Elizabeth Breathwaite Mini-Grant Award Winner.

AWARDS AND HONORS

1999 Winner--Seeds of Learning

Kindergarten teachers Melissa Caprio, Leslie Sevey, and Caroline LeStrange won the 1999 Elizabeth Breathwaite Mini-Grant Award for their gardening project "Seeds of Learning." Inspired by the desire to bring gardening to young children, these teachers set out with the following goals for their students: learn about plant growth and cultivation, make observations and predictions about plant growth, and share in the excitement of new plant life.

The project began at the start of the 1999 school year. At their annual Kindergarden Party, which kicks off the school year, the teachers shared their project with their students' families and asked each family to bring a gardening item to support the project. From there, the teachers began related classroom activities. First, they brainstormed about what a garden is, what a garden has, and what items are needed to garden. Next, they asked the students to design a garden on paper.

During the winter, the teachers and students completed indoor planting projects, observed plant life, and continued their gardening discussions. The children recorded environmental changes in Earth journals, and kept a class tree journal, which focused on observing one particular tree throughout the seasons. In addition, the students sewed a garden quilt and created individual cement stepping-stones, to be used in their outdoor garden.

In the spring, the teachers and students began designing and preparing the beds for planting, and assembling wooden boards to create raised beds. To learn even more about nature and the changes taking place during the spring, they visited the Audubon Society.

Although the results of their fall bulbs were disappointing, due to squirrel problems, the children remained optimistic, even after the transplanted seedlings failed to grow outside after two weeks of steady rain. With the help of some parents, the class prepared additional areas of soil and planted sunflowers. They also decorated the garden with birdhouses, cement figurines, an ABC sculpture made from twigs, and rock gardens. Throughout the gardening unit, the teachers continuously integrated music, art, science, math, and literature.

The teachers say the Seeds of Learning Project was successful because the children had the opportunity to grow and care for their own plants. They used garden tools and they measured, observed, and predicted plant growth. Even a small seed gave them a lot of learning.

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING RESOLUTIONS

At the Annual Business Meeting held in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 19, 2000, the following resolutions were passed:

Whereas, ACEI and OMEP participated in developing Global Guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Care, and

Whereas, ACEI is invested in improving the quality of life and services for children throughout the world,

Therefore, be it resolved that ACEI adopts the Global Guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Care developed at the 1999 International Symposium on Early Childhood Education and Care for the 21st Century. The organization will work to actively disseminate these guidelines to its membership and to appropriate international organizations and services related to Early Childhood Education and Care.

Whereas, the needs of children and youth are primary concern for both the United Nations and ACEI, and

Whereas, ACEI is working to become a stronger voice to achieve greater presence among the nations of the world and among those who work to educate the children and youth of the world, and

Whereas, ACEI has active representation among the Non-govermental Organizations working with the UN, and

Whereas, this representation advocates for the children and youth of the world, and

Whereas, the membership of ACEI must be aware of this connection to effectively support the work of ACEI and its voice at the UN,

Therefore, be it resolved that ACEI will work to actively educate its membership on the work done by the UN and the ACEI representatives to the UN on behalf of the children and youth of our world. These efforts should include sessions at the Annual Conference and publications.

Whereas, the Local Conference Committee has invested and expended commitment, time, energy, and other resources to the Association for Childhood Education International's 2000 Annual Conference and Exhibition, and

Whereas, the membership of ACEI is benefiting greatly from this successfully planned and implemented conference,

Therefore, be it resolved that the membership of ACEI extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to the Local Conference Committee.