Friends of Dicken Woods Grants Program Overview
In the Fall of 2004 the Friends of Dicken Woods kicked-off an innovative
grant program, providing approximately $1,000 in funding to classrooms
at Dicken Elementary School, with the goal of helping to integrate
Dicken Woods into the environmental education curriculum and wider
school experience for the Dicken Elementary community. The great
success of the first year's efforts convinced the Friends of the value
of this exciting program. A 2nd annual grants program was carried out
in the Fall of 2005 and plans are already underway for a 3rd annual
program in the 2006-2007 school year.
See below for a summary of the awards made to-date.
School Year 2005-2006 Awards
- The 5th and 3rd grade classes will have presentations
with live bats by the Cranbrook Institute, including a bat with a 4-foot
wingspan! The presentations show the importance of bats in our
environment, with a focus on ecosystems, foodwebs, and conservation. A
followup activity will include construction and placement of bat houses
into DW.
- The 4th grade classes will have presentations with
live raptors, by Dody Wyman of the River Raisin Raptor Center. This
presentation fits well with the curriculum unit on animal behavior, and
this will be the third year in a row that we have funded presentations
by Dody. She knows Dicken School and Dicken Woods well.
- The 2nd grade classes will work on formation of a
butterfly/wildflower/seed garden. In the future the Friends (and
students) will gather seeds from the flowers and then spread them to
other areas of DW. The 2nd graders will also work on a wildflower and
leaf quilt project, using a pounding technique with leaves and flowers
from DW.
- The 1st grade classes will conduct a bird
identification project in DW, and will purchase resource materials,
books, games and posters related to the environment. These activities
fit well with the 1st grade curriculum unit on "the animals around us."
- The kindergarten classes will have guided walks through the woods to see the plant life and animal habitat.
- And finally, the art teacher will work with students
in multiple grades to develop art projects for our 2nd annual mid-winter
evening walk
School Year 2004-2005 Awards
The first year's grant program included awards and activities for
numerous classes, including first, second, and fourth grade classes, as
well as activities coordinated by the Dicken Art Teacher.
- The first grade students in all first grade classes
had guided walking tours of Dicken Woods, to learn about the animals
that live in DW, as a culmination of the science curriculum unit
"Animals Around Us."
- The Dicken Art Teacher received funding to purchase
supplies that allowed students to sit in DW and sketch trees, leaves,
and plant life. As the teacher, Theresa Erickson, said, "Drawing from
life not only helps to increase drawing skills, but also nurtures
students into becoming more observant people ... with an appreciation
for the beauty and complexity of nature."
- The second grade class of Carol DeKeyzer, in
collaboration with Dave Szczygiel (Ann Arbor Public Schools
environmental education coordinator), received funding for a series of
activities involving 3 walking tours through DW to learn about
identifying plants in fall, winter and spring, as well as talking about
the animals in DW. The students also wrote research reports about the
plants in DW, and compiled a "Guidebook to Plants in Dicken Woods."
- Finally, the fourth grade classes, coordinated by
Leslie Lawther, received funding for presentations by Dody Wyman of the
River Raisin Raptor Center, including live raptors brought to the
school. This grant also included having Dody lead the students on walks
through the woods to identify the best locations to place screech owl
houses, which were then built and placed by FoDW volunteers.
The Friends are committed to making Dicken Woods a wonderful
community amenity and environmental education resource for Dicken
Elementary School. Stay tuned for future updates. And join the fun if
you'd like! By joining the Friends mailing list, you'll be kept up to date on future activities. To Join the mailing list email "tivacko at yahoo.com."
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