The Westminster Schools

INTRODUCTION

From the beginning, The Westminster Schools Pollinator Garden project mission was to create a functional and aesthetic pollinator garden for the enjoyment of faculty and students at TWS. Initially, a simple pollinator garden design was generated which focused on plants. After much development, the garden design now features designated seating areas, paths throughout the garden beds, and interesting pollinator habitats, while incorporating the initial detailed pollinator planting palette.

The primary goals of The Westminster Schools Pollinator Garden are to provide opportunities for nature-based learning and to further support the longevity of pollinators and native plant species. The vision of the Pollinator Garden is to create a space that is functional, educational, and aesthetic while fostering an interest in and appreciation for pollinators and native plants. The Pollinator Garden design incorporates colorful plantings, pollinator habitats, paths throughout the garden, and seating for the interest and enjoyment of both teachers and students at TWS.

[Written by Keeli Windham]

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Phase 1: Site Analysis and Inventory

(Below): UGA students lead a lower-school curriculum on planting plan design at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA.

Throughout the Fall semester of 2022, myself and three other students created and led activities for The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA regarding the design process for a pollinator garden. The activities utilized for this curriculum were site analysis and inventory, planting plan design, and three-dimensional model design. These activities took place during three face-to-face meetings over a 3 month period. The initial site analysis and inventory activity taught students the importance of: sun vs shade, the sun’s path, hydrology, topography, and soil quality. The following is a summary of the site analysis and inventory.

The site analysis and inventory activities create a fundamental knowledge of landscape design and the accompanying processes. We began with a PowerPoint presentation on the basic terminology and principles of landscape design. From there, we accompanied students to the site and began our site analysis and inventory. The lower school students were split into two groups of 8, accompanied by 2 college students and 1 lower school facilitator. The college students led a sun and shade observation, hydrology analysis, topography analysis, and observed the condition and quality of the soil found on site. This engaged the lower school students in a hands-on manner, while introducing them to the basic principles of site analysis and inventory.

The documents produced were scaled base maps of the site that contained sketches and notes from the lower school students analysis and inventory. Things such as the path of the sun, what areas were shaded, wet or dry spots, and high and low points were found on each students base map. These base maps were then organized into datasets to determine the preferred site location based on the lower school students input.

[Written by Riley Martin]

Phase 2: INTERACTING WITH NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS

CREATING YOUR OWN POLLINATOR GARDEN

(Above) Plant id cards from graduate assistance

(Above) An example of the plant placement

If time is available, interacting with plant materials will be the second phase of the program for TWS k-5 students. The UGA team will again travel to Atlanta with 12 native plant materials with different heights, textures, and colors and plant identification cards created by the graduate assistant(Clare Peterman) to teach k-5 students (participants) a lively plant lesson to k-5 students (participants). In between the first phase of site analysis and the third phase of planting co-design, the UGA team felt it was important to give the TWS k-5 students (participants) a chance to see and touch native plants up close and personal so that they would have a basic understanding of the shape, texture, color, and height of the native nectar plants that are key elements of the pollinator garden before the next phase of planting design. Thus, the interacting with plant on site engagement activity was born.

The UGA team began their presentation by explaining what native plants are and the importance of native plants to pollinators, then handed out plant identification cards to the students, describing the basic characters of 12 native plants in terms of height, texture and shape. Afterwards, the UGA team handed out native plant materials to the students, ensuring that each student had a plant material to touch, observe and smell, and asked questions to keep the class active, such as "What is your favorite part of the plant in your hand?" and "Does it smell great?" Afterwards, the UGA team brought the students to the site and divided them into two groups to place plants in a planting bed outlined by flags (or stones). After the placement, the UGA team discussed with the students about the reasonableness of the placement and repeated the placement and discussion process (based on the height, texture and color of the plants) to deepen students' understanding and use of the characteristics of the plant material.

At the end of the activity, the UGA team will ask some simple questions such as "Which feature of the plant did you like the most in today's activity? Where would you like to place this plant? Why?" The students will be informed that after today's hard working, they will use their knowledge in the next phase of the activity to create their own designs.

[Written by Pengling Xia]

Phase 3: DISCOVERING AND LEARNING ABOUT PLANT DESIGN

CREATING YOUR OWN POLLINATOR GARDEN

(Above) Students view and interact with Maddie Dalsimer (center) as she gives the class the planting design presentation.

(Above) This handout separates the plant type and species and is intended for students to cut out each plant to glue onto their planting plans.

(Below) This handout is the outline of a kidney-bean shape to demonstrate a simple planting design boundary but students were encouraged to think outside the kidney-bean if they wished to.

(Below) Three examples of students work after the design activity shows how extremely effect Phase 3 interaction was to helping the students understand planting design and allowing them to creatively design their own pollinator garden.

Welcoming The Westminster Schools fifth-grade class to their phase 3 activity, our team headed to Atlanta, Georgia again. This phase entices the students to get more involved with planting design, including learning about planting design, creating planting plans, and discovering new ways to apply this information. We began involvement phase 3 with a presentation slowly dipping the students' toes into what makes up planting design. We had previously discussed with the students' landscape architecture, what landscape architects do, site surveys, site analysis, rages of species of plants, and several other important concepts, so naturally planting design is next. It is extremely important for the students to understand the various elements of plants in design including color, texture, height, and seasonal change before creating their own planting plans. Once these were established, however, it was full steam ahead.

The presentation began by explaining what a planting plan is. Surprisingly, most adults have no idea what a planting plan is unless they have worked with a landscape architect. We next dove into color, texture, height, and seasonal change, interacting with the class, having them raise their hands and answer questions trying to keep the children engaged. The UGA team took turns explaining how these simple elements are extremely important in plant design and how they can be most helpful to the students in the next activity. The presentation then went into the five types of plants we would go over including shrubs, perennials, grass, groundcover, and trees. Lastly, we talked to them briefly about furnishings and the importance of thinking about people and the way they will move through the space. The presentation was full of color, precedents, and fun imagery to help show the students what a planting plan looks like from many perspectives while keeping them engaged. This arguably could be the most important lesson that day, as the following activity placed the students' point of view in plan making it imperative they learn how to visualize a planting plan from many different perspectives.

The students, however, seemed more than capable of figuring out plan view quite easily and were off creating planting plans faster than you can say Westminster. The dominant activity for Phase 3 consisted of two printer size pieces of paper, a glue stick, and a pair of scissors. The students were each given two pieces of paper, one with a kidney bean-shaped black outline and the other with labeled perennials, shrubs, trees, and seating. The students were given the activity to create their own individual planting plans by cutting out as many or as few plants as they want and gluing them inside or outside or upside down on the kidney bean-shaped piece of paper. The students were quick to catch on and by the end of our meeting, we received a dozen or so beautiful planting plans!

At the end of the activity, each student was told to put their name on their planting plan as well as their three favorite plants in their design. With limited time the UGA team was not able to discuss any problems, lessons, or concerns with The Westminster School fifth-grade class before they had to switch to science. Luckly, our interactive meetings were not concluded yet and we would be able to help each student complete their planting design and make them come to life in phase 4! The students' planting plans became invaluable to the UGA team, as we were able to take elements of students' planting designs and incorporate them into the final pollinator garden. The UGA team also made sure each student's top three favorite plants would be a part of the pollinator garden final design taking root right in their own backyard.

[Written by Maddie Dalsimer]

Phase 4: UNDERSTANDING PLANTING DESIGN IN THREE DIMENSION

(Above): The model materials included a cardboard base, various types of moss, colored craft paper, pom-poms, and pipe cleaners.
(Below): The UGA team facilitating the model-making activity with TWS students in the Jackson Street Building.

Our team had the privilege of welcoming The Wesminster Schools fifth grade class to the University of Georgia Campus for their final activity: model making. Understanding the various elements of plants in design – form, texture, height, color, seasonality – is a critical component of designing a successful garden. Being able to visualize how plants work in a specific garden design is difficult. Thus, creating three dimensional models can help students understand the interaction of plants in design.

The UGA team assisted TWS students has they created their own three dimensional models of their planting plans previously designed in phases 2-3. In this final phase, the students created their models using cardboard bases, moss, seed pods, colored craft paper, pipe-cleaners, and various shaped pom-poms. We were astonished at how meticulous and aesthetic the models turned out to be!

As the UGA team wrapped up the model-making activity, we asked the students a few questions to help summarize the purpose of model-making one of them being: What did you learn about your design from your model? The students provided excellent responses and most of them answered that they were able to see the relationship between their designed seating areas, walkways, paths, etc. and their plants in their designs. Not only did the students have the opportunity to build three dimensional models of their own planting plans, but they were able to reflect, observe, and study their models to further visualize and understand plants in design.

[Written by Keeli Michael Windham]

F I N A L C O N C L U S I O N

Child-Like Design

Interacting with children has always been something that I have found brings me joy. Their creativity, energy, and curiosity has always inspired me and reminds me of a time when I was in their shoes. When I first learned that we would be designing a pollinator garden for The Westminster Schools (TWS) in Atlanta, Georgia, I was ecstatic that I'd be working and designing alongside children! I am a native plant enthusiast so this aligned perfectly with my horticultural interests as well. I immediately started to brainstorm ideas on how we could make this design memorable for the children involved.

Upon our first visit to TWS, myself and several other members of our UGA group were slightly nervous! We all felt comfortable working with children to some degree, however, it had been many years in most cases since we had done so. I remember setting up for our first meeting and not quite knowing how this would turn out. As it turns out, our group was blown away at the intelligence and intuitiveness of the fifth grade class that we worked with this semester! Their ability to grasp landscape terminology that some adults have trouble comprehending was impressive. The following two meetings followed suit: the children continued to stay engaged and motivated throughout the semester as we continued our activities and curriculum for designing a pollinator garden.

Our third and final interaction with the children was the most fulfilling in my opinion. We invited their class to UGA's campus for a three dimensional model activity based on their planting plan from activity #2. The children were the most excited I had ever seen them and they were eager to get started on their models! They took creative liberties and added design elements that impressed all of the UGA group members. Upon completing their models, the children thanked us for working with them this semester and for exposing them to landscape architecture. I am happy and proud to have been a part of the design team for this project, and I am grateful for Professor Melcher allowing us to work on such a hand-on project. I would do it all again if given the chance.

[written by Riley Martin]

(above) Keeli and Maddie lead an introductory presentation on planting plan terminology and importance to a fifth grade class at TWS.

(below) Tables have been prepared at UGA's Jackson St. Building for 3-D model making. The TWS students based their models off of their 2-D planting plans.

The First Contact with Participatory Design

(Above)"Personal Talk" in the phase 1 site analysis

(Above) TWS students and I with same suits

During my three years of bla study in China, I rarely had access to clients in design, let alone the future users in the landscape. Participatory design was a very strange word in my mind. And it was in Prof. melcher's studio that I first came across this term and tried to understand it. After that, I often asked myself, "If a designer does not contact with the future users of the landscape, but only designs with his own knowledge, experience and profession, and comes up with a design result. Is it a kind of compulsory for the future users?" I dare to conclude that this is not a democratic design behavior. Instead, by introducing participatory design, the designer reaches out to people and listens to the inner needs of the future users, and uses his or her own expertise to assist in the design of a landscape that meets the needs of the people.

Looking back on the interaction with TWS students and staffs, I not only marveled at the quick thinking and spatial ability of TWS students who could easily understand the site analysis and model making that confused me in my first year of BLA, but I also experienced the students' enthusiasm for their future involvement in designing the pollinator garden, which I believe is the result of participatory design, a formation of the sense of ownership. I also believe that in the next 2-3 years, when the pollinator garden we designed together is completed, they will be reminded of the plans they designed and it will be an unforgettable memory for all of us.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Prof. Melcher for her careful guidance and for introducing me to participatory design this semester. I would also like to thank TWS for giving our group a chance to practice. Finally, I would like to thank my best group members, I guess the most frequent sentence I said during the group meeting this was "please say again!I can't follow you." but my group members were always patient and answered for me until I figured it out.

[Written by Pengling Xia]

Lessons Learned: Patience & Playfulness

Woah. The semester is coming to an end. Spending a semester interacting, teaching, learning, and designing with The Westminster Schools fifth-grade class was an irreplaceable experience and one I will cherish forever. Studio work is always hypothetical but having the opportunity to take your skills and apply them out into the world is invaluable. This is exactly what we were able to do this semester. Designing alongside a fifth-grade class is definitely not something I have done before and I do not know if I will ever do it again, but I could not imagine going through life without the lessons I have learned. At 8 AM, my team and I were greeted with big smiles, warm embraces, and giggly children. The UGA team was given the opportunity to meet with the class three times, each time I was more excited to see my 5th-grade best friends who I did not think would create such a lasting impression on me.

This semester was full of firsts. This was my first 8 AM. This was my first studio with Professor Melcher. This was my first time teaching children. This was my first time designing with a school. This was my first time working with an architect. However, the part that stuck out to me the most throughout this semester was that this was my first time truly submerging the client into the design. There are clients in design, yes, usually there is no project without a client, however, rarely do landscape architects take the time and effort to incorporate the entire community of a school or town, or neighborhood into a design. I enjoyed so many parts of this project, you cannot get more wholesome than designing a pollinator garden for primary students. Finding bright colors and textures and wildlife and insect homes to integrate into this design for the sole purpose to have fun with it. The sole reason for making the design is to have a fun environment to hang out and learn. If you ask anyone that knows me they would say I am a kid at heart. This semester the kids taught me to bring back heart into my design. The childlike carelessness and freedom no landscape architect could master in a classroom among peers. It is okay if your design is too small, too big, too complex, or just like the person’s right beside you, all that truly matters is that it is your design.

[Written by Maddie Dalsimer]

(Above) Henry, one of my favorite students, gives the camera a thumbs up after complimenting the UGA Team on their amazing ability to guide and help but not take control of the design process for The Westminster Schools fifth grade class.

(Above) The students gather around Keeli and Maddie as they explain why site inventories are important for landscape architects.

(Below) Maddie is helping several students construct 3D models of their own pollinator gardens on their final interaction and visit to the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design.

Never Underestimate Age

This semester, my team and I had the opportunity to work with The Westminster Schools fifth grade class to design a school pollinator garden that will highlight a new learning building on their school campus. The design process was initially influenced by contextual research involving elementary school students and landscapes for education and was further developed by our first interaction with the students at their campus in Atlanta. Our initial design focused on the planting design, encompassing seasonality and host plantings for pollinators, and was later revised to incorporate what is shown in our final plan which includes seating areas, pathways through the planting beds, and interesting pollinator habitats. These design details were influenced by the student’s input and the designs they generated for their own individual planting beds from the Phase 3 outreach. The final design is a thoughtfully designed pollinator garden that reflects the student’s designs, input, and individuality.

In reflection of the semester’s interaction with TWS fifth grade class, I can’t help but note how blown away I was by the students after each design phase and interaction. In the Phase 1 interaction which involved creating site analysis maps, the students quickly grasped the concept of plan view, which most adults find difficult initially. They were quite detailed in their analysis, some even going as far to label suitable areas for construction based of off noise pollution. This shocked my whole group, and we were so thrilled that they understood the concept so well that our Phase 3 interaction with them involved creating their own planting plan. We were, again, pleasantly surprised at how well they handled the challenge. After reviewing their plans, we saw how thoughtful and well-planned their planting designs were, especially how well they understood planting hierarchy and color in design. During our last interaction, the students again shocked us with their beautifully created models of their planting designs, some even going as far to create hand-crafted seating and lighting for their pathways. Of the many lessons learned from TWS fifth grade class, possibly the most important lesson is to never underestimate age.

[Written by Keeli Windham]

Graphic depicting a compilation of the simple, yet meaningful site analysis graphics that the students used in Phase 1.

THERE IS NO FEAR WHEN YOU ARE HAVING FUN.

After spending a semester hanging out with 10 year olds, teaching, learning, observing, and playing, I have learned that there is no fear when you are having fun. It is a humbling experience learning something from a person half your age. Yet, I was completely inspired by these students to enjoy designing. The Westminster students reminded me what it feels like to love art again, something that has felt like a chore recently. These students showed me what it really looks like to enjoy the process without fear of messing up. No matter the result, you had fun making it. I cannot thank Professor Melcher and the students enough for this. ❤️

Blog entries and project content were developed by: MADDIE DALSIMER, RILEY MARTIN, KEELI MICHAEL WINDHAM, AND PENGLING XIA.

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