Power Nature Club Encourages Kids to Get Outside

Power Upper Elementary School Nature Club members enjoy nature through the year, but spent last week encouraging their peers to "Get Outside and Enjoy Nature". 

Club advisor Lynn Halton said the week included a variety of activities like tours of the school's gardens. "Kids don't know what's out there, and if they don't know, they won't take advantage of it," she said. 

The gardens, which include a butterfly habitat, herbs, flowers and pond where a cluster of tadpoles is flourishing, was built eight years ago as an outdoor classroom, Halton said. The school's Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) received a grant two years ago to organize the Nature Club two years ago, and students say it's a way to enjoy the outdoors while making friends.

Sixth graders Shelby Smith, Maddi Carpenter-Crawford and Abbey Jones spent time in the school cafeteria last Friday handing out free plants and telling everyone about the club, which helps maintain the gardens.

"I love to look at the pond and see new life every spring," Carpenter-Crawford said. "I like getting my hands into the dirt."

Smith said she enjoys being outside and looking at animals, and Jones is a fan of "planting and watering". 

However, she added, "We're not just all down-to-the-ground hard work. We're with our friends and having fun."