Powell Gardens Receives $500 Grant from the Gus S. Wetzel Family Foundation

Powell Gardens was recently awarded a $500 grant from the Gus S. Wetzel Family Foundation to support Plants Matter! curriculum development, outreach to teachers, transportation, and program delivery.

During the 2019-2020 school year, Powell Gardens will launch Plants Matter! This pilot program will provide in-depth experiences at Powell Gardens to support Independence classroom teachers as they teach fifth-grade level Missouri Learning Standards for science. Students will benefit from a total of three sessions taught by Powell Gardens staff onsite and in their classroom with up to twelve hours of teaching through hands-on lessons and complementary pre- and post-visit resources.  To minimize the financial burden on the school district, the Plants Matter! program will cover the costs of busing students to the Gardens for onsite sessions.

The Plants Matter! program aims to deeply immerse students in the outdoors through multiple garden visits and in-class sessions. Curriculum will emphasize topics such as the cycle of matter, plant ecosystems, energy loss via decomposition, energy needs for plant growth, and the environmental conditions needed by several species of Missouri plants to survive and thrive in our region.

Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden, sits on 970 acres of natural beauty less than an hour from the heart of the nearby metropolitan area. The Gardens’ mission is to be an experience that embraces the Midwest’s spirit of place and inspires an appreciation for the importance of plants in our lives.  Current activities include year-round family events and programs, adult gardening and art classes, youth educational activities, and a community-supported agriculture program which provides area residents with access to sustainable whole foods grown in the Heartland Harvest Garden. Powell Gardens hosts several seasonal festivals including Festival of Butterflies, a living exhibition of butterflies from around the world, and Festival of Lights, a holiday light display. The Plants Matter! pilot is part of Powell Gardens’ broader youth education initiatives, which include self-guided tours, family- and youth-centric events, and other staff- and volunteer-led classes.



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