Habitat Restoration
Bluebird Boxes
Bluebirds are considered common birds in our area, but according to National Geographic, their numbers have declined substantially during the last century. Populations have been given a boost by the birdhouse boxes that have become popular in many parks and backyards. With this in mind, as part of our second grade curriculum on habitat we (95 -100 students) continue to monitor the nesting of our bluebirds in student-made boxes. We have been participating in this project since 2011.
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Monarch Garden/
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Monarch Waystation
Monarch Waystation Habitats
A former Bodkin student, Maeya Devlin-Tremble, registered Bodkin as a Monarch Waystation. This project was part of a Community Service Project which is required of all 8th graders at IBMYP. She had to find a non-profit to giver her time to, document her process and present in a Power Point to her school.
Waystations are places that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. Without milkweed throughout their spring and summer breeding areas in North America, monarchs would not be able to produce the successive generations that culminate in the migration each fall. Similarly, without nectar from flowers these fall migratory monarch butterflies would be unable to make their long journey to overwintering grounds in Mexico. The need for host plants for larvae and energy sources for adults applies to all monarch and butterfly populations around the world.
A former Bodkin student, Maeya Devlin-Tremble, registered Bodkin as a Monarch Waystation. This project was part of a Community Service Project which is required of all 8th graders at IBMYP. She had to find a non-profit to giver her time to, document her process and present in a Power Point to her school.
Waystations are places that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. Without milkweed throughout their spring and summer breeding areas in North America, monarchs would not be able to produce the successive generations that culminate in the migration each fall. Similarly, without nectar from flowers these fall migratory monarch butterflies would be unable to make their long journey to overwintering grounds in Mexico. The need for host plants for larvae and energy sources for adults applies to all monarch and butterfly populations around the world.
Kindergarten Tree Planting
From 2013-2019 over four hundred eighty kindergarten students and six teachers planted native trees to provide native birds with additional nesting habitats.
Rain Garden
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Each grade level (2nd -5th with about 400 students) has their own garden to maintain. Every year, students work hard alongside our PTA Beautification Committee to weed their assigned area, replace dead plants with new native plants and provide fresh mulch.
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No-Mow Zone
Although we had a set-back in our Meadow Plans, Bodkin students still enjoy nature hunting in our “No-Mow” Zone. Students have been exploring this area since 2012. They discover nature while seeing signs of deer, rabbits, various birds and bugs. This habitat is especially enjoyed during First Grade’s study of Living vs. Non-Living things.
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