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GRADES Pre-K to 5 | 2024-2025

Challenge 4: School Garden – Groundbreaking Garden Design

YOUR CHALLENGE:

Close your eyes and think of a garden. Was your garden planted directly in the ground? What if the space where you planted the garden had no soil on the ground? Could a garden grow on an apartment balcony or in a parking lot? For this challenge, we ask you to think outside the box to create a garden in a non-traditional way using innovative designs. Your garden can grow any type of plant and the garden can be located indoors or outdoors. Think about which plants would work best in your unique space. An example might be growing a flower garden in your classroom’s windowsill. Then, create a short video tour introducing your garden and explaining what makes the garden unique. To earn 25 bonus points, schools can incorporate an upcycling component in their garden (such as tires, newspapers, water bottles, etc.) and explain its function in their video tour. Download PDF for this info on one page – COMING SOON!

✓  Submission Requirements:
 

Proposal and Budget template outlining how you plan to garden added to Google Drive folder by October 11, 2024

  • Typed proposal should be a maximum of 250 words long and include in the same document the budget.
  • Budget should be less than $100.00
  • Budget should include:
    • Item names
    • Number of how much of each item is needed
    • Approximate cost of each item
    • Where the item will probably be purchased
    • Overall total cost
 Optional Teacher Workshop on October 5, 2024 at Fairchild – RSVP form COMING SOON!
 

A 2 – 5 minute video tour of the garden. The tour should include an explanation of the design and implementation process. Students should describe what factors led them to select their design. 

  • if your garden has an upcycling component, it must be clearly shown in the video with how it is incorporated or being used explained.
 

Digital Entry Form.

  • Video tour must be attached as a google drive link to the digital entry form. Please ensure that you have allowed sharing access to this entry. Links shared from MDCPS OneDrive or Sharepoint are not allowed as the Challenge team does not have the capacity to open them.
  One submission per school.
 On-time submission. Late submissions will be accepted with a reduction in points.

CHALLENGE RESOURCES:

Enter a Submission

Important Dates

Optional In-person Teacher Workshop at Fairchild:
Saturday, October 5, 2024

Proposal and Budget Due*:
Friday, October 11, 2024 by 5:00pm

Submissions Due:
Friday, April 4, 2025 by 5:00pm

Point Breakdown
Participants per submissionLarge Groups
Maximum number of points per submission200
Bonus Points (for optional upcycling component in your garden)25
Number of submissions per school1

Evaluation Criteria 
COMING SOON!

Fairchild City in a Garden Standards

Innovative Green Design

This Challenge Meets these Standards of the
Green Schools Recognition Program

  • Category 1 (School Grounds Enhancement), Indicator A: Outdoor Learning Spaces

  • Category 1 (School Grounds Enhancement), Indicator B: Habitat Improvement

  • Category 2 (School Sustainability), Indicator B: Waste Reduction

  • Category 3 (Health & Well-Being), Indicator A: Healthy Food & Garden Initiatives

  • Category 4 (Curriculum Integration), Indicator A: Interdisciplinary Approach

  • Category 5 (Community Involvement), Indicator: Community Partnerships in School Activities