Earmarked Gifts

Eco-columns made out of large plastic soda containers hold sand, soil, water, plants and animals. 

This science kit for 5^th-graders, "Ecosystems," is was one of dozens developed by 4J teachers.  Kits reach every elementary grade, three times a year.

This kit arrives in a tub holding all the parts that each student pair needs to assemble a combination aquarium/terrarium.  This kit builds upon earlier ones involving soils (grade 2), plant development (grade 3), and microscopic creatures (grade 4).

With a roomful of ecocolumns available, students are prompted to test hypotheses.  Which creatures don't thrive when you add salt?  What is the effect of higher acidity?  Is there such a thing as too much fertilizer?

Parents at one elementary school make earmarked gifts so that extra staffing and supplies can boost their local science curriculum.

In part, the curriculum takes advantage of a nearby thicket of pine and Douglas Fir.

Even when going outside is not convenient, students can still work on projects.  One is the care and feeding of caterpillars which turn into butterflies.  They are small, so it pays to have a magnifying glass.

Graduates of one high school give to an Alumni Fund to ensure students can be in “extra-curricular” activities like jazz band and sports.

The alumni remember a time when these things cost little or nothing, and they want to make sure participation fees don’t keep students out.

These activities often have a wider impact than just those who participate.  Consider well-attended football games (followed by dances, now that each high school has a field next to the school).

Consider also this school’s annual “Jazz Cabaret” where parents sit right up on stage with the musicians, at candle-lit tables sipping coffee and eating pastries made by the student-run catering business.