Gateway Greening Blog Archives - Page 16 of 16

They Are Like My Babies!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by beanstalk

Hello, my name is Ting Liu. This is my last week as an intern at Gateway Greening. I have spent 2 months here and gained wonderful gardening and teaching experience. In this passionate organization, people do awesome work in the city!

I am part of the Youth Program and responsible for Early Childhood Education. I deliver weekly gardening classes for three day care centers. I’ve done many interesting activities with children and given them many chances to experience their gardens.

My favorite gardening activity is to plant and transplant vegetables with kids. Kids love this hands-on class. They like to touch and smell leaves and they like to dig soil and water plants. We got many interactions through planting. It is a great way to have them communicate with nature, and it helps me understand them better.

Through the 2-month internship, my thoughts regarding gardening changed a lot. I didn’t have an opinion about gardening before. But now, I am interested in having a small and personal garden near my house. I feel excited about plants’ growth. Each time, when I got to day care centers, I couldn’t wait to check the vegetables we planted. When I found they were getting higher and bigger, I got proud of them. They are like my babies!

Introducing Our Summer Youth Staff: Otha Burton

Posted on July 9, 2014 by beanstalk

Hi my name is Otha. I work with Gateway Greening. I play football for Northwest Academy Law High School and I like to work. I love to help people out when they need help and I like knowing how to work in a garden and farm. My favorite part is that the little kids like to plant flowers and dig holes and put the flowers in them, but they don’t like to get dirty.

Goodies From The Garden

Posted on June 24, 2014 by beanstalk

We are already almost half way through our summer break! The spring storms have been good to our gardens at Gateway Greening. We are harvesting beautiful produce and having a great time in the garden. Summer programs are also enjoying planting, watering,harvesting, and other tasks that are necessary to maintain a garden. Claire

At one of our summer sites, we have been busy with a garden that seems like it is getting larger every week and kids who are eager to see the results of their hard work. So far this week, we have tackled some important tasks. Today, we noticed there were a few sweet potato beds that were not growing as healthy as we had hoped. While this usually isn’t ideal, it gave the kids an opportunity to test the soil. This lesson involved teaching the kids what nutrients are in ideal soil and necessary for growing healthy plants. Kids dug up soil samples from the sad beds, added and mixed in water, waited for the soil to settle, and used a soil testing kit to test for nutrient deficiencies. As we were waiting for the results, a group of three ladies were busy picking, chopping, mixing and taste testing. We enjoyed this cloudy mid 70s weather with a bowl of fresh salad from the garden. They used dinosaur kale, cucumbers, carrots, snap peas, green bell peppers, broccoli, and strawberries all from the garden. They added pieces of pineapples, a simple dressing, and a cracker on the side. The three young ladies who put this salad together couldn’t keep their hands off of the ingredients as they were making it. The salad seemed to go over well, and if the kids didn’t like it they picked out the ingredients they did like. The children learned that using the food they were growing is simple and delicious. What are you using your garden goodies for?

The soil was taking longer than we expected to produce results, but hopefully we can come up with a solution for our sweet potato beds soon.

– Claire Hagarty, Youth Program Intern

Introducing Our Summer Youth Staff

Posted on June 12, 2014 by beanstalk

Hello my name is Kortez Nobles. This is my second week working with Gateway Greening and I’m highly enjoying it. Gateway Greening is very passionate about gardening and maintaining to keep our community safe. Gateway Greening educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Everyday I come to work it motivates me to strive for my best because I like to see a beautiful garden growing. I love working with the kids in the gardens and seeing them laugh, have fun, and so energetic about the garden.

I’ve had some great experiences over the past week. When I first started working I was thinking like “I don’t like this job, I don’t want to work with dirt.” Then it turned out different. I met new people. I’ve had chances to communicate with some of my coworkers. They’re pretty cool. I talked with kids. They were very energetic about learning how to plant strawberries. We’ve had activities and I’ve enjoyed playing with them. My favorite activity was the scavenger hunt. I thought it was exciting. I believe I have more experience within this week than I’ve ever had about plants and gardening. I can identify some plants we’ve been growing in the garden.

Over all I’m having fun with Gateway Greening. I haven’t had any bad experiences. I plan on learning more about plants and gardening. As a personal opinion, I think everyone should have a garden to support Gateway Greening in building a safe community.

-Kortez Nobles

A Happy Journey

Posted on May 28, 2014 by beanstalk

We‘re coming to the end of the school year full of joy and accomplishment! We released the butterflies we raised ourselves into the wild, shouting “Have a happy journey!” as they flew up into the sky. The past few weeks we’ve had quite a happy journey ourselves. We planted over 40 trees (generously donated by Forest Releaf and the Missouri Department of Conservation) to create a beautiful nature trail next to the Clay Elementary Garden. We hosted almost 100 students from Avery Elementary at Clay’s garden for a field day. And at last, today, we were able to harvest and eat the fruits of our labor: a delicious salad. Our salad started off a few months ago looking like this:

After many weeks of watering and impatient waiting, they exploded into giant lettuce plants the size of elephant ears. We had an exuberant harvest.

Everyone ran to the garden and ripped three leaves off the lettuce plants with names like Red Freckled, Pak Choi, Matador, Butter Crunch, Rouge d’Hiver. We washed them, getting completely soaked ourselves in the process, and squeezed lemons over them, yelling about how the lemon juice stung our fingers. I sent the kindergarteners back to the garden to pick the purple chive flowers, and I added olive oil and salt to the salad. And then:

Some of us asked for seconds, and some of us spit it out and made gagging sounds, but the important part is that we all tried it! “If you don’t try,” their kindergarten teacher said, “how will you ever know if something is good?” A lesson for all of us.

This was my last class of the season. Our sweet potatoes are in the ground, the benchmark of summertime in the school garden. “These won’t be ready to eat until you’re FIRST GRADERS,” I told my kindergarten class. My students and my sweet potatoes are both in the process of transformation. As they walked back inside, I waved after them, wishing them a happy journey just like the butterflies. When I see them again, they will be different.

Carolyn Cosgrove Payne, Youth Educator

Dear Farmer Will

Posted on May 16, 2014 by beanstalk

The springtime frenzy has hit us like a big sack of seed potatoes here at Gateway Greening. Last week I felt like I never left my truck, racing back and forth between schools dropping off supplies, meeting compost delivery drivers, talking to principals, and teaching kindergarten classes. I know when I’m this busy, I tend to perceive even the smallest things as criticism—a sideways glance from a teacher, or the resounding “NO!” one student yells out when I ask the class if they want to sing a song. In the chaos, it’s easy for me to forget the bigger picture of why I love this work.

That’s why I was so psyched to get a copy of the children’s book “Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (and illustrated by Eric-Shabazz Larkin) in the mail. Will Allen is one of my personal heroes. As many of you know, he is a former-basketball-player-turned-farmer and the founder of Growing Power, one of the greatest food justice organizations in the nation. What is food justice, you ask? Food justice means that everybody can enjoy a full belly of healthy, culturally appropriate food that is grown in a way that respects the earth. It is a global movement, asserting that those tenets are fundamental rights, no matter how much money you make or what color your skin is or what background you come from.

I ordered this picture book about Farmer Will because I’ll be attending a Growing Power workshop next week, focused on the intersection of food justice and racism. I’m so excited! I wanted my students to share my excitement, so I decided to use the Farmer Will book to plant a seed of food justice in my kindergarten class at Clay Elementary.

There are not a lot of children’s books that feature African American men as main characters, and the enthusiasm among my kindergarteners in looking at the pictures was palpable. We read the story of Will buying abandoned lots in Milwaukee, and using them to feed his neighbors and teach kids to farm. We talked about how his work is important for people who don’t have a lot to eat. We screamed at the close-up picture of a worm. On the very last page, there was a question: “Will you be on Will Allen’s crew? Will you grow vegetables for your family, your neighbors, on your porch, or roof, or yard?” Without hesitation, the kindergarteners shouted, “YES!”

“Good news! We’re already part of Will Allen’s crew,” I said, “because we grow food at our school! We are going to tell Farmer Will what we like about our school garden. Next week I’m going to visit one of his farms, and I’m going to deliver your letters then.” (Shhh, don’t tell them that I may not actually get to meet Will in person!

After half an hour of hard work, here are the results:

(Dear Farmer Will, My name is Terrion and we have a garden at our school. I like our school garden because I get to grow. Your friend, Terrion)

(Dear Farmer Will, My name is Ryniya and we have a garden at our school. I like our school garden because I like to pick potatoes. Your friend, Ryniya)

(Dear Farmer Will, My name is Julius. We have a garden at our school. I like our school garden because I like digging.)

Reading my students’ letters, I am remembering that we are part of a team. As a traveling teacher, I sometimes feel like I work alone under a giant heap of to-do lists. But me, a whole big crew of kindergarteners, Farmer Will, all of the other food justice organizations in our country and beyond, and really, anyone who has ever felt the power of a good meal to bring them peace—we are all growing together toward yummy food and justice. Now, that is a cause worth working overtime for.

Overheard in the Garden

Posted on March 13, 2014 by beanstalk

Education in the Garden

It has been an eventful week in our school gardens! The nice weather means we’ve been outside at last, feeling the sunshine on our faces and cleaning up our gardens for spring. Hauling mulch, picking up trash, hanging bird feeders—something about the flurry of activity has turned my students into unstoppable chatterboxes.

The fresh air has made the line between reality and imagination a little fuzzy…

Me: “What kinds of animals visit your garden?”
Class (in unison): “Zebras!!!”

Me: “Why do we want to pick up trash in the garden? What might eat the trash?”
Kindergartener: “Witches.”
Other Kindergartener: “And they’d put a spell on us!!”

Preschooler, holding what is clearly a big stick: “Look at this huge worm I found!”
Other preschooler: “I have four baby worms. They tickle me all day long.”

…and sometimes, while they like the idea of gardening, they approach actual gardening with trepidation…

Me: “Today we’re making bird feeders!”
Preschoolers: “Ewwww!”

Me: “Next, we’re going to plant some flowers!”
2^nd grade class: “Yay!”
(mad scramble for flower seeds and pots)
2^nd grader: “Um, excuse me, does that mean we have to touch the dirt?”

Kindergarteners, holding their cups full of worms, waiting for instructions.
Me: “Ok, pour your worms out on the table to look at them.”
Kindergarteners pour them out, see the worms, and run away screaming: “AHHHHHH!”

…but most of the time, I think my students should probably be running the world.

Kindergartener: “We have a garden at school just in case something bad happens and then we have food.”

7^th grader: “If you grow your own food, you know it don’t have pesticides.”
Other 7^th grader: “And you won’t get yellow stuff on your heart and have a stroke.”

Preschooler: “I know that dirt made my lunch.”
2^nd graders, overcoming their fear of dirt, chanting: “God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt. Ahhhhh, it’s wet! God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt!”

4^th grader, making a plant label: “Look, I put hearts on the part that goes underground, so the plant knows I love it.”

My favorite part about garden education is that young people can learn while being their loud, bouncing-around selves. What they lack in technical gardening knowledge, they make up for with love and enthusiasm. With all that positive energy, the plants will be taller than the kids in no time.

-Carolyn Cosgrove-Payne, Gateway Greening Youth Educator

Math is Easier with Ears of Corn!

Posted on March 5, 2014 by beanstalk

Education in the Garden

I spent Thursday afternoon with 7th graders who absolutely cannot wait another moment to eat corn. I was helping them plan our garden using math. “If a corn plant takes up two square feet,” I said, “and one of your garden beds is eighty square feet, how many corn plants can we grow in that bed?”

Foreheads wrinkled for a moment, and then they almost shouted, “Forty!”

“How many ears of corn grow on one plant?”

“Maybe two!” “Or three!”

“So how many ears of corn do we get to eat?”

“At least eighty!”

There were four boys in that group, and they spent the rest of that class divvying up the imaginary ears of corn among themselves. “I did the most work,” one of them said, “so I’m taking forty and y’all can have the rest.” Protests ensued. Around them, the other groups worked on their projects– counting backwards from the last frost date to make our spring planting calendar, making lists of companion plants, measuring the garden beds outside and finding their areas. “Excuse me Miss Carolyn,” one girl said urgently from across the room, “but what is a coal-rab-y? Should we grow it?” “I’ve never tasted eggplant,” her friend added, “so we have to grow that. What does it taste like?”

Yes, growing food is all about math and science, but it’s also about magic and suspense. If we plant these things, will they really grow? If they grow, do we really get to eat them? As I look at the weather forecast and see nothing but freezing temperatures ahead, the biggest question on my mind is if spring will ever come. My kindergarten class at Clay Elementary has planted a chaotic jumble of pea seeds in their garden, and are eagerly awaiting their arrival aboveground. Checking their beds this week, there was not a single pea shoot to be seen. We are so anxious for them we could burst.

Leaving the 7th grade yesterday, I said, “I’ll be back in two weeks. Maybe by then it’ll be warm enough to go outside.” Outside! The word rocketed around the room like electricity. Cross your fingers for us. We may be sitting inside this weekend wearing hats and mittens, but we’ll be dreaming of math class with a warm breeze, fresh peas, and some fat ears of corn.

-Carolyn Cosgrove-Payne, Gateway Greening Youth Educator

Summer Media Camp – PhotoVoice

Posted on July 23, 2013 by beanstalk

PhotoVoice: Telling the Story of Camp with the Click of a Shutter

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Can one picture really speak a thousand words? At Gateway Greening’s Garden Media Camp, students set out to find the answer. Campers learned that an important part of photojournalism is to show viewers a new perspective on the world. They took this lesson to heart, snapping shots everywhere from the top of a staircase to a few inches above the ground in order to show everyday life in the garden from a different angle. If there was a great picture to be snapped, our campers were on the trail!

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Once the campers had practiced operating the cameras and taking photos from interesting angles, discussion shifted to the qualities of a stunning photo. What makes a particular photo stand out as excellent? Campers learned several key ideas to keep in mind as they tried their hands at photojournalism. First of all, photojournalists must have an eye for impact. Campers shared their ideas about what impact means and how a photo can have impact. Some campers felt that beautiful photos have great potential to impact viewers. This camper’s photo is an excellent example of using beauty in nature to impact others:

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Another way campers learned to take photos for impact is to capture action. Action shots frame movement and feeling in a way that leaves the viewer feeling as though the photo has told them a story. Our brave campers looked high and low at Bell Garden for opportunities to catch activities and camp projects in action. Their determination to tell stories with photos led them to take shots like this one:

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Over the course of Gateway Greening’s Garden Media Camp, students took hundreds and hundreds of photos. With the help of our journalism experts, Miss Katie and Miss Jeannette, campers each chose their best photo from camp to go in a special exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Garden titled “PhotoVoice”. Before we sent campers’ photos to their final destination at the Botanical Garden, we held an end-of-camp reception at the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum to celebrate everyone’s hard work, snack on some healthy treats from the garden, and view all the amazing photos on display. If you haven’t yet been able to see these budding photojournalists’ work, you can still visit the Gateway Greening Garden Media Camp exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Garden from now through the end of the month (July 31st). Gateway Greening is lucky to have been able to spend two weeks with such wonderful campers, and we are proud to share your photos with the St. Louis community!

On the Air at Garden Media Camp

Posted on July 18, 2013 by beanstalk

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As our campers honed their photography skills, working individually and in teams to tell the story of camp through visual media, the time came to expand their horizons even further. Campers began to explore a new way to tell a story: creating a camp podcast. This was a new experience for our campers, and they were eager to get started. Our magnificent media teachers, Miss Katie and Miss Jeannette from Show-Me Youth Media, engaged campers in a discussion about how good questions lead to great stories. What makes a good question, you ask? The campers would be glad to share!

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Gateway Greening’s campers were ready to take on the podcast challenge! Armed with headsets, microphones, and recording devices, they set out to find out how members of our camp community felt about their experiences at Bell Garden. Using the open-ended, “who, what, when, where, why and how” questions they discussed with their media teachers, campers talked to peers, counselors, and guest instructors about Gateway Greening’s Garden Media Camp. Through the interviews led by inquisitive campers, others were able to share their favorite activities, interesting things they learned, and best memories from camp. The creative minds working on the camp podcast were on a mission to tell a truly great story!

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Finally, with the help of our media staff, campers’ interviews were organized into their very own podcast. Not only did campers develop their technical skills through this project, but they also worked hard to listen empathetically and to make others’ voices in their community heard. Well done, campers. Gateway Greening is proud of you!

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By: Ivy Love – Camp Counselor