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Classroom jungle grows lessons
School's annual indoor rainforest helps students learn
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by EMILY BARNES
William Hess, 9, talks about a display as he and a group of third-graders look around inside the rainforest in their classroom, at St. Mary's Bryantown School on Friday.
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With a bright smile and an eager bounce in his step, William Hess, a third-grade student at St. Mary's Bryantown School walked visitors through the thick vines and trees that took over what was once a normal classroom.
"Hi, my name is William ... Please follow me," he said
For weeks the classroom has been transformed into a rainforest, a third-grade lesson which is now a tradition at the school.
Peggy Garner, third-grade teacher at St. Mary's Bryantown said some 12 years ago she decided to give a lesson on rainforests, an idea she got from a friend. Originally, she just hung some flowers from the ceiling and called it a day but when her husband, Danny Garner, found out the idea, he took over while she was in a meeting.
Danny Garner said he felt the kids needed to feel like they were in a rainforest, so he constructed trees and vines to hang all over the classroom, giving it more of a rainforest feel. Over the years the Garners have continued to expand the rainforest. Peggy Garner said she has noticed that the more students like doing something, the more likely they are to remember. She said many of her former students will see her out in the community and ask about the rainforest project, curious if it's still going on at the school.
As part of the lesson, students are asked to select an animal from the rainforest, study it and then construct one to place in the classroom's forest. This year, the third grade created birds, snakes and many other rainforest inhabitants.
Throughout the years, the rainforest has grown, and according to some guests it gets "bigger and better" each year.
Charles County Commissioner Samuel N. Graves Jr. (D) said he has attended every year. Graves said the rainforest project is a great teaching tool and children learn a lot by being actively involved in creating a rainforest.
While visitors walked through, third-grade tour guide William read from a script and was also able to answer questions about the rainforest.
According to Bailey St. Clair, 9, the actual rainforests in the world are diminishing due to mining, cattle ranches and agriculture.
"There is no reason it should be getting cut down," Bailey said.
Third-grade students explained various projects they worked on as a class, such as a project involving soil and water. Soil placed in a container with a sponge represented the rainforest with trees; another container had soil and no sponge. Once moistened, the soil with the sponge stayed moist longer as does the rainforest filled with trees. Without the trees, the rainforest dries out, the students said.
"I was very impressed with how much they knew," said Lanette Knapp of La Plata.
Knapp and her husband, Earle, have visited the Amazon in the past and were impressed with the realistic feel the school had created with its rainforest. Dolores McLean and Isobel Bryant, both of Waldorf, visited for the first time and were both impressed with the rainforest and the students' knowledge.
Bryant said there was so much to see that sometimes you miss something until you hear someone say, "Oh, look."
The classroom lesson doubles as a fundraiser as visitors Friday were encouraged to purchase flower pots to help raise money to save the existing rainforest.
"It's fun to learn about the rainforest and save land for the tribal people and for the animals," said Caroline Keller, 8.
Tour guide William said for every $100 the school raises, one acre of rainforest is saved. The school is sending funds to Rainforest Alliance, an organization dedicated to protecting rainforests and other ecosystems.
"It feels good. You know you are doing something good to help," William said.
