2nd Annual World Water Day event held at Julington Creek Elementary School

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - March 27, 2023 - PRLog -- Students and teachers revealed new additions and upgrades to the outdoor learning classroom during World Water Day on March 22 at Julington Creek Elementary School, 2316 Race Track Road in Fruit Cove, Fla. The outdoor space officially opened on World Water Day last year, and was funded with grants provided by Wells Fargo and the Community First Cares Foundation through a partnership between the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations and local education foundation, Investing in Kids (INK!).

According to Donna Lueders, INK!'s Executive Director, teachers, administrators, and volunteers continued to support the ongoing service-learning project and the 2nd Annual World Water Day celebration, in collaboration with the Academy of Environmental Sciences and the Teaching Academy at Creekside High School.

In 2022, Creekside High School students, teachers, and volunteers opened the outdoor learning space and hands-on learning projects at Julington Creek Elementary School including in-ground and raised garden beds, native landscaping, and sensory learning experiences. This year, Creekside students added a butterfly science chamber with screened-in room, more native plants and landscaping, and various species of regional butterflies. New totems were also built with a variety of highly tactile materials for exceptional student education (ESE) students at the elementary school.

Locally, the program included Academy and elementary school students in rotational learning groups with hands-on learning activities including a Wacky Watersheds and Fun 2.0 space where students learn about the water cycle, and a Nifty Natives area featuring the importance of native landscaping in the community, and pollination through a student-developed sensory activity.

The Rock N' Roll activity encourages students to understand rock cycles, rock types, and the importance of limestone in the development of the Florida aquifer. Sifting through Soils helps students learn about soil layers and the importance of soil resources in water filtration. Green ThumbsUp! features gardening basics and the opportunity for students to plant their own seeds.

The St. Johns County Education Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)3 education foundation, which operates as Investing in Kids (INK!). INK! promotes academic success for all St. Johns County public school students by providing innovative programs, teacher support, and classroom resources to benefit more than 50,000 students and approximately 3,200 teachers. Offices are located at 1 Christopher St. in St. Augustine. For more information, visit the website at www.ink-stjohns.org.