"First, Mr. Mark gave us a cup, and put a hole in the bottom of it. Then he gave us some soil. We each got three seeds, but different people got different kinds of seeds. Some of them looked small. Some looked big. Some looked like beans. We put two of the seeds in the soil. We put one seed on the side. We taped it. Then we sprayed water into the cup. We put our cups on the windowsill, because they need sunlight. After six days, they started to grow. They germinated! We felt happy."

Second Grader quoted in the Mid-Winter 1996 issue of "GeoNews"

Curriculum Description

Since 1994, The Wagner Free Institute of Science has implemented an environmental education curriculum at the Meade Elementary School. The close proximity of the Wagner Institute to the Meade Elementary School makes it easy for Meade's students and the Wagner Institute's staff to make frequent trips to each other's buildings. As a part of the GeoKids partnership, the Wagner Institute prints a seasonal newspaper, GeoNews, which tells of all the activities that the students do with the Wagner Institute staff. The Meade Environmental Teaching Garden, located in back of the school, is often used as an outside classroom.

Special Landscape Project

The Meade Environmental Teaching Garden was constructed in 1994 through the collaboration of several organizations. This micro-landscape of native plant associations represents the two physiographic regions known as Piedmont and Coastal Plain. In addition to the indigenous plants, there is a mural, an outdoor classroom and ecological maps. The garden was produced through the Urban Landscape Construction Training program, where community trainees and Temple University supervisors worked together. One of the initiators of the project was Temple University Professor John Collins who is also principal of the Delta Group. While the Delta Group designed the garden, one of his Temple University students supervised the Urban Planning trainees in the field. Philadelphia Green provided technical assistance as well. Presently, the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society is responsible for the garden's maintenance.

Photos credit: Martin Knox 1996

Contacts Meade Principal Cassandra Chapman 684-5062 Director of Children's Programs at the Wagner Institute Mark Basnage 763-6529 Temple University Professor John Collins 283-1292 The Delta Group 567-5252