In addition to being a learning aid for their classmates, the project also helped the group strengthen their understanding of the material.
“Being able to do arts & crafts and get schoolwork done at the same time is so much better for me,” said Geary. “By the time we got to the quiz, we were all more confident with the information. I’m not a big reader and I don’t learn from being lectured at, but doing something this hands-on really enabled my learning more.”
And their sunflower ended up being the largest project in the class. “We needed to make it big enough so the whole class could see it,” said Kempf.
Other projects included a flower box, a foam cake with candles and strawberries, a crossword puzzle and a crocheted spider web.
“They were all very creative, even researching colors for the flowers to connect that meaning to the content,” said Best.
The sunflower was displayed during the spring 2023 Student Showcase, and Best hopes to keep it for future classes. “It made for a very memorable experience,” said Kempf. “I’ll remember the content from this project way more than I would with a textbook.”