At Bayfield Intermediate School, the seeds of learning planted during the school day don’t end when it is over. Each spring, a group of students takes that experience even further through the BIS Nature Club—an after-school opportunity designed to connect students with the outdoors while building responsibility and teamwork.
Meeting each Tuesday from 3:50 to 4:35 p.m. beginning April 7, the Nature Club brings together up to 15 students who share an interest in hands-on activities like gardening, exploring outside, observing plants and wildlife, and creating nature-based projects. The club is led by third grade teacher Wendy Benne, along with interventionists Mollie McDonagh and Rita Elliott.
The program is intentionally small, allowing students to fully engage in the experience. Preference is given to students who are not already involved in other after-school activities, helping ensure that more students have access to connections and enrichment opportunities beyond the regular school day.
The Nature Club builds directly on the work happening in the school’s garden. In the spring, club members play an important role in helping prepare and care for the garden beds, reinforcing lessons they’ve learned during the school day while gaining additional time to explore and experiment.
McDonagh noted that while the Nature Club is strictly an after-school program, the garden itself is a shared resource across the school.
“Teachers have been informed that the school garden beds are available for use in connection with science instruction and standards, and they are accessible to anyone in the school,” she said.
That connection between classroom learning and hands-on experience has been part of the program’s evolution. In previous years, students in the school’s Garden Club grew vegetables that were later used by the BIS cafeteria, including kale for kale chips and cabbage for coleslaw—an experience that helped students see the full journey from garden to table.
“This year, we transitioned from a Garden Club to a Nature Club to expand student learning and exploration beyond the garden beds,” McDonagh explained. “The after-school Nature Club is offered each fall and spring, with seasonal projects tailored to the time of year.”
So far this spring, students have participated in an exploratory scavenger hunt, created colorful mandalas using seeds, and learned about how birds construct nests before gathering materials to build their own. In the coming weeks, students will continue tending the garden beds while also planting seeds, creating additional nature-based art, and focusing on observation and classification of leaves and trees.
But the impact goes beyond gardening.
Being part of the Nature Club encourages students to become thoughtful and responsible individuals by working as a team, exploring the natural world, and learning how to care for both the environment and their community. Whether they are digging in the soil, observing changes in plants, or simply spending time outdoors, students are developing a deeper understanding of the world around them.
For Benne, McDonagh, and Elliott, the club is another way to extend learning beyond the classroom walls and create meaningful connections for students. It also strengthens the sense of community already growing through the school’s garden program.