Together We Swim, Together We Bloom

Davis Elementary School has been selected by local landscape company Native Son Gardens as the recipient of its Plant Community Pilot Project, a newly established nonprofit whose mission is to increase equitable access to nature by transforming unused spaces within Austin ISD into safe areas of play for kids to learn and explore. Valued at over $270,000, this revitalization project will reimagine the school’s front yard into a space that is welcoming to visitors and serves as a unique educational setting for students and staff.

Through this partnership, Native Son Gardens has pledged to invest $6 for every $1 that is raised, turning an ambitious idea into an attainable goal. In response to their matching support, we have launched The Meadow Capital Campaign with a fundraising target of $45,000 to fully fund the project.

The proposed landscape design will create a usable environment with six complementary areas that promote exploration and education through nature.

• The Prairie will spark kids’ imaginations with lush and rolling grasses that evoke the original landscape of Texas.
• The Orchard will grow fruit for our students to harvest with 22 peach, fig, apple, and loquat trees.
• The Butterfly Garden will flower with perennials providing a food source for butterflies, birds, and bees.
• The Farm will house a veggie bed for each grade level and a chicken coop for outdoor agriculture lessons.
• The Woodland will create opportunities for bird watching with the canopies of more than 50 native trees.
• The Rain Garden will absorb rainfall with the deep roots of its 130 native shrubs and perennials.

Outdoor and nature-based learning have a variety of benefits for students, including improved academic performance, increased engagement, and enhanced social-emotional learning skills. Studies also show that kids who learn and play outside are happier, more confident, and less anxious.

• Natural environments enhance creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. (Natural Learning)
• Children are not only more engaged in learning during outdoor classes but also upon returning to their classroom, even if the subject they return to is not nature related. (Frontiers in Psychology)
• Children are less stressed when immersed in green spaces and having class in a natural setting even one day a week can significantly decrease the daily cortisol levels of students. (Green Schoolyards | Stress in School)
• Children with a strong connection to nature have higher SEL skills such as self-awareness, self-management, and relationship development. (Children & Nature Network | Texas Children in Nature Network)

Through generous donors and engaged community members, we can bring about big change.

• Make a donation by clicking on the GIVE NOW button above. Every dollar matters!
• Send this link to your company and ask them to match your donation.
• Sponsor The Meadow Capital Campaign at one of five levels below.
• Post a link to our campaign on your social media accounts to help us get the word out.

A group of dedicated Davis parents has been hard at work over the summer, collaborating with Native Son Gardens to manage the beginning phases of the project and contributing additional labor alongside the crew. In preparation for the fall planting season, the first of three phases has already been completed.

• Deconstructed Interior Fencing
• Removed Invasive Trees + Poison Ivy
• Scalped Invasive Weeds
• Broke Up Compacted Soil by Kindergarten Classrooms + Prepped Drainage Area for Rain Garden
• Laid 70 Yards of Decomposed Granite Paths + Play Areas
• Spread 150 Yards of Sandy Loam + Sand + Limestone Gravel Mixture for Seeding
• Relocated 4 One-Ton Boulders
• Relocated 6,000 lbs. of Limestone Rocks

The remaining two phases are planned for the Fall and include all project work except for the veggie beds and commemorative bricks. The veggie beds will be built upon funding and brick installation will take place in the new year, most likely February depending on the manufacturing timeline.

• Relocate Shipping Container
• Seed Prairie + Butterfly Garden
• Paint Schoolyard Games on Concrete Play Area
• Build Fence Around the Farm
• Plant Fruit + Shade + Ornamental Trees
• Plant Shrubs + Perennials
• Install Tree Stumps + Natural Play Elements
• ​Build Veggie Beds
• Install Commemorative Bricks