a natural garden

The Lawton Elementary School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, its Students, Staff and Parents are proud to continue the efforts of the Lawton Learning Garden. Envisioned in 2014 by enthusiastic students and built with dedicated hands, the Learning Garden has inspired the students at Lawton to go further...

Let's build...

A Natural Garden, where everyone will be able to enjoy moments of magic in a natural setting...

The aim is to expose children to elements of the natural world where they can observe, create, engineer and be inspired to wonder.

Here are some of the projects we are working on:

...A wild flower garden

to learn about life cycles and medicinals and to observe native flora and fauna all while enjoying the garden's beauty

Plant identification project...

​ to assist in easy recognition of plants found in the garden
​

​...FAiry and Gnome Garden

to unleash creativity and enable children to leave a colorful imprint on their school

For more on our ongoing Projects, including the plants and flowers that we will grow, please visit our Projects page.

We are always looking for help and donations for the Garden. To make a contribution, please visit our Get involved page.

Why a garden?

Because we believe that growing up close to Nature develops caring and nurturing, imagination and creativity and is simply just a lot of fun!
​

Student's testimonial

"We were inspired to create a natural playscape for our own school--
a playground more connected to nature.
Over the years, the garden has been expanded and changed. I think it can still be considered a work in progress; there is always something more to add!"

Aditi Ganesan
original "Guardian"
Former Lawton 4th grader
Class of 2022

Student's
​testimonial

"I remember getting dirty while planting bulbs. I looked at the dirt on my hands and it felt like I was a part of the garden. It's a lot of fun to help out in the garden!"

Marcus Byrn
Current Lawton 5th grader
Class of 2027

Teacher's Testimonial

"The Lawton Learning Garden is more than a place to grow plants- it's a living classroom!  Student scientists learn about the care and keeping of a variety of herbs, flowers, and vegetables, and they learn responsibility as they tend to the planting, watering and weeding.  The garden is also a space for considering the mathematics- like area measurements to allocate space for each species' optimal growth, and for writing- the garden is truly an inspirational muse for young storytellers.  Perhaps most importantly, the garden is a space for dreaming.  Kids flock to it at recess to create imaginative play, to find a tranquil spot to relax and chat with a friend, to hunt for tasty treasures!  "​

Natalie DePasquale
Lawton 2nd Grade Teacher 

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