the lay- out that was chosen.


Student-led research At the end of the day, the teacher may need to be a main source of knowl- edge for a pollinator garden project. However, it is okay for you to be learning alongside the students in this process if you are not famil- iar with native plants. There are many fantastic resources out there for you to read to prepare plants that work in a native garden setting. If in North America, reach out to Xerxes Society to find many quality


resources on native pollinators and native plants. Give stu- dents research roles, with specific roles dependent on the age group you are working with. These roles could be as detailed as having the students research every plant species that would work best in the garden or more guided through giving them a list of plants they could research to determine where they would best be placed.


Contacting experts and community members This may be the most underrated step of this process for your students. Create a network of community members or local experts who are willing to invest in your project. This


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