Teller Elementary School: Challenge Project Design Your Ideal Backyard

The Challenge Project is an optional activity for students who want to extend their learning experiences, to work beyond the classroom requirements, and/or to explore alternative topics. Families may need to lend support, encouragement, and assistance at home. The Challenge Projects are organized by Ms. Bass, Teller’s GT Specialist.

TASK ONE: Determine how big an acre is. Work with a parent or Ms. Bass to measure out an acre so you have a clear idea of the size you will be working with.

Once you find out the dimensions of an acre, decide if you are going to design a square or rectangular backyard. What are the dimensions of your space? Get as close to an acre as you can. Your backyard won’t be exactly an acre.

TASK TWO: Get a large piece of graph paper from a parent, Ms. Bass, or your teacher, and develop a scale so that your backyard fits on one sheet of paper. Include a key detailing your scale. Have an adult check your scale before you continue.

TASK THREE: Research some of the world’s most famous gardens. Check out Longwood Gardens in Delaware or the Butchart Gardens in Canada. Most famous gardens have websites where you can take a virtual trip through the gardens. Think about when and why these gardens were designed.

Here are a few websites to get you started:  http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/gardens/  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lists/famous-gardens-to-visit  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_tourism Also, research backyard ideas from the Internet. Here’s a great list of amazing things to put in a backyard!! http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/outrageously-fun- things-youll-want-in-your-backyard-this#33y8z9p What else can YOU find?

TASK FOUR: Determine where your backyard is going to be located. You can stay in Denver or locate your yard elsewhere. Research your location and complete the chart that follows. Write a paragraph detailing how and why you made the choices that you did. Show an adult your chart and your paragraph.

Coldest Month Warmest Month Average yearly Location Average Average precipitation temperature temperature

What plants grow naturally here?

TASK FOUR: Brainstorm what you’d like in your dream backyard. You must include all of the following areas:

 Relaxation area: Reflect on and make a list of activities and items that are relaxing to you. Activities might include reading, listening or making music, watching TV, eating, exercising, dining, etc. Items might include art, animals, fountains, seating, etc. Look over your list, and determine ways to incorporate at least two of these activities and/or items into your backyard.

 Recreation area: Brainstorm recreational activities that you enjoy or would like to enjoy. Some ideas include volleyball, croquet, swimming, ice-skating, bird watching, rock wall climbing, camping, etc. Think of creative ways to incorporate 2 - 5 of them into your backyard recreational area.  Water habitat area: Research the water habitats that are found in the location that you picked. Consider the animals and plants found in each. Pick one water habitat that you will include in your backyard.

 Flower or food garden: Consider what flowers or plants easily and naturally grow in the chosen location. You might consider a greenhouse if your location is not hospitable to flowers and food-producing plants. TASK SIX: Write a paragraph for each area above, describing your choices and why you included the elements selected. If you have pictures, print or sketch them. Type, please. Show an adult your paragraphs.

TASK SEVEN: Using your ideas from the previous tasks, try to determine how much space you will need for each of your areas. Create a rough draft of your backyard. Take your time in this stage and do not rush through the creation of a draft. You may change your mind – you may come across new ideas – you may erase and erase. That’s okay!! Show an adult your rough draft.

TASK EIGHT: Finalize the layout of your backyard, with all of the areas and elements that you have included. Use all of your space. Include a title, key, scale, and your name.

TASK NINE: Use a bulletin board or display board to display all of the components of your backyard planning unit. Make sure that you have a catchy title, your name, and all of the work that you have completed. If your teacher gives his/her permission, present your project to the class. Do one or more additional projects related to your ideal backyard. 1. Create a diorama of one of your areas (relaxation, recreation, water habitat, or flower or food garden.

2. Create a watercolor painting of your water habitat. Be sure to include the main plants and animals that live in or near your water habitat. 3. Choose a specific animal that lives in or near your water habitat. Create that animal’s food chain, including pictures of the other animals in the food chain.

4. Compose a poem that celebrates some aspect of nature (perhaps water), making sure that it relates to your location.

5. Create a flipbook or some other creative way to show what plants you will include in your garden. The plants that you choose must thrive in the location that you chose. Pick at least 5 plants to highlight with pictures and details.

6. If you actually built your plan, how much do you think it would cost? Try to go through your different areas and price the building materials, labor costs, and other items you include.

7. Go back to one of the gardens that you researched in TASK THREE. Learn about the history of why this garden was created and the purpose behind the design.

8. Consider gardens that are depicted in books, such as the garden in Alice and Wonderland. This website might get you thinking. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardens-to-visit/11-famous-literary- gardens/

Pick a favorite book and design a garden that might appear in the story. Make sure that the tone and theme of the garden matches the tone and theme in the story.

9. Research Japanese tea gardens. How do they connect to the Japanese culture and Japanese traditions? 10. Build a model of your ideal backyard. You may change your scale, but make sure that your new scale represents the original dimensions.

11. If your backyard is an acre in size, what might your ideal house look like? Design a home that would match the backyard that you just designed.