Getting the Dish on Dirt!

This week was all about dirt: what it does, why it's important, and which kinds are better! The naturally sandy soil at the school was a great visual tool when comparing it to the loamy potting soil brought for the new plants. This was one of those lessons where the kids could just get their hands dirty! Whether it was collecting sand for comparison or helping us re-pot some young strawberries, it was a time to let loose and get to the nitty-gritty of gardening. The strawberries were planted into vertical planters, which was a great way of showing what you can do with limited space in a garden (also uses less water than a traditional garden).


Another tidbit that we've touched on at several lessons is the importance of bees. As should be expected, the students had a rather negative reaction to close encounters of the bee kind in the garden. They're fascinated, however, to learn that we actually love the bees that visit, and most of the kids noticeably became more comfortable with them as time went on. Some even inched closer every few minutes, mainly watching as the bees drank from the freshly-watered beds. (Fun fact: bees always stay close to a source of water.) This kind of curiosity and discovery is probably the most rewarding thing to see in the garden.

Christine

Parts of the Plant

This week, we worked with the 1st grade class learning about parts of the plants. After reviewing all they had learned about seeds the previous week, the students quickly grasped the concept of the four main parts of the plant: stem, leaf, flower, and roots. The students were amazed to find out that strawberries come from a flower. In the garden the kids could see the progression of a strawberry starting from a blossom, to the fruit. Here in the picture is Ms. Sydney and the class drawing and labeling the four parts of a plant. 

Sun, Water, Soil and Love!

Last week we worked with Ms. Sutherland's 1st grade class learning about seeds. The kids were very enthusiastic about learning where plants they eat come from. While in small groups we got together and asked the kids what they think seeds need to grow. One student, eagerly raised her hand and said seeds need: water, sun, dirt and love most importantly. She stated that when humans plant seeds we need to treat them with respect and love to make them grow fast and big. Later the next week we saw our seeds, planted with love, were the only ones that sprouted in the beds! 

Measurements in the Garden

The lesson this week started with our students picking a plant. From there we took turns measuring how tall the plant is and coming up with some questions that we could investigate and observe until the semester concluded.

Our beautiful garden on an equally beautiful day.

Working together to form and answer questions about our plants.

Our class works together to ensure that everyone has had a turn to do the lesson and to get some hands-on experience with working with their veggies and herbs.

A quick note about 1st graders: they love to water. And they are super careful to not water the same bed twice. We water with the students to teach them how important it is to plants as well as for our own bodies. Only having one watering can certainly encourages and requires sharing from our little ones.

We were taking our measurements seriously. We first identified the plant, then took the ruler from the base of the plant to the top and had our students record the height in inches. Sam and I would write down the students' questions and we will return to them each week we have with them. The students were so enthusiastic about the proposed changes and what has already changed in the garden. They are especially concerned with when they can eat the leafy greens and okra.

From Melrose Elementary,

Meghan R.

Lakewood Elementary Service Day!

http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp1843936.jsp

Join us in spending the morning in our Lakewood Elementary schoolyard garden. The Junior League of St. Pete will be lending a big helping hand for this Service Day!

Saturday November 15th 2014 9AM-1PM

We take this time to catch up on garden maintenance and to finish larger projects so that our gardens are ready for the students who come out weekly to learn and explore.

Morning refreshments are provided.

Bring along your family, friends, and your gardening tools!

p.s. Bring along your compost-ables to donate to our compost bins(veggie and fruit scraps, oak leaves, coffee grounds, tea bags, BUT NO MEAT or DAIRY, please)!

Visit peacepatch.org for more info about our project.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Keep an eye out for the addition of November and December service days!

A sprouting garden and bugs!

Today at Melrose Elementary School it was bug day! The kids loved looking around and trying to find different types of insects and trying to figure out what kind of bug it was! Although we did find mostly ladybugs, which the kids loved passing around!

Not only did the kids love searching the plants for bugs, but they also just loved seeing everything that had grown since the previous week! The garden was full with kale, purple okra, peppers and so much more! The kids kept begging to try the different leaves and loved finding out the names of these new veggies! 

  

The garden has grown so much and is filled with such beautiful smells! Today was a great day and I can't wait to see how much more the garden grows and how the kids will react to the growth!

Peace, Sam!

Seeds and Sunshine!

It was a beautiful day out at Melrose this Thursday! We taught the 1st graders about the structure of a plant and boy did they love that! Not only did they love getting to look at all of the different types of plants and pointing out the different parts, we also allowed them to plant some seeds to grow their own plants!

The kids were so excited that these seeds would be their own and that they each got to individually plant them! They planted some acorn squash and the kids kept asking for more seeds and asking if they could take some home to plant at their houses! It amazes me how excited kids can get when they are helping to take care of something, even if it is just one acorn squash!

Everything else in the garden is also coming along beautifully! The kids loved trying to figure out what the different plants are and were so surprised that you can find most of it in the foods you eat on a regular basis! We have tons of oregano, okra, basil and beans sprouting up and the kids can't wait to try everything! 

Peace out, Sam!