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 nature-based 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
• Installed Stump Circle

The second phase is planned for the Fall and includes all project work except for the fence around the farm, veggie beds, and commemorative bricks. The fence and 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
• Remove Obsolete Solar Panels
• Seed Prairie + Butterfly Garden
• Plant Fruit + Shade + Ornamental Trees
• Plant Shrubs + Perennials
• Install Natural Play Elements
• Paint Schoolyard Games on Concrete Play Area
• Build Fence Around the Farm​
• Build Veggie Beds
• Install Commemorative Bricks

​Many features of The Meadow’s natural design allow it to be self-sustaining with little effort. Seeded with native grasses and flowers that grow deep roots, the Prairie and Butterfly Garden will be tough enough to survive droughts; some species may go dormant during dry summers but will green back up in fall. The densely seeded perennials and grasses in these areas will also eventually shade out weed growth. The Woodland will be planted with native sapling trees in late fall. When small and while dormant, they work on growing their roots and by spring will be established. Due to this strategic timeline, no water is required. The Orchard is the only area that will have irrigation until the trees are established. A low watering, timed irrigation system will be used for the first year and during especially tough summers.

The final phase focuses on getting The Meadow established in the first year so that minimal maintenance will be required long term. 

• Set Up Drip Irrigation for the Orchard + Run Until Trees are Established
• Cut Back Prairie + Butterfly Garden Five (5) Times in First Year to Allow Grasses to Germinate Before Spring Wildflowers Shade Them Out
• Weed Prairie + Butterfly Garden Throughout First Year to Allow Seeds to Sprout

​​The Grounds Beautification Committee will coordinate ongoing maintenance to ensure The Meadow's success. 

• Cut Back Prairie + Butterfly Garden Each Spring to Promote Regeneration During Growing Season 
• Mow + Weed Decomposed Granite Paths Annually to Keep Overgrowth at Bay