Students will launch the project by investigating how water moves through drains, rocks, soil, sand, and native plants, then connect those observations to people, insects, birds, and soil in a school garden. They will listen to community perspectives, sketch early ideas, and name questions they want to explore next.

Students will gather community and living-thing perspectives about water, gardens, and habitat needs through observation, guest interaction, family story collection, and structured empathy mapping. They will sort evidence from people, insects, birds, and soil into a shared artifact that helps the class notice needs, check assumptions, and prepare for garden design decisions.

Students will sort and synthesize empathy findings from earlier interviews and observations, turn those patterns into a shared How Might We statement, and generate several different native garden ideas that respond to water flow, habitat needs, and community stories. They will sketch, discuss, critique, and revise early concept directions for a class garden plan before moving into prototype testing.

Students will build low-tech runoff and garden layout prototypes, test them with peers and community voices, revise signs and drainage choices using evidence, and complete a checkpoint showing how sand, gravel, soil, and native plants help water move more slowly and cleanly.

Students will refine their runoff models, native plant signs, and class garden plan by using expert, family, and peer feedback to make clearer design choices for water flow, habitat support, and community connection. They will prepare a stakeholder-facing presentation that shows how testing, stories, and revision shaped their final ideas before the public exhibition.

Students will present their class native garden plan, runoff models, plant signs, and community stories to families and partners, then use audience feedback and a closing circle to name how their design helps water move more cleanly through the school community and supports people, insects, birds, and soil.