'Putting Green' hopes to combine fun, education

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- For Kevin Kluis' sixth graders at Washington school, it was a project that may never come along again. They were asked to help design a miniature golf course.

At Christ the King Lutheran Church Saturday morning, they not only got to see what the schematic design of their model looked like but also created a three-dimensional model of it. Their 3-D model will be turned into a professional rendition for the proposed Putting Green Environmental Adventure Park which will be available for viewing at an environmental symposium in June.

The concept is the brainchild of Dr. Laurel Gamm, a physician at New Ulm Medical Center. As part of her service to the community, she has started a nonprofit organization to operate Putting Green.

The idea is for children and adults to learn about environmental issues in a fun way, she said. Various groups of youngsters are being brought into the design process, addressing biodiversity, water, soil, energy, air and human communities. At least one hole will address each of these products.

The 26 sixth graders started their project late last year, learning about environmental issues along the Minnesota River from Kathy Beaulieu of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. They then came up with 13 models, from which one was chosen.

The computer-rendered schematic was then created by Todd Olson of New Ulm, a product designer. Landscape architect Gary Hittle of Waconia will create the rendition of the sixth graders' 3-D model.

"It's a most wonderful way of developing a project like this," Gamm said. "The kids having ownership of the design is what's important. Even though they're assisted by adults, they get the final word in the design."

While it is like subjecting a design to kid review, Gamm explained, "it also promotes adult-student interaction. There are supposed to be two adults for every three children working on the project, but the kids have the final say."

"The whole idea is invite people to adopt sustainable practices in their everyday lives," Gamm said. "We changed the title from Learning Center to Adventure Park to make it more kid-acceptable."

"It's cool," said David Harsha, 12, of the project. Mike Bornhoft, 12, agreed, but added, "it's a lot of work, though."

"What a different thing for kids to be involved in," marveled Kluis. "It's so good for them to see someone having a visual idea and then carrying it through to the end. A byproduct is the knowledge about the environment they're gaining. It's fantastic."