5. Ladybug Events provides puppet show, sing alongs, and fun activities at schools
with local artists and musicians. Her Miss Ladybug and Farmer Green thumbs are
getting ready for our Soil Science lesson. We sing and perform skits about what
nutrients help the plants grow.
8. Sensory exploration before leading into Sprouting
seeds. Great for winter activities. Also ages 2-5 love
sorting.
9.
10. Hands on! Dig IN,
From Seed, to Soil
to the the Sky.
11. Sensory work for ages 2-5 is essential for youth to feel comfortable with dirt,
grit, and hard work. Here ages 4 are mixing sifted GA clay with granite sand.
We are making Mushroom benches and tables! The students had their hands
in all aspects of making these structures. They are happy to say “look, I
made that!”
12. Awakening their senses with dirty hands. It was like
they were on another planet. Their faces and reactions
are priceless. Ages 2
15. We received plants from local farms and grew
our own seedlings. Here you can see the
youth ages 10 running their own plant sale.
They understand the value of a good plant.
I often bring in local experts. Here is David
Paul of Compost Wheels teaching our Drew
Charter school kids about Compost 101.
David operates Compost wheels.
16. Worm Bins are easy to make and maintain and
children love taking care of them. Now all
Kindergarten classes at Avondale Elementary
have their own worm bins in each classroom.
17. Creating
Working
Invitations
helps me and
the students
tackle all
aspects of
gardening from
fertilizing beds
to harvesting
herbs for the
kitchen for teas.
Youth will work
diligently if you
break up tasks
to 10-15 min
and rotate.
Note the
cardboard, Sun
hats, shovels,
buckets, table
set with
supplies.
18. Special Discussion and Tea time celebrating all the herbs we have grown,
harvested and processed. I like to make special time where we sip and talk
about all the things we have done. Its also a great time to hear about what
the kids are interested in . I love how proud they are when they feel involved.
19. Whenever possible I like to mix ages and help each other add, subtract and work
through recipes. On rainy days food prep and cooking are perfect activities. A
student asked me if this was a cooking class or a math class and I happily said
both. The kitchen is where many people around the world learn problem solving
and math skills.
20. Students picked out, sold, and planted these San Marzano
Tomatoes. They also built the supports. We have harvested
many pounds of these for the kitchen and eaten many in salsa
fresca.
21. A variety of perennial herbs are essential for my teaching gardens. Here are 2
kinds of lavender. Fern leaf in the back and English up front. The students
enjoy rubbing the leaves in their fingers and smelling the fragrances.
Awaken the senses!
22. Lemon Balm is wonderful for shady spot and
is so hardy. Youth love the fragrance and
know it helps keep bugs away. It can be very
invasive but if you harvest it a lot dont worry.
Put bundles in bathrooms, offices, kitchen.
Let kids go home with some to share!
Rainbow Chard is so vibrant and
fun. Once established it may last
up to 3 seasons! The bright
colors are fun for everyone.
23. Below are Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes.
This are prolific and seem to be a huge bug life
attractor! Covered in Aphids these hardy flowering
plants tower up with praying mantises,
grasshoppers and of course ladybugs all over!
Its fun to notice life cycles. Here you can see a
baby ladybug larva and it turning into an adult.
There are so many of these at the school. I
suspect the sunchokes are why.
24. Mullein or Camper’s TP
A wonderful medicinal plant that heals respiratory conditions. As a sensory plant it is
phenomenal. You can share it with children as almost a pet. Its hardy and soft and when it
flowers it shoots to the sky attracting pollinators. Seeds may take awhile to germinate but
established plants often make new ones and they are easy to find.
25. Warp weighted loom. Children weave on it and made all aspects. It adds
color, education, history, and interactive elements to the space. See bean
TP in behind.
