Our school’s exterior has undergone a metamorphosis! The 5th-graders’ 2011 legacy project, two mosaic butterflies using art created by the 5th-graders themselves, show how much our Outdoor Wildlife Lab (the O.W.L.) and other habitat projects mean to our school. Did you know that Kathy Caraway herself loved butterflies?
Thank you to Ms. Conti, our art teacher, for planning this spectacular creation with our students, and thank you to Liz M. and all the other volunteers who helped bring this butterfly to life, so to speak.
Nearby, other mosaics beautify our Outdoor Wildlife Lab. 
Tricia L. and her scouts designed and made the tiled art for our O.W.L. benches. The artwork shows hummingbirds, flowers, and of course our school mascot, owls. The bench tops are gorgeous!
The benches are a perfect colorful complement to the blooms in our garden. Thanks, Tricia L. and your student helpers, and thanks again to Liz M. for helping me do the final stage — the ever-fun grouting process! Another thank you goes out to the USFW Partners for Wildlife program for the funds we used to provide these benches for our outdoor learning center — the O.W.L. has become a fantastic wildlife viewing area for our students and our school neighbors.
While photographing the benches, I discovered this wonderful birdfeeder by the O.W.L. Could this be a class’s Earth Day project? Love it!
I just saw that you posted this picture. My FAC students made this
feeder. We placed it outside our classroom, next to the O.W.L. so they could watch the birds (and the occasional squirrel) stop by and dine. They loved it! We had a lot of fun with it this year. Next year we are going to try and keep track of the different kinds of birds we see.