Animals in the Garden

Today we had some special guests in our garden...a salamander and a (kid-friendly) snake! No, they were not wild...OC Park Ranger Sue Stoffel visited the garden and gave a presentation about what types of animals we might see in the garden/nature. The kids got to pet the live creatures, as well as touch an owl's wing, view several skeletons, and feel the fur of a fox. Thanks Ranger Sue! 

We also had time to plant some marigolds and started painting bird houses.

Looking for a fun outing with the kids? Visit Ranger Sue at the Muth Interpretive Center in Newport's Back Bay.

March Funday Monday in the Garden

Funday Monday in the garden was a hit with the kids today. Students were able to choose from one of three adult-led activities during lunchtime:

• Planting radish seeds to take home.
• Harvesting the last of the swiss chard and broccoli.
• Painting a tile to attach to the garden boxes.
• They also had the option for "free play"-- lots of interest in investigating the Fairy Garden with magnifying glasses.

We had about 90 students participate. Thanks to Frana, Natalie, and Gena for volunteering! 

Session Three: Free Play

We're off to a great start for Session Three in the garden. We went over the rules on how to stay safe and have fun while in the school garden. 

This session is a bit different than the others. We're trying something new and allowing the students to choose how they'd like to spend their time after school rather than being directed towards specific activities at specific times. Now, they can choose to assist with the garden (planting, weeding, harvesting) or participate in the activity of the day (painting bird houses, pressing flowers, garden scavenger hunt, labeling the parts of a plant, etc.), or (thanks to our sponsors) select something from the "free play" bin (garden-themed books, blank journals, magnifying glasses, art supplies, garden bingo, etc.). This type of open (yet supervised) structure seemed to work well and everyone had a great time.

In the Garden: We harvested some lettuce that the bunnies had munched on and planted radish seeds and sunflowers. In addtion to the two "covered" boxes, we also constructed (w/o the kids) a plastic mesh barrier for one of the boxes, which seems to be working.

Activity: The kids decorated plastic flower pots and planted pansies in them to take home the following week. Thank you to the PTA for donating the pots and paint.

Mucho Mulch!

We had a parent/volunteer workday in the garden over the weekend and are pleased to announce that we finally were able to get mulch delivered to use between the garden beds. In an effort to kill the crab grass that has taken over the area, we put weed barrier cloth down first, covered it with cardboard and then put the mulch on top. The added benefit is that it also gives the garden a more "finished" look. 

We were also fortunate to have a Master Gardener on-hand to prune our fruit trees in hopes of a spring harvest of apples, peaches, avocados, and lemons. Yum!

Let us know if you are interested in volunteering in the garden! We can always use an extra hand for Funday Monday (lunchtime), Garden Club (after school), or Work Days (weekend).

Sincerely,

The Garden Gals

"The Garden" by Eliana E. Martini

During the Garden Club, students are given the option to write/illustrate a journal. Here is a beautiful summary by Eliana of what we did during the second session in the El Morro garden.

Session Two Salad

We ended session two in the garden with a fresh-picked salad...and believe it or not most of the kids were more than thrilled to try it. If they grow it, they will eat it. 

The salad consisted of broccoli, swiss chard, red leaf lettuce, radish, bok choy, cabbage, and sweet peas...all of which were grown in the El Morro garden! We did add some croutons and carrots for flavor. Natalie Newberry, Austin's mom, was a rock star...she dashed off to get the forgotten salad dressing! 

Pam Shaffer and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with your kids in the garden. A big thanks also goes out to Karen Keel and Frana Banks for lending a hand when they can. And we would be lost without our Master Gardeners, Gena St. Denis Way and Elaine Rudin. It takes a village to grow a garden. We look forward to see what sprouts next session.