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.

Building a Fairy Garden

Today in the El Morro Garden the students got to use their imagination. We had Dani and Kim from Dragonfly Hollow Nursery stop by and give a workshop on how to build a fairy garden. They donated items to the garden so the kids could build one in our school garden. It turned out great and the kids were thrilled! Each student even got to take home a trellis to build a fairy garden in their own backyard.

On a sad note, the recent stormy weather caused our canopy to blow over and break, so we no longer have shade for the picnic table. And the wind also blew the covers off of our garden boxes, so the bunnies had a blast eating most of the produce that we've been growing, as well as Mrs. Goodman's cucumber seedlings. Gardening can be a challenge, but also a learning experience.

Seedlings: New and Old

The El Morro garden's produce is growing quickly. Some of the seedlings we planted just weeks ago are nearly ready to harvest. It's been exciting watching the kids watch the garden grow. We were also lucky to receive new seedlings for planting during the last garden club:

• Mr. Duddy gave us three Sweet Pea seedlings that were started at the district office.
• Mrs. Goodman's class handed over six cucumber seedlings that they grew from seed in class.
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Thanks to a collaboration between OC Waste Management and TVI, the garden also received a donation of woodchips to put in between the garden boxes. Not only does it make the garden look more manicured, it also covers the cardboard that was laid down to kill the crabgrass. 

Bugs and Broccoli

Another exciting day for the El Morro Garden Club...

In the Garden:

Our veggies are growing big. The kids had the chance to sample swiss chard and kale fresh from the garden. Most were eager to give it a taste test. Try it at home...you might be surprised! The kids were excited about seeing the actually broccoli crowns starting to sprout. We used rulers to measure our veggies and recorded the results in a chart graph. Most were more than 5 inches tall.

Activity Time:

The students learned about bugs...which ones are beneficial (butterflies and ladybugs) and which ones are detrimental (aphids). We used our bug cards to try to identify bugs in the garden...luckily we didn't find any! The kids also got to examine composting worms using magnifying glasses. 

Art in the Garden:

Each student got to paint a ceramic tile that we attached to the garden boxes. It looks so wonderful to see some of the children's art in the garden.

Thank you to Frana Sadler for bringing yummy rolls and jam for snack and Finnegan for bringing pretzels.

Featured Web site:

Savannah's Organic Ranch in Aliso Viejo

Recommended Reading:

Grow it, Cook it with Kids by Amanda Grant