PHASE 1 JMS and GCS School Garden ReDesigns---- PHASE 1 COMPLETED 2014

 

Students have created plans to transform their school gardens into areas of exploration and inquiry. Gardens that will take learning outside the school’s walls and into an authentic, real world environment. Currently, the gardens at both schools are very limited. Our hope is to begin building the new plans this spring.

 

Supplies to Obtain:

• materials to build raised beds: Recycled Plastic Lumber + fasteners

• landscape fabric 3600-sq ft for pathways and raised beds

• Indoor growlab

• Seed starting supplies-- trays, containers, pots

• Stakes, cages, netting, tie backs

 

The garden will be a student led, student centered program. Students designed the garden and will help build it; they named the garden, created the logo, and are taking initiative to make it a reality. Every student in the school will take part in sowing and nurturing the seeds, transplanting the plants, harvesting and preparing the vegetables for the Harvest Luncheon, and collaborating to create the class recipe for the annual cook-off.  Sixth grade students will take the leadership role of hosting the Harvest Luncheon and the Whole School planting. Staff, students and families will maintain the garden throughout the summer. The garden will be used to teach sustainability through organic practices, seed saving, and composting our cafeteria and garden waste.

Students created redesign plans to reflect what they would like to see their garden evolve into. A garden where: everyone is included-Table High Beds for wheelchairs, bad knees and bad backs; one can get a bird’s eye view of the garden to observe, write, photograph, sketch-The Observation Tower; everyone can learn, explore, and be creative-The Open Lesson Area, The SandStream, The Tomato House; students, staff, & families gather for a picnic and conversation -The Picnic Area in the Fruit Trees; we can help those less fortunate-By adding more beds, we will be able to donate fresh, organic produce to area soup kitchens and food banks.

A garden is a springboard of academic connections.  Not only does a schoolyard garden present a healthy, whole food alternative to processed, refined offerings, it is an invaluable way to connect to standards across all curriculums. The curriculum connections are authentic, real world, whole child based and recently have been correlated with the CCSS. Determining perimeter and volume of garden beds, density and mass of soil, analyzing physical and chemical properties of soil, researching cultural origins and medicinal properties of plants, using the 5 senses to write descriptively, finding the average number of beans in a pod, etc. Using the garden as an instructional tool means that learning is not isolated.  

 

The garden will initiate pride and become an integral part of our school culture. Pride is instilled as a student tastes a tomato fresh off the vine that he or she started from a tiny seed and when students realize how throughout the summer the produce harvested was donated to those less fortunate.   

We have been successful in recruiting help needed to build, maintain, and refurbish the garden.  We base what we do around the shared desire to offer this special learning opportunity to the students. This Margaret Mead quote is our motto, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’

Over 40 parents are signed up to help with gardens. A google doc will be used to set up the Summer Maintenance schedule. Ag-Ed students from Wamogo will be volunteering time and skills during the school year and over the summer.