Emma Hutchinson Elementary School fourth- and fifth-grade students. Slideshow photo credit: Brianna Mason and Allison M. Slocum ©
At Emma Hutchinson Elementary School, a visit to the garden is also a lesson in science, food, and the environment.
Fourth- and fifth-grade students recently joined Trees Atlanta to participate in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, a citizen science project led by the University of Georgia Extension. For 15 minutes, students observed a blooming plant and counted the insects that landed on it. That data will contribute to a broader effort to understand pollinator health across the Southeast.
“The Pollinator Census is a great way for students to get involved in learning about the science of pollinators,” said Colin Clayton, Education Senior Lead at Trees Atlanta. “Pollinators contribute so much to global agriculture every single year. They’re also an important part of the food web for wildlife. It’s just a really great opportunity for them to learn about the different types of pollinators living in their community.”
The census spans Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Participants do not need to be entomologists to take part. School groups, families, gardeners, and individuals observe a flowering plant and sort visiting insects into eight categories, including bumble bees, carpenter bees, honey bees, small bees, wasps, flies, butterflies and moths, and other insects.
The school submits its data to the census, where University of Georgia researchers use the information to inform pollinator conservation efforts. The data can help researchers identify broader trends, including the effects of weather and honey bees on native bee populations.
For students at Emma Hutchinson, the experience connects that research to where they live and extends the school’s STEM curriculum into its own garden, where they can observe science firsthand.
Emma Hutchinson Elementary School fifth-grade students. Slideshow photo credit: Allison M. Slocum ©
“We do this because, as a STEM school, it’s better to do real research and real science than to just read about it or watch other people do it,” said Dr. Kate Woodbridge, Emma Hutchinson Elementary School’s signature STEM program coach.
Students use their observations to help make decisions about the school’s 15 garden beds and fruiting trees, which depend on pollinators to produce food. The garden is supported by a Captain Planet Foundation Learning Garden Grant and produces enough fruits and vegetables for a monthly tasting. Students grow tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, blueberries, strawberries, onions, garlic, and other crops, connecting their STEM studies to the school’s broader focus on food access and the local challenge of accessing fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Students immediately get the connection beyond just reading. They actually see things die in our garden, and they notice when there’s not a pollinator habitat there,” Dr. Woodbridge said.
The garden also connects learning to life beyond the school year. During the summer, when students are away, Dr. Woodbridge teaches a master’s class for Georgia State University, and her students complete a service project maintaining the garden.
Dr. Kate Woodbridge, STEM instructional coach at Emma Hutchinson Elementary School. Photo credit: Brianna Mason ©
For Dr. Woodbridge, the garden is part of a larger approach to STEM education that links classroom standards with agriculture, careers, and everyday experiences.
“Everything that our STEM program does is about gardening and food access because any science standard connects to all the career opportunities,” Dr. Woodbridge said. “If you love technology, there’s a whole lot of tech careers in agriculture. It’s Georgia’s number one industry, so it’s immediately relevant.”
Future plans for the garden beds include further studying pollinators, finding more effective ways to produce food, and taking their harvest to a farmers’ market. Through the census and their work in the garden, students are seeing how science can make a difference beyond the classroom.