Social Action to Meet Human Needs:
Community Development and Beautification
Take a walk around your neighborhood and see if you notice any vacant lots, boarded-up houses, clutter, or other conditions which cause you to be concerned. Are there recreational areas for children and youth? Ask yourselves "what can be done to improve our community? The objectives of this lesson is to plan and conduct a variety of activities to help develop - and beautify - your community.
Suggested procedures.
Many activities for students of all ages can be planned and implemented, for example:
-- Removing debris from places where it has accumulated and cleaning up vacant lots
-- Writing to community officials to ask that a vacant lot be turned into a playground
-- Painting and repairing fences or helping to build them where they can improve public safety
-- Advocating for street lights or crosswalks at dangerous intersections
-- Identifying street corners where there are obstructed views for drivers to see pedestrians
-- Helping to repair abandoned houses for use as recreational facilities
-- Planting flowers and trees in vacant lots; researching what trees grow best in the area and what they need to grow
-- Cleaning up stream beds and plant vegetation along its banks
-- Helping seniors by mowing their lawns, weeding, shoveling snow, raking leaves and other needed tasks
-- Holding a "paint-a-thon" or a "repair-a-thon" for seniors, low-income people, and individuals with disabilities
-- Writing a proclamation for a community beautification day or week
-- Interviewing people with disabilities to determine their special needs
-- Conducting a neighborhood drive to collect used furniture which could be distributed to those who need it
-- Making maps of local parks, libraries, or historic sites
-- Interviewing experts to determine what business or other developments are being planned and discussing the needs and values of such developments
-- Painting mural wherever needed
-- Removing graffiti
-- Holding recycling contests
Activities for planting a community garden
-- Researching the types of crops to plant that would harvest the greatest yield with the greatest nutritional value
-- Testing the quality of the soil and making informed decisions about nutrients to be added to the soil in preparation for planting; assisting community members in creating their own gardens by testing their soil samples and providing steps to improve the condition of the soil
-- Conducting a controlled scientific experiment to determine the most effective methods to plant flowers
-- Planting gardens at a homeless shelter or senior citizen facility and help care for it
-- Developing planting schedules, tips for other gardeners, strategies for dealing with pests, and test recipes
-- Creating a budget for plants and materials to purchase
-- Becoming advocates for other gardening projects
-- Research and writing about gardens and herbs
-- Soliciting donations for community gardens
-- Conduct a garden tour for young children or senior citizens
-- Contacting local gardening organizations
Web resources
Kids Gardening (www.kidsgardening.com/) is a program of the National Gardening Association, the organization which regularly shares "some tried-and-true advice for launching and maintaining a youth garden program." Their resources include books, curriculum, and additional website linkages.
The National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat (www.nwf.org/backyard/) includes resources to create gardens that are habitat-based learning sites in schoolyards/
"How Does Our Garden Grow?" (www.abcdbooks.org/
curriculum plans that can be adapted for use in grades 1-5 to introduce younger students to gardening. An effective methodology to tie learning with serving the community, these activities can be used for curriculum connections with science, social studies, visual arts, and drama.
Additional sources
The Complete Guide to Service Learning by Cathryn Berger Kaye (2004). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.
This guide to practical ways to engage students in social action includes several pages of books on community gardening (non-fiction, fiction, and picture books for young readers.) In addition, it also includes examples of programs that have been successfully conducted across the country. Some examples to check are: Planting a Butterfly Garden: Grades 2 and 7, Language Skills and Gardens to Grow: Grade 7, A Victory Garden: Grade 7, A Neighborly Garden: Grade 8, Gardening Partnerships: Grades 9 and 10, A Touch Garden: Grades 9 -12 and Profits Keep Growing: Grades 9 -12.
Community Lessons: Promising Curriculum Practices by Julie Bartsch and contributing teachers. (2001). Malden, MA: Massachusetts Department of Education
Among other units, this excellent resource includes a unit on Community Gardens with lesson plans on soil preparation and tulip planting.
The Kids Guide to Service Projects by Barbara A. Lewis. (1995). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.
Over 500 service ideas for young people who want to make a difference
