Month: January 2016

No Winter Blues

Posted on by beanstalk

It is so very tempting to keep students indoor on these cold days. Last week, I planned mostly indoor activities fearing cold. I quickly learned that though those activities were productive and students learned, we did rob them of the experience that could have had out in nature.

This week each class was given an option to go outside in 20-degree weather or learn indoors. To my surprise 100% of students chose gardening over staying warm. Our objective was to make pumpkin observations, record data and make predictions about what was going to happen to them in spring and summer. After that students were shown how to use found natural material to create a sculpture or a mural. They could choose if they wanted to work with a team or by themselves. I can honestly say this has been the most fun garden project I have done to date! Students showed great creativity and teamwork. They were intensely focused and had so much ownership over their projects. Thank you Ms. Mittler for this idea and inspiration.

Here are some of the pictures from yesterday. Please take a look and see what happens in the garden.

Continuing the pumpkin observations…
Looking at the frozen water in the rain gauge and reading the temperature. Surprise find was the frozen bug that had exploded at the bottom.

 

 

 

M7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discovering the curious world of seeds.
Discovering the curious world of seeds.
We dig learning! :)
We dig learning! 🙂
Some of Mrs. Wright's students found this frozen bird bath much more interesting. They were able to figure out why the edges were easier to break than the center and why under it all the water wasn’t frozen. Not surprising, Lola related it back to how fish go deep to survive winter cold. Not too shabby a way to learn about states of matter after all we decided.
Some of Mrs. Wright’s students found this frozen bird bath much more interesting. They were able to figure out why the edges were easier to break than the center and why under it all the water wasn’t frozen. Not surprising, Lola related it back to how fish go deep to survive winter cold. Not too shabby a way to learn about states of matter after all we decided.
Making observations, recording data and making prediction to what will happen to the pumpkins in spring. They have got the composition part down but no one so far has predicted a pumpkin patch. :)
Making observations, recording data and making prediction to what will happen to the pumpkins in spring. They have got the composition part down but no one so far has predicted a pumpkin patch. 🙂
The goal of the Little Free Garden Library is just this. To put books in the hands of our kids.
The goal of the Little Free Garden Library is just this. To put books in the hands of our kids.
The most perfect example of a pine seed, she said.
This tepee started out as a picture on the ground and then was erected up.
This tepee started out as a picture on the ground and then was erected up.
Building a fort they said.
Building a fort they said.
Big stump was hauled a long way to stabilize this structure.
Big stump was hauled a long way to stabilize this structure.
Strong show of team works and persistence. The result was a very creative bunk tepee. Who knew they came like that?

Strong show of team works and persistence. The result was a very creative bunk tepee. Who knew they came like that?
This is a reason enough to have abundance of sticks and twigs in a school garden.
This is a reason enough to have abundance of sticks and twigs in a school garden.

 

M10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, not cold. Just bright and lovely!
No, not cold. Just bright and lovely!
M8
“My pencil broke so I am just finishing up my writing” he said instead of dashing off to the next activity.

AETNA FOUNDATION AWARDS GATEWAY GREENING $50,000 TO SUPPORT SCHOOL GARDENS FOR HEALTHIER KIDS

Posted on by beanstalk

ST. LOUIS, MO, January 5, 2016 – Gateway Greening is the recipient of a $50,000 Aetna Foundation grant to provide general support to Gateway Greening’s Youth and Education program for the next two years. The Aetna Foundation has been supporting Gateway Greening and their mission to educate and empower people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture since 2014.

Gateway Greening currently supports 90 community gardens throughout the St. Louis area and sends two youth educators to teach in six schools several times a month. These educators provide great lessons for students of our partner organizations, but they also work to educate teachers on the benefits of teaching core subjects in the healthy and active environment of the garden.

The grant from the Aetna Foundation will help transform gardens in public schools into learning environments that support health, academic success and lifelong learning for young people in St. Louis. Gateway Greening will provide intensive garden education, basic garden supplies and ongoing technical assistance in local schools for teachers and families. Funds also will support a summer youth employment program that teaches young people how to grow food and develop skills to increase their chances of career success and their ability to make a positive contribution to society.

Gateway Greening will collaborate with Fontbonne University to bring healthy eating lessons to children. Hannah Reinhart, Program Director for Gateway Greening said, “We would like to thank the Aetna Foundation for their continued support of the youth gardening program. This grant will allow us to expand on an established partnership with Fontbonne University’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics to help us teach nutrition and cooking workshops at school gardens,” Reinhart said.

“Good nutrition and physical exercise not only form the building blocks for a lifetime of good health, they also are critical factors in helping children be ready to learn,”  said Garth Graham, M.D., M.P.H., president of the Aetna Foundation. “We are pleased to support Gateway Greening’s program and help youth in St. Louis establish healthy habits at a young age.”

ABOUT GATEWAY GREENING

Gateway Greening is a non-profit organization that educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening has been working to provide creative, grassroots solutions to urban problems since 1984. Programs include supporting more than 200 community and youth-focused gardens across the St. Louis area through educational opportunities, garden supplies and technical assistance; urban beautification projects that enhance the St. Louis urban landscape; and the City Seeds Urban Farm, a 2.5 acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and a jobs training program. @gatewaygreening

 

ABOUT THE AETNA FOUNDATION

The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna (NYSE: AET). Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed more than $445 million in grants and sponsorships. As a national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who have volunteered 3.4 million hours since 2003. For more information, visit www.aetnafoundation.org.