Spring 2017 Projects.
Using math to prepare the garden.
In the middle of February, Mrs. Hill's and Mrs. Johnson's 3rd graders added Azomite, a mineral fertilizer supplying micronutrients, to the garden soil. The back of the fertilizer bag recommended applying one pound of Azomite to 10 square feet, so the classes used yardsticks or string cut to length to create borders for that area on the garden bed. The children had brought a scale from the classroom into the garden and set one pound of weights on one of the balance platforms. On the other side of the balance, they used a trowel to shovel Azomite from the fertilizer bag into a plastic coffee can. When the two platforms balanced, the children scattered the fertilizer over the marked off area, then used their hands to blend it into the soil.
In the middle of February, Mrs. Hill's and Mrs. Johnson's 3rd graders added Azomite, a mineral fertilizer supplying micronutrients, to the garden soil. The back of the fertilizer bag recommended applying one pound of Azomite to 10 square feet, so the classes used yardsticks or string cut to length to create borders for that area on the garden bed. The children had brought a scale from the classroom into the garden and set one pound of weights on one of the balance platforms. On the other side of the balance, they used a trowel to shovel Azomite from the fertilizer bag into a plastic coffee can. When the two platforms balanced, the children scattered the fertilizer over the marked off area, then used their hands to blend it into the soil.
One pea and counting.
Math was also relevant when the children in Mrs. Hill's class planted green peas and sugar snap peas along the base of two trellises. Using a yardstick as a guide, the peas were planted two inches apart along the length of each trellis. Since pea vines prefer to grow up, not out, they are not overcrowded even when planted on both sides of a trellis.
Math was also relevant when the children in Mrs. Hill's class planted green peas and sugar snap peas along the base of two trellises. Using a yardstick as a guide, the peas were planted two inches apart along the length of each trellis. Since pea vines prefer to grow up, not out, they are not overcrowded even when planted on both sides of a trellis.
Green and sugar snap peas can be planted in February without worry that frost will harm the growing sprouts. These types of peas are very hardy vegetables. Harvested peas can also be used in younger grades to reinforce counting skills and to compare the sizes of different pea pods. And they are delicious eaten raw, right from the garden.
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Using "hand tools" when planting onions and potatoes.
Onions. Bulb onions such as Vidalias and Texas Sweets are planted when they are young and slim. In a raised bed, the soil is generally loose enough that it doesn't require metal tools for planting. Calculating from numbers printed on yardsticks, students in all five second grade classes used their index fingers to poke a deep hole into the soil 4" away from their neighbor's holes. (This required either adding or subtracting four inches from the adjacent onion plant.) The children slipped the onion set (a baby onion) into the hole, roots down, then pinched the soil around the plant to eliminate any air pocket under the soil. After all the onions were planted, the rows were watered thoroughly.
Onions. Bulb onions such as Vidalias and Texas Sweets are planted when they are young and slim. In a raised bed, the soil is generally loose enough that it doesn't require metal tools for planting. Calculating from numbers printed on yardsticks, students in all five second grade classes used their index fingers to poke a deep hole into the soil 4" away from their neighbor's holes. (This required either adding or subtracting four inches from the adjacent onion plant.) The children slipped the onion set (a baby onion) into the hole, roots down, then pinched the soil around the plant to eliminate any air pocket under the soil. After all the onions were planted, the rows were watered thoroughly.
Potatoes. Potato plants grow from eye sprouts on a seed potato. If several sprouts emerge on a single potato, the potato can be chopped into chunks, and each chunk will grow into a separate plant. During the first week of March, Mrs. DiStephano's 3rd graders used their bare hands to dig holes about a foot apart and planted two 20' rows of potatoes, one row of red potatoes and one row of blue potatoes. They were careful to have the sprout facing up when they covered the chunk of potato with soil. A row of Yukon Gold potatoes was added in the middle of the bed so that in May children could harvest red, white, and blue spuds. They will then learn various ways to cook them and do taste comparisons.
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In the middle of May, Mrs. DiStephano's students used garden forks to harvest their many, many potatoes. A good time was had by all.
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Lettuce experiment.
In early March, Mrs. Mullis' 5th grade class planted two types of leaf lettuce--yellow Black-Seeded Simpson and dark red Lolla Rossa. The experiment compares the growth rate (plant height and diameter) of both varieties when they are grown in full sun vs grown in the semi-shade provided by a pea trellis. Because the trellises are installed at a northwest to southeast angle, when the peas grow up the trellis, half of the lettuce plants will be shaded in the afternoon when the sun is hottest.
In early March, Mrs. Mullis' 5th grade class planted two types of leaf lettuce--yellow Black-Seeded Simpson and dark red Lolla Rossa. The experiment compares the growth rate (plant height and diameter) of both varieties when they are grown in full sun vs grown in the semi-shade provided by a pea trellis. Because the trellises are installed at a northwest to southeast angle, when the peas grow up the trellis, half of the lettuce plants will be shaded in the afternoon when the sun is hottest.
Uncovering buried treasures.
The last week of March Mrs. O'Bar's Pre-K class harvested the carrots they had planted during the fall. Carrots take longer than most vegetables to grow, but the wait was worth it. Some of the carrots had grown so large they had split open from top to bottom. Each child took a carrot home to eat.
The last week of March Mrs. O'Bar's Pre-K class harvested the carrots they had planted during the fall. Carrots take longer than most vegetables to grow, but the wait was worth it. Some of the carrots had grown so large they had split open from top to bottom. Each child took a carrot home to eat.
Making Greenhouses from Plastic Jugs.
Mrs. Osborne's first graders used cleaned milk jugs to grow pollinator-friendly flowers from seed. The air inside a jug placed in the sun will be warmer than the surrounding air, turning the jug into a small greenhouse. Young plants grown in a greenhouse then transplanted into the garden bed have a better chance at surviving unpredictable rainfall than seeds sprinkled directly on the soil.
Mrs. Osborne's first graders used cleaned milk jugs to grow pollinator-friendly flowers from seed. The air inside a jug placed in the sun will be warmer than the surrounding air, turning the jug into a small greenhouse. Young plants grown in a greenhouse then transplanted into the garden bed have a better chance at surviving unpredictable rainfall than seeds sprinkled directly on the soil.
Before class, Mrs. Osborne had cut two small drain holes in the bottom of each jug, then two larger triangular air vents in the shoulders of the jug near the cap. She then cut around the middle of the jug so that the top and bottom were attached only at the handle.
Each child had a jug to plant. |
The students filled the bottom of the jug with dampened potting soil, patted it down, then made gentle dents in the surface for the seeds to nest in. They placed marigold and zinnia seeds in the nests and sprinkled a thin layer of potting soil on top. The upper and lower halves of each jug were ducktaped together to make a greenhouse.
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