The goal of this activity is to make the EC students beautify the school hut with flowers and beautiful pot stands.  One objective is to provide opportunity for students to appreciate plants and flowers and be calmer.  They participate in planting and looking after their flower pot decorating nearby the hut. It also aims for the cultural exchange of experiences for the students in the US and Philippines about school beautification through pen pal, facilitated by the teacher.

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This activity may inspire them to be calm like plants and ready to learn and to grow.  It will remind them that they are just like plants that they need nurturance.  If their plant needs the sun and water, they also need to receive learning instructions in order to grow wiser besides food, water and shelter.

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Students will be engaged in the knowledge and skills about caring for the environment in some ways. Students will be guided that caring for the environment includes planting a flower to make the surroundings beautiful. They will also tell how they feel about plants and flowers that they take care of.

They will learn that caring for the environment is also happening on the other side of the world like school children of their age growing flower pots project in their school in the Philippines.  ​

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As an international teacher, I will also share among students some of the school beautification efforts that we do in my home country.  Students from my home country will share the plants that grow in a tropical region like the Philippines, which may be available to sub-tropical, North Carolina.

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Students from my class to students from the Philippines will be engaged on those topics for cultural knowledge exchanges from January 2025 to May 2025 of this school year via “Pen Pal” cross-cultural activity for once a month during their Social Skills learning time.  I hope that this project will have a long-lasting impact.

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Project Background

The proponent embarked on this “EC Hut Flower Pot School Beautification” and connect it with cross-cultural activity such as “pen-pal” to help students in the EC program improve their social-emotional skills. One problem is to provide a coping mechanism for EC learners manage their social-emotional skills by movement to go outside for a bit to calm down when they needed.  To see how their plant or flowers are growing can be a motivation, reminder or a redirection of their unpredictable behavior. It was during one transition that some students rushed to pick very small flowers from the grass and appreciated it. Sometimes they gave it to me. Colorful flowers seem to catch their attention and they instantly become aesthetic and calm or filled with beautiful idea to share their feelings and thoughts. The proponent thought of the students to plant their own flowers or transfer a plant to a flower pot to celebrate their ability.  The flower needs to be in season and it should be cared creatively to be able to survive any weather condition. 

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Project Narrative/Description:

This school beautification project is just a part of the whole school beautification because it covers a limited zone area to beautify within the school. It is a project for Exceptional Children to help them cope with their social-emotional skills during the process. The activity also includes cultural sharing that connects them to other school children in the Philippines about sharing the culture of caring for the environment and appreciating the native flowers that thrive in a tropical region all year round or in season. This activity may inspire those who are also interested in plants and beautification.