Kindergarten students at Mary Morgan Elementary are experiencing literacy and learning in meaningful and hands-on ways, thanks to the Art & Story Connections grant funded by the Byron Foundation, according to a news release.

The grant provided materials that support early reading, storytelling and creative expression through play-based, developmentally appropriate learning.

These activities were connected to a classroom animal unit that coincided with a field trip to Summerfield Zoo in Belvidere. During the visit, students explored indoor animal habitats featuring kangaroos, capybaras, and lemurs, as well as outdoor habitats including reindeer, arctic foxes, wolves, and lynx. The real-life experiences from the zoo helped bring classroom stories and activities to life.

In the classroom, students used board pieces made of felt to retell animal stories and nursery rhymes, practicing oral language skills, sequencing, and comprehension as they recreated stories using characters and settings. These retelling activities help students strengthen their understanding of story structure while building confidence in speaking and listening.

The grant also supported a variety of art experiences connected to the animal theme. Students used watercolor paints to create arctic animal illustrations, focusing on observation, fine motor development, and expressive detail.

Using modeling compound and sculpting tools, students also designed and built reindeer, encouraging creativity, problem-solving and hands-on exploration. In addition, students used magnetic tiles to design and build animal habitats inspired by the zoo. These open-ended building activities promote collaboration, communication and early engineering skills as students work together to plan and construct environments for animals.

Through these experiences, students were able to connect real-world observations, stories and art in meaningful and memorable ways, according to the release.

In this way, the grant from the Byron Foundation for the Art & Story Connections program is having a positive impact by fostering creativity, early literacy development, and joyful learning experiences for kindergarten students at Mary Morgan Elementary, according to the release.

The Byron Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit, established in 1993, is an independent organization, founded to provide the Byron School educators access and opportunity to impact learning that empowers students and provides an enriched education beyond the district tax dollars.

This volunteer team of parents, educators, and community service members are committed to supporting children with unique experiences to help broaden their education, expose them to enriched opportunities and to cultivate leaders.

The board of directors meets several times a year to accept and process grants that average $5,000 a year and manage scholarship funds for other individuals and organizations. For more than 30 years, over 40 community members have served as board members, raising funds and granting over $200,000 to Byron school staff for use in their classrooms.