Youth Garden Archives - Page 2 of 4

April Showers in School Gardens

Posted on April 11, 2017 by sara

Second graders of Clay Elementary learning about Ecosystem Connections in the School Garden with Gateway Greening Youth Educator Lucy Herleth on a rainy April morning.

It has been a rainy April, but the Clay Elementary second graders are still out in the school garden. Rain often keeps students inside, just as the seeds need to be planted. Instead of stressing about a ruined planting plan, we’ll throw on an extra layer and head outside!

Ecosystem Connections

Second graders discover wiggling worms in the school garden, learning ecosystem connections on a rainy April day.

The second graders are currently learning about ecosystems and a rainy day is the perfect chance to see ecosystem connections. Luckily, Gateway Greening’s Clay Elementary program recently received a donation of rain coats from Frogg Toggs. After quickly dressing in the new rain gear and grabbing science notebooks, the second graders were able to visit the garden on a recent rainy afternoon. First, the second graders met in the gazebo to discuss how springtime is such a special season for the garden. Gardeners may not like all the rainy days, but it keeps the plants very happy.

Now comfortable getting a little wet in their raincoats, the second graders grabbed trowels and created a trench to plant seed potatoes. It took everyone working together to create a trench the entire length of the garden bed. While digging in the wet soil, students observed the soil and the worms wiggling throughout – another ecosystem connection. As they finished creating the trench, the second graders brought out rulers to practice their measuring skills. They double checked that the holes were deep enough and that the seed potato pieces were far enough apart. Tools and hands were a little muddy but potatoes were planted!

The Clay Elementary second graders were excellent gardeners, even in less than ideal conditions. They helped to plant seed potatoes that had to get in the ground and learned that rain does not have to stop the outdoor fun. They got a little damp post Seed-to-STEM lesson but were more energized than ever to get out in the garden.

The Takeaway

Don’t let a little rain stop you from getting out in the school garden. Encourage students (and teachers) to wear clothes that can get muddy and get outside, even if it is just for a little bit.

Written by Gateway Greening Youth Educator Lucy Herleth. For questions about this article or the Seed to STEM program, please contact Lucy at 314-588-9600 ext 106, or send her an email at [email protected].

Discover more about what is happening in St. Louis school gardens this spring:

Weather won’t stop us! (Autistic Classroom at Clay Elementary)

VermiComposting at Gateway Elementary

Students Planning School Garden Crops

Compost Challenge at Mallinckrodt Academy

Second Graders at Clay Elementary heading back inside after a lesson in ecosystem connections in the school garden – despite April showers!

Looking for more ways to incorporate the school garden into your lesson plan? Stop by:

Gateway Greening’s Workshops for Educators page to explore monthly workshops that address the challenges and opportunities represented by teaching in school gardens
The Gateway Greening Educators Facebook group to connect with other teachers throughout St. Louis with similar interests in school gardens
Check out our In the School Garden Youtube playlist for short, actionable how-to videos that are seasonally relevant.

Volunteers Spring Cleaning School Gardens

Posted on March 28, 2017 by sara

Saint Louis Public Schools have spring break next week, so students throughout the district have been tackling big projects in their gardens. Some of the garden projects were simply too big for students to complete during class time. Thanks to a bit of help from some amazing volunteers, the school gardens will be ready for warmer weather and planting after spring break.

Clay Elementary

Blog - Spring cleaning Mar 2017 01 — It may have been freezing, but the Washington University Danforth Scholars were a cheerful and energetic volunteer group!

Last week the Washington University Danforth Scholars braved cold weather to spent a day of their own spring break working outside in freezing temperatures at Clay Elementary last week. When they signed up, they did not anticipate needing warm layers and hand warmers, but nonetheless they worked hard throughout the school day!

The Danforth Scholars kept warm by moving mulch and compost, and tackled a tricky rebuild project of older raised garden beds. Throughout the day, these volunteers also visited classes and assisted with lessons on weather and ecosystems, pairing up with third graders as they made their weekly weather and plant observations. It may have been colder than expected, but the Clay Elementary students had a great deal of fun with the Danforth Scholars volunteers.

Gateway Elementary

Throughout the week, middle school students from the Wyman Center, a teen outreach and support program, also worked in various Gateway Greening school gardens to prepare for spring. On Thursday, Ferguson Middle Schoolers from the Wyman Center volunteered at Gateway Elementary. The Ferguson students worked with Gateway Elementary’s fourth grade students to finish installing new garden beds, moving endless buckets of soil and compost into new double-high beds and pulled out piles of weeds.

Along the way, Gateway fourth graders fearlessly held giant earthworms and taught the middle school students about worms, and the Ferguson middle schoolers demonstrated excellent wheelbarrow skills. It was truly a community event with partners from MU Extension and Gateway Michael School coming out to work in the school garden with the students.

For students to get the most out of their gardens, extra help is needed throughout the school year, but especially in spring. It takes considerable effort preparing the soil, moving mulch onto pathways, and expanding garden beds before the growing season begins.

Blog - Spring Cleaning March 2017 03 — Endless buckets of fresh compost and plenty of humor at Gateway Elementary’s school garden last week.

Volunteer in a School Garden

Volunteering in a school garden is an excellent way to learn more about programs in your local schools. Individuals and groups are welcome to volunteer in school gardens. You can help during big garden work days or implement a garden lesson. Please contact Gateway Greening Volunteer Manager Megan Moncure to learn more.

Compost Challenge at Mallinckrodt Academy

Posted on March 17, 2017 by sara

Mallinckrodt Academy’s Compost Bin with a fresh layer of “greens” to balance its mix.

Whether you enjoy a good steak or are a vegetarian, the truth is we all rely on healthy soil in which to grow our food (or our cows food). Simply put, we would not be able to eat without soil. Over the last week the fourth graders at Mallinckrodt Academy have been learning about the importance of soil to our world.

Depending on the local climate, it can take hundreds of years to develop one inch of topsoil. That can be difficult to demonstrate in the classroom. Fortunately, there’s a way for students to speed this process along – composting in the school garden.

Healthy compost consists of nitrogen rich greens: food scraps, grass clippings, and weeds that haven’t yet gone to seed, layered with carbon filled browns: dried leaves, newspaper, and straw, all mixed with a bit of water and soil (to inoculate new batches of compost with microorganisms that will help to decompose the compost over time). This week the fourth graders of Mallinckrodt spent some quality time observing their compost bin, and discovered that the balance of “browns” and “greens” was off. A compost bin that is piled high with mostly oak leaves would break down eventually, but not anytime soon. When the students were asked how they could remedy the imbalance, the answer was clear – the food scraps from their lunches would be perfect!

Lunchroom to Compost

Mallinckrodt Academy has had an active school composting program for the last few years, but in recent weeks the school has streamlined their method to great success.

When the program was first implemented, it began with a single bucket placed near the cafeteria trash can during lunch. This quickly proved to be too messy, leading to extra work for the janitorial staff.

Mallinckrodt students separating their personal food scraps for composting during lunch.

After weeks of enduring this method, the lunchroom staff came up with a workable solution. Rather than using just one bucket placed near the trash, cafeteria staff purchased small buckets like the kind used for sanitizing water to put at each table. With a few announcements during lunch from Youth Educator Meg Holmes, Senior Jake Norman the spanish teacher, and even Mr. DeAndre Thomas the principal, students soon knew to throw excess food they weren’t going to eat into the compost. Even more importantly, the students knew which food could be composted (apple cores, bread crust, peas) and which food stuffs could not (trash, chicken nuggets, milk).

Although the students of Mallinckrodt experienced a few growing pains when first beginning to compost their food scraps, the school as a whole now diverts several pounds a week from the trashcan to the compost bin! The school has even gone so far as too instigate “Waste Not Wednesdays” which has become a positive way to include the whole school, students and staff, to care for their garden and the earth.

-Meg Holmes, Gateway Greening Youth Educator

Gateway Greening challenges each of our In-Network School and Community Gardens to take on The Compost Challenge in 2017. Are you game?

Additional Resources:

Looking for more information on composting or implementing school composting programs? Check out these resources, or email our Educators at [email protected].

Video: An overview of composting

Video: This Week in the Community Garden – Composting

Video: Composting at Busch Middle School of Character

Weather won’t stop us!

Posted on March 11, 2017 by sara

What happens when the weather makes it challenging to take class outside and into the school garden? We bring the garden inside to class! Last week Gateway Greening Youth Educator Lucy Herleth, when faced with some of St. Louis’ recent cold and windy weather, brought the garden into the Autistic classroom at Clay Elementary School.

The plan for the day had been to work with students in the Autistic Classroom to plant peas as part of the First Peas to the Table competition. This yearly event challenges elementary students throughout St. Louis City and County to plant peas in their school garden. Although the students are competing for a variety of awards, the main goal is to see who can harvest their peas first, just like Thomas Jefferson did.

When weather changed the day’s plans Miss Lucy opted to bring the lesson inside instead, teaching students how peas grow in the garden and the different names of the plant parts through fun activities.

Author Susan Grigsby’s book, First Peas to the Table, serves as the inspiration for Gateway Greening’s annual First Peas to the Table competition for elementary students throughout St. Louis.

First, the students pretended to be itty-bitty seeds in the soil, waiting for warm weather and rain to tell us it was time to “wake up.” Then, everyone slowly began to stretch out as they began to grow stems and leaves that stretch-stretch-stretched for the sky! With everyone wide awake and ready to listen, it was time for a closer look at plant parts using real plants!

Earlier in the morning, Miss Lucy discovered that several turnips had managed to over winter in the school garden and were thriving. By harvesting a few of the turnips and bringing them indoors: leaves, stems, roots, soil and all, the students were able to apply what they had just learned from “growing like peas.” Each student explored the turnip plants, using their hands to feel the string-like root hairs and to knock on the sturdy taproot. Several ruffled the leaves and leaned in close to smell them just as we would a bouquet of fresh flowers. And once everyone had finished to explore the turnips’ outsides, the class washed and dried them so that each student could taste both roots and greens, right there in the classroom. All of the students had fun using descriptive words to tell Miss Lucy what they thought of the taste.

Blog - Weather won't stop us 02 — Turnips overwintered in Clay Elementary’s School Garden – the perfect prop for an indoor lesson about plant parts!

The weather may not have co-operated, but that didn’t stop the students in the Autistic Classroom at Clay Elementary! They love to get hands-on and elbow deep in plants and soil just like any other kid their age, and indoor days are no exception.

Learn More:

Looking for more ways to incorporate the school garden into your lesson plan? Stop by:

Gateway Greening’s Workshops for Educators page to explore monthly workshops that address the challenges and opportunities represented by teaching in school gardens
The Gateway Greening Educators Facebook group to connect with other teachers throughout St. Louis with similar interests in school gardens
Check out our In the School Garden Youtube playlist for short, actionable how-to videos that are seasonally relevant.

Teacher Spotlight on LaTosha Hayes of Gateway Elementary

Posted on February 24, 2017 by sara

Interview with LaTosha Hayes, 4th grade teacher at Gateway Elementary in St. Louis, MO, about how she personally became involved with the school’s garden.

How long have you been gardening?

This will be my first full year. A few years ago, another group came in and started working with us in the greenhouse but that wasn’t a full year.

What sparked your interest?

Learning about the value of eating healthy and the harm it causes when we don’t. I’ve been a teacher for 11 years and have come to realize that we’re targeting curriculum backward. “Data Driven” is a mantra that’s heard in many districts. Unfortunately not too many schools or districts are focused on many factors that impact education such as nutrition.

We had a dental clinic visit the school one time and there were kids with multiple cavities, it was when I learned what a root canal was, and obviously it all came back to what the kids are eating and their oral hygiene. We know a lot of the things are the shelves are not good for kids and so they don’t have the nutrients that they need to come to school ready to learn. Some kids are inattentive, hyperactive, unmotivated, tired, and/or hungry. Even though we know the importance of eating healthy foods and how it can impact student’s education, teachers are still evaluated on classroom management and whether students achieve academic success. We need to focus on what’s literally going into them. We can help kids succeed by educating them about food and preparation. Taking students outside to garden lets them get natural sunlight, burn calories, explore, care for living things, and what everyone loves to do – EAT. I think all students prefer edible assignments.

We need nutrition education as much as PE and counselors and it needs to start in Pre-K. Teaching kids how to grow and cook their food and that will bring families back to the kitchen table. It is prevention rather than intervention and treatment for diet related illnesses.

What is the most worthwhile part of gardening with your class?

Empowering students through nutrition and developing healthy habits that can positively impact generations to come, having them do something other than play video games and watching TV at home, to have an interest in growing their own food. I look forward to having them investigate and come up with questions. I think that they will start making changes in their lives and share it with others and it will have a domino effect on the community. I want students to talk to each other but I want them to talk about healthy things, like food.

The other thing that is good about this process is that students are learning that I am still a student as well. They are observing that even adults are learning and we all have road blocks and anxiety and need others to help us learn.

I am looking forward to learning more about the science of plants (composting, cross pollination, etc.) and getting out of the classroom, getting students out of their seats. That is where education really starts, from birth, genuine learning occurs in the home, neighborhood, and community.

Kids learning how to garden will yield benefits in the classroom because students will have better nutrition and be better rested.

What are you looking forward to planting with your class?

We are going to grow peas but I want to grow a bit of everything, maybe blueberries. I definitely want to grow green leafy vegetables, spinach, collards, kale, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, melons. I want a colorful garden so students will be inspired to have a colorful plate and learn which fruit or vegetable is providing what nutrient.

What do teachers need most in order to use a school garden successfully?

A curriculum. All of the teachers I’ve talked to have an interest but don’t have the know-how and need support. Curriculum and support from GGI. It would be great if the district adopted a garden/nutrition curriculum for elementary school so children would develop healthy habits.

Interview with LaTosha Hayes conducted by Kathleen Carson, Gateway Greening Education Manager, in February 2017.

Students Planning School Garden Crops

Posted on February 10, 2017 by sara

In preparation for the fast approaching growing season, 2nd and 3rd graders at Mallinckrodt Academy have been making some important decisions about what they want to grow in their school garden this year.

Gateway Greening has an excellent planting calendar to show a when different varieties of vegetables can be started indoors, transplanted or directly sown into the garden, their grow time and even when students should harvest.

The second graders formed groups, and were offered a selection of pictures of vegetables cut from old seed catalogs. The students needed to work together to come to an agreement as to what crop they would grow. Next came locating the plant on the planting calendar and discovering necessary information for growing the crop they chose by utilizing the key. “The key unlocks it all!” explained one student.

Each group will have a chance to share their findings and tape the picture of their chosen veggie to the month when we need to start planting.

Students at Mallinckrodt Academy using a planting calendar to plan their 2017 crops for the school garden.

The third graders took this a step further, deciding how they would make the most of their available garden space based on the information from the graph. The students applied what they learned about sequential planting to choose three vegetables that will be able to grow in the same space based on the time they are planted and harvested. In this way, the students will be able to grow 3 separate crops in the garden this year.

In addition to being a great way to involve the Mallinckrodt Academy students in the ownership of their garden, this lesson encourages students to learn and practice: interpreting information from graphs, collaborating with group members, public speaking, and decision making. The school garden is a great place to learn and practice these skills which are all transferable to other areas in the classroom and everyday life.

Written by Meg Holmes, Gateway Greening Youth Educator

VermiComposting at Gateway Elementary

Posted on January 27, 2017 by sara

Although the school gardens may be resting, Seed to STEM is growing; Gateway Greening is now working directly with fourth grade classes at Gateway Elementary. Gateway Greening and the fourth graders are full of enthusiasm for the new partnership, which is fortunate since January is all about energy!

GG Youth Educator Lucy introduces Gateway Elementary 4th Graders to VermiComposting and forms of Energy.

The Gateway Greening Education Team has been hard at work building off of classroom lessons about different forms of energy to bring energy to life in the garden and classroom. The fourth graders searched for forms of energy inside and out. They discovered a chilly, wintry day is the best time to explore how to use thermal energy to get warm. Then the students were ready to get their hands dirty to see energy conservation in action.

Students discovering vermicomposting at Gateway Elementary

Discussions about energy and indoor lessons are the perfect time to introduce worms and vermicomposting. Vermicomposting systems are easy to set up in the classroom and are a great jumping off point for lessons on energy use, decomposition, habitat, and more. The lesson began when the students first observed a completed composting worm bin system and determined what made it a functional habitat for red wiggler worms. Each student had a chance to smell, touch, and study the food, worms, and soil in the compost bin. They realized that the “soil” was actually worm castings: nutrient rich worm poop. (The general reaction was, you guessed it: “Gross!”) For some fourth graders it was their first time holding a worm. Other students excitedly held and measured their worms.

Once the students understood how vermicomposting worked, they created their own mini composting bins. Using plastic containers, newspaper, and leaves, they put together what they thought would be the best possible habitat for the red wigglers. After moistening the shredded newspaper and adding air holes, the students introduced the worms to their new habitats. The last class of the day even added leftover vegetable scraps from the cafeteria to the bins for the worms to feast on.

In the coming weeks, the fourth graders at Gateway Elementary will observe how the worms use the vegetable scraps. They will make connections between conserving energy and using food waste to benefit the garden. Once the students move their worms to a larger vermicomposting system, they will start participating in the Gateway Greening Compost Challenge. Will they produce more compost or more food waste than your school?

By Lucy Herleth, Gateway Greening Youth Educator

Pre-School Birding at Clay Elementary

Posted on January 2, 2017 by sara

This past December, the kindergartners and preschoolers at Clay Elementary became expert birders!

As December finally started getting chilly, we noticed that the bees and worms that just a month ago buzzed and wiggled around, were nowhere to be seen! However, after searching high and low we discovered many sparrows, chickadees, and cardinals still making the schoolyard their home.

To become expert birders, the first thing we did was investigate if the garden was a suitable home for birds. Along the way, we learned that “habitat” is a science word for home and that the seeds from the native plants in the nearby rain garden provided food for the birds. To help make a better habitat for our bird friends, the preschoolers and kindergarteners created bird feeders.

Then, the students used their science eyes and ears to observe birds. They mimicked different bird calls and flight. They loved practicing their flapping and soaring skills while looking for birds on the playground! The hardest part of birding for the kindergarteners and preschoolers was practicing the quiet, stealthy walk of a birder, to not scare the animals. We looked all over the garden and saw cardinals and sparrows in trees and flying high above the schools. To wrap up the month of birding, the preschoolers learned what make a bird a bird and created their own feathers. The kindergarteners noticed nests were a sign of birds, so they created their own nests to take home.

Birding was an engaging theme to get younger students outside and making observations when the garden is not particularly active With birds, the preschoolers were able to act as scientists, artists, and explorers. The students practiced making scientific questions, created avian inspired art, and kinesthetically mimicked the flight of birds. They were able to be imaginative and use their important sense of awe and wonder, while learning scientific skills along the way! The best part of birding is that it can be done anywhere, whether that’s the school garden or the urban backyard. The students took their birding skills home and practiced spotting birds throughout the winter break!

By Lucy Herleth, Gateway Greening Youth Educator

Looking for more seasonal lessons and activities for students to do in the school garden? Stop by Gateway Greening’s YouTube channel to explore our “This Week in the School Garden” video series or reach out to our Education Team with questions!

Gateway Greening Announces Expansion of Lyon Academy at Blow School Garden

Posted on December 14, 2016 by sara

St. Louis (28 Nov 2016) – Lyon Academy at Blow School Garden in St. Louis, MO. was expanded on 17 Nov 2016 as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. The garden received 8 picnic tables, 1 garden scale, 1 garden sign and 200’ of water hose.

Lyon Academy at Blow School Garden has 15 gardeners from the community and as a group, the garden will be able to grow 640 lbs of produce annually, on average. Produce grown will be used by the gardeners, formally donated, and informally given away throughout the community.

For 30 years, Gateway Greening has educated and empowered individuals to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Gateway Greening’s Garden Program receives many requests to start or expand community gardens in St. Louis. Projects are selected based on a number of factors including: need, the quality of the garden space, the level of community support, and the thoroughness of the plan for using the garden space. Awarded sites are typically supported with seeds/plants, garden tools, materials (hardscape and landscape), and guidance.

Lyon Academy at Blow School Garden is located at 516 Loughborough, St. Louis, MO 63111

About Gateway Greening

Gateway Greening is a nonprofit 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; and Gateway Greening’s Urban Farm, a 2.5-acre farm in downtown St. Louis that provides therapeutic horticulture and a jobs training program. Visit Gateway Greening at www.gatewaygreening.org. @gatewaygreening.

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Gateway Greening Announces Installation of MRH Elementary School Garden

Posted on December 14, 2016 by sara

St. Louis (1 Dec 2016) – MRH Elementary School Garden in Richmond Heights, MO was installed on 29 Oct 2016 as a result of an award from Gateway Greening. Twelve raised beds were installed and filled with soil. The award also included: 2 picnic tables, 2 wooden benches, assorted signage, and garden tools.

MRH Elementary School Garden has 11 families from the community gardening and with the students, the garden will be able to grow 480 lbs of produce annually, on average. The produce will be used in MRH Elementary School lunches and is also for the gardeners’ personal use.

The MRH Elementary School Garden is located at 1800 Princeton Place, Richmond Heights, MO 63117.

About Gateway Greening

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