Learning lab
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ttached to Eisenhower International, a public language-immersion elementary school, is the “Life Lab” — an innovative, creative, imaginative space for children to learn and play. A certified monarch waystation, the Life Lab was created in 2015 as a dedicated pollinator garden, offering teachers the ability to take learning outside of the classroom. Laura Golden Shannon, a parent volunteer, spearheaded the project, which was funded by the PTA, students, parents and community partners. The garden, bursting with plants from passion vine to milkweed to vitex trees, is community collaboration exemplified. Girl Scout Troup 465 donated ladybugs and birdfeeders to the cause while Monarch Watch recently provided a grant for milkweed plants. A local Eagle Scout troop built a native bee habitat and the special “Butterfly Chalet,” a protected structure where kids can observe the entire life cycle of a butterfly while it is safeguarded. A parent donated materials for shade sails, keeping the garden cool for students, and volunteers installed a rain barrel irrigation system. Carl Szafranski of Szafranski Landscape Architecture LLC designed the garden pro bono. Although the Life Lab has seen a huge surge in pollinators since its inception, the benefits of the project aren’t just environmental. Many of Eisenhower’s teachers utilize the Life Lab for lessons in math, science, art and other subject curricula, all of which are developed in English, Spanish and French. 42
TulsaPeople APRIL 2017
First-grade teacher Gilda García, Assistant Principal Kelly Mears, and Eisenhower students Fuller and Muriel Shannon inspect plants in the Eisenhower Life Lab.
“This generation of students, families and teachers at Eisenhower planted these plants themselves,” Shannon says. “They knew this space when it was just a field, so they’ve truly gotten to see their plants grow up and see the fruits of their labor. They’re invested. They’re committed. It teaches them skills inside the classroom, but, more importantly, life lessons outside the classroom.” Shannon’s vision for the Life Lab is to see it integrated into every classroom at Eisenhower as the garden continues to grow and expand with endless learning opportunities. “Their brains just light up when they enter the Life Lab,” says firstgrade teacher Gilda García. “Kids sit by the plants and count the caterpillars. We do math projects where they chart how many bees and butterflies they see. “We do science projects to learn the life cycles of plants and animals. It helps their critical thinking and observation skills. We do art projects. And sometimes, it’s just a nice place for the students to be outside.” Third-grade teacher Cesar García Morales agrees. “Since this is an immersion program, I teach everything in Spanish, so kids can get lost in the classroom sometimes because of the language barrier. But with the Life Lab, nothing is lost because they are actually living what I am teaching.” The student benefits of the Life Lab directly align with the school’s mission and values. “The best part about the Life Lab is that it enriches our mission to make students into global citizens,” says Principal Connie Horner. “They learn about extinction, about finite resources and about how the choices they make affect the environment. They learn global responsibility and about politics and smart decision-making. They are quite literally learning from the ground up.” The joy and ownership the students feel for the Life Lab is easy to see. “I’m so connected with the outdoors, and with the Life Lab, spiritually. It’s kind of like my sanctuary,” says 10-year-old fourth grader Kalliope Wilcox. “I like to take new students to the Life Lab and give them a tour. I love to see the smiles on their faces. It has had a huge impact on me, and now I even like to garden at home.” TP
LAUREN GOLDEN SHANNON
Crossroads has championed the use of both hot and cold composting, even winning the 2013 “Golden Shovel” award at a local composting contest. Bill Leighty, a member of Crossroads, takes great pride in volunteering to manage the cold composting process in the garden and touts its mental health benefits. “This garden means a lot to me, therapeutically,” he says. “I love to see how things decay, and then see that decay bring other things to life. Some people come to Crossroads depressed and anxious with uncertain futures; they may be unemployed and without family support. Coming to work in the garden, being around sunlight and seeing the butterflies just helps people’s souls.” Along with its own produce, the facility also receives plentiful donations from the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, so any fruits and vegetables that aren’t suitable to eat or are about to spoil get put to good use in the composting pile. And though most gardeners focus on making their space flourish in the springtime, Crager puts specific efforts into a different season — fall. In addition to planting plenty of pollinator host plants like milkweed, Crager also focuses on making sure that she has a balance of plants and flowers that burst at the seams with nectar. Monarch butterflies migrate from north of Mexico City to the Canadian border, where they stay in the summer. In the fall, when they migrate back to Mexico, Tulsa is about the halfway point in the long journey. “In the fall, we take particular care to make sure we have flowers that will provide the nectar to fuel the butterflies in their journey back to Mexico,” Crager says. “Lantanas are a great nectar plant for butterflies, but Black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, catmint and butterfly bush also are great options.” Whether prepping the garden for spring, or seeing the nectar plants through to the fall, the Crossroads Clubhouse garden is making a consistent impact on the environment and on its members. “Work is an element of the recovery process,” says member Sheree Allen. “Working in the garden and working with your own hands is huge. It quiets your mind. It helps you focus on something other than your own problems. It brings you outside of yourself.”