The US Fish and Wildlife Service is planning a summer school for a select few parents and teachers.  The subject matter: using wildlife to teach children.  The adults will then head into schools to start new environmental programs such as the one that came to fruition just recently.   

Karleen Vollherbst with the Fish and Wildlife Service says nature gets kids excited about learning. Shetal Prasad is a fourth grader at Taylor Elementary School in Sacramento.  Her enthusiasm is just what Vollherbst (VAWL hurbst) likes to see. 

VOLLHERBST: "It flies, it's small, and I think they're really pretty. Butterfly/  Butterflies!  Butterflies and moths. They like the sage especially..  

Vollherbst and other biologists are at the school for the culmination of a year-and-a-half of project planning with teachers at the school.  Karen Brown is one of the teachers.  She and Vollherbst are overseeing the campus planting of 200 trees, shrubs and grasses native to California…by 200 third and fourth graders.  Brown says nature can be used in any subject.

BROWN: "The natural one would be science classes.  But, we could also use it for writing. You could come out and do a journal on it. You could do a writing piece, you could do observations, predictions. There's math-measuring involved. So, there's many lessons  they can learn.  The biggest one is how to appreciate nature."

Brown says twenty parents and students prepared the beds and pathways and will continue taking care of the new garden.