Our Gardening Bulletin Board

I have one bulletin dedicated to displaying what we have been doing and learning in our garden.  The subject areas will stay, and I plan to add/remove activities as we progress through the year.  I am using it with summer camp now, then with Pre-K during the school year.  It is constantly evolving, and is an easy way to display to parents/admin. the progress.  The other component I have yet to add, is a descriptive note about each activity and how they correlate to the learning domains/standards.  This component is something NAEYC really likes to see and I should have it on there already!

I just noticed as I was going through my pics, that I didn't take one of the whole board, just took pics of each section.  In doing this, I somehow missed the title, centered and above the other stuff, "Gardening is our path to learning," or something like that, lol.

left side of board

This shows some of our corn cobs as well as the kids tilling and composting the old spring stuff.  I was able to stick with our summer camp calendar that had a day set aside for bubble wrap, and tied it into our gardening.  I LOVE bubble wrap!  Our summer camp is divided into 3 age groups.  We rotated the groups so that each group did 3 bubble wrap activities.  With my activity, we gave each child a yellow 'cob' outline, and a 'husk' outline to cut out.  For the 2 older groups, I had them write a prediction on their husk, stating how many days they though it would be until our corn stalks produced corn.  I omitted this with the 5 years old's because they take longer to cut out shapes and have less writing abilities.  This was a last minute decision based on lack of time.  In the future, I would pre-write,  "_____________ predicts we will have corn in _____ days," on the green husks. Then the younger crowd can write their name on the first line and the number on the second space.  The children then painted white paint on the bubble wrap and laid their yellow cob over the bubble wrap to make the little circular imprints that look like corn kernels.

Obviously the corn cobs help the kids with fine motor skills.  They also provide another 'media' to create artwork, and include scientific development by making predictions.

In the photos, the children are developing their gross motor skills.  Social skills are integrated as they take turns using the garden tools.   Recycling the old plants into the compost bin adds a 'self sustaining' social studies element as well as science.

 The mathematical area has some of the 'observational data' that the kids did on our corn.  We have marked 2 corn stalks in the garden that are different.  One is a straight stalk and the other one has 2 side shoots.  The children drew a pic of each stalk and then wrote a prediction about how well each one will grow, and why.

This uses math via noticing differences in height and number of shoots/stalks.  They are also writing (literacy) and predicting (science).  I also have a couple of these under the "Language and Literacy" section of the board though it is not shown.  They had some great thoughts on these, some thinking that the one with the side shoots would grow better because there are more leaves to get sunlight.  Others felt that the side shoots would take more energy from the main stalk, causing it's growth to slow down.  Smart kids!  We are also measuring these two stalks and graphing their heights twice a week, to determine the 'growth rate' of each.  I will post a pic of that later.

The red tape marks the 2 stalks we are observing, picture taken early/mid July 2011

On the right side of the board we have a prediction chart concerning our watermelon and giant pumpkin...yes I said GIANT.  I'll save that for another post, lol.  We planted both seeds on the same day and they both sprouted around the same time (over the weekend.)  The children had 2 predictions to make on this chart:  Which plant would have the first blossoms, and which will produce the first harvest.  I was amazed  by the discussion/debating that the children had over this as they  waited for their turn to write 'watermelon' or 'pumpkin' for each prediction.  

This is a great example of why I allow my class to be 'louder' than others.  These kind of predictions also help keep them interested in the garden, as they are so competitive and ALWAYS want to be 'right'!  

 

Farmville didn't prepare me for this! Dad...this one's for you! :)

Ugh!  I had NO idea that insects were SUCH a menace to a garden!  Beware...some of the pics are graphic!

It started out as an exciting morning.  The kids spotted a really cool looking insect!

We picked it up, looked at it, and discussed what we should do with it.  I explained that it could be a good insect for the garden or a bad one.  We inspected the leaf he was sitting on, it looked nice and healthy, and we had already harvested 2 summer squash from the plant.  So...we PUT HIM BACK ON THE LEAF. I promised the kids that I would look it up on the internet when I get home.

I posted the pic on a garden forum, and within minutes received my answer in bold, urgent words:  squash vine borer.  I had never heard of it and luckily the person from the forum provided me with an excellent link to info and pics of the dreaded SVB.  Armed with a copy of the info, I went to work the next day and shared it with the kids. Grossed out and very concerned we headed outside to see if we could find the tell-tail signs of eggs on the stems or even worse, signs that one had indeed bored into the stem of our squash plant...ick!

See that yellow stringy stuff on and next to the hose?  Yup.  You may also be able to make out more of that nasty stuff up higher on the stem as well.

The SVB information sheet informed us that the plants were probably doomed at this point, as the larvae bore into the stem and take all of the nutrients from the plant.  BUT, the plants may have a slight chance if we can find and remove the larvae...again...ick.  Of course we couldn't let our plants die without a fight!  Armed with large plastic tweezers and child safety/nubby ended scissors, I went in for surgery.  I made the best 'incision' I could (with child safety scissors, lol!) up the stem, beginning where the yellow icky stuff was spotted and...ew, ick, ick, ew, gross, gag!

That nasty white wormy thing is a SVB larva.

Another smaller larva in another plant.  :(

We ended up finding six of these DISGUSTING critters in four different squash and zucchini plants.  The last step to try to save the plants was to bury the damaged stems and water well, in hope they can recover.  This occurred two weeks ago and so far, we have only lost one squash and one zucchini plant.  The remaining two plants look pretty healthy, but have yet to produce more veggies.  The kids and I are now diligent in checking for the eggs and yellow 'ick' signs! Because we live in the fine southern state of Georgia, the SVB's get to grace us with two life cycles per summer!  

I have been able to find the positives in this immensely, disgusting experience. We have experienced the life cycle of an insect FIRST HAND.  I can't think of a more 'hands-on' experience than that!  And...if there IS one, I'm not sure I want to deal with it, lol.  :)  The loss of the 2 plants has added space for our now sprawling pumpkin and watermelon vines!

The garden, July 29, 2011

Was it worth all the work?  I wasn't so sure, until one of my students came up to me and gave me a hug.  She said, "Ms. Caitlin, that was THE MOST disgusting thing I have ever seen.  But it was really cool at the same time!"  :)  Yep, it's worth it.

Green beans, another pre-blog experience, from spring pre-k, 2011

After we planted our hardier, cooler weather veggies, I had a packet of green beans which recommended to plant later in the spring.  I decided we could start these indoors, and transplant them.  This helped the kids understand that different plants have different needs, as well as paying closer attention to changes in weather.  I got one of those Jiffy peat pot kits that had 25 pots, perfect for our class of 20.  Unfortunately, I can't find pics of the beginning.

I was setting up/figuring out how quickly the peat absorbed water, which I figured out works much faster with warm water.  I had set one pot in a Styrofoam bowl and had poured cool water in, not soaking up much, I went to the kitchen to get warmer water (can't have hot water hitting little hands!)  My assistant was still in the room, but involved with an activity.  One of my overly zealous students decided to get hers ready as well.  She set a pot in a Styrofoam bowl, and added water...with soap!  As a 'consequence' to her not waiting to follow directions, I informed her that this pot will be hers, and we will continue to water it with soapy water.  She was pretty upset, but I lessened the blown by adding that it will be an experiment.  We can observe the difference in how it grows compared to the others.

Each child got to plant their own bean.  They sprouted very quickly and were growing much faster than the weather was warming.  

Green bean seedlings mid-March 2011

The plastic cup in the middle is holding the 'soapy water' fed green bean.  :)

To the relief of my student, it grew just as well as the others!  I thought about sabotaging it, (oh, the horror!) but that just wouldn't be nice nor good science...hopefully she still learned her lesson in following directions! :)

Because the green beans were growing so rapidly, I decided we needed to take some action.  I reviewed with the kids about why we didn't plant them outside and they agreed that it was still too cold for them to go outside.  This evolved, with no planning(!) into a lesson in gravity! 

Top heavy green beans

The kids observed that one of the plants had flopped over.  I asked them why they thought it fell.  These are some of the 'higher level' thinking answers I got from what I thought would be a 'high level' thinking question:

"P. bent it over!"

"Somebody else broke it."

"It wasn't me!"

"It's not MY green bean!"

"Yes it WAS you!" pointing...

"No, it wasn't!"  tears...pouting...stomping...

Deep breath....sigh...

Must...remember...this...is...pre-k...  :)

Ok, so must 'redirect,' another one of those classroom management terms we hear in training, lol. 

I thought for a second, and recalled Z's new baby sister.  I asked Z why they have to hold her head up.  Finally we were getting somewhere..."Her neck isn't strong enough."  Another kids said, "Her head is too big."  Haha!  Right, and then I asked, "What holds us to the earth?"  "Gravity!"  Ah-ha!  They remembered the extremely fun ping pong ball activity:

Sadly, because it was about to be spring break, we planted them a couple weeks later, then had a couple cold nights, and the poor green beans didn't make it.  Another lesson learned...the hard way.  At least we had enough beans left over and they are now growing well in our summer garden!

Bees!

When I used to hear the word "bees!" squealed by a child, I knew I would turn to see that child, and soon to follow, the rest running, yelling, and swatting.  It didn't matter how many times I stressed to 'just walk away,' and 'when you swat they will sting,' and 'they are more scared of you then you are of them.'  For some reason even a fly in the classroom can cause a complete loss of control...doesn't take much, lol.

Honey bee and Bumble bee pollinating at the same time!  Could this pass as
 Multicultural?!?!  I think so!

Now, thanks to our garden, we celebrate bees.  I have taught the kids the difference between 'male' and 'female' blossoms and how the bees need to 'mix' the pollen from each in order for the fruit/vegetables to grow.  Okay, before I had this discussion, I had to find another way to refer to the 2 types of blossoms, otherwise I feared the topic of mommy, daddy, and babies would ensue.  Because we had not yet gotten both types, I drew a picture.  The first type, or male, blossoms show up first, then a week or 2 later, the second type (female) begin to show up.  The first type have a straight stem connecting the blossom to the main stem/vine.  The second type will have a bump at the bottom of the blossom, then connected to the main stem/vine.

Our cucumbers, growing on the trellis were the first to have both types.  Just above the 2 bottom leaves, the blossom on the left is the 'first' type, and the blossom on the right has the baby cucumber.  This one has already 'set' or pollinated.  The kids were amazed to see the babies.  I was amazed that some kids have never seen a whole cucumber...only sliced.  Wow, gardening is more important than I thought!  Another child said, "They look like pickles to me!"  Guess what we'll be making in a couple weeks?  Yep, pickles!  I don't know how to exactly yet, but I know it involves vinegar...how hard can it be?!  :)
Our spring garden did not need bees for pollination, so this has added some great learning opportunities.  The kids still squeal, "bees!" but when I turn around, I see kids peering into the trellis and into blossoms.  They are making slow and calm movements!  We also have modified our snack/lunch song.  Instead of saying the words with hand movements, we buzz.  The kids request this method all the time to "call the bees to our garden!"

Squash:  lower blossom is the first type, upper blossom is the second type.

K. peeking through the leaves to watch the bees bounce from blossom to blossom.  :)

PS!  I did check our allergy list to assure that we have no (known) severe allergies to bees.  We don't, but I really don't know what I would do differently if we did...aside from keeping an epi-pen in my pocket?

Pre-blog, an overview of the spring 2011 garden experience...

This summer is my first major-ish gardening experience.  My director and I finally convinced the owner to add a raised bed to a portion of our playground.  We planted some lettuces, radish, spinach, cabbage, and cauliflower in the spring with pre-k, which was great.  However, I felt that we were just scratching the surface of potential.

A not-so-brief summary of the spring 2011 pre-k garden:

We had enough radishes for all to taste, and made a chart of likes vs. dislikes.  3 out of 20 kids asked for seconds and really liked them.  We also shared the lettuce at our end of the party, parents brought in addition salad ingredients.  The lettuce was...bitter.  I am guessing we should have harvested sooner. This provided math, social/emotional, and health/nutritional experience.

"Cabbage Whites" invaded our cabbage and cauliflower.  As I was inspecting our plants, I noticed holes chewed through many of the leaves and even the heads of some cabbage.  A closer inspection revealed green caterpillars along the veins of the leaves.  We were amazed at how well they were camouflaged... reinforcing a past vocabulary word, yay! A teachable moment!  Nothing like seeing an animal's natural defenses first hand! I cut the leaf from the plant that had 2 caterpillars on it, and let the kids explore the details using magnifying glasses.  

Not ever having a caterpillar/butterfly experience myself, AND not yet knowing what kind of caterpillar we had, I stuck the leaf and caterpillars in a small 'bug catcher/viewer' that we keep in our 'playground kit' and set it on a shelf in the science area of our classroom.  That evening, I googled (I can't believe 'googled' STILL shows up as a misspelling, even with a capital g!) "green caterpillar cabbage garden" and quickly found info and pics.  It will turn into a Cabbage White butterfly, cool!  In school the next day, I shared the info with the kids.

The kids were more worried about the cabbage than excited about the butterfly aspect.  Then it hit me,  "Well, we have a dilemma." I love using bigger words with kids, always provides an 'unintentional-to-them' teachable moment, lol.  I reminded the kids that we like butterflies for our garden because..."they spread pollen," a couple kids shout out.  Ok, so I know it's better to have them raise their hands, but hey, I was excited too.  So, I asked them what they thought we should do.  I didn't really know what to do either, so ha, why not let them decide?  Silence...wow...SILENCE!  They were thinking, really thinking.  It was one of those 'higher level/critical thinking' moments that we hear about in our teacher training and classes, encouraging us to use open ended questions, etc.

Now, I do feel the need to add something, for fear of creating a false image of ALL of my kids sitting in a perfect little "crisscross applesauce" circle.  I am sure some were thinking about what we were having for lunch, needing to take a shoe off, what would happen if they pulled that red lever by the back door, wanting their mommy, needing a band-aide for an invisible bruise, why is everyone so quiet, etc. 

Anyway, we decided to spray an organic insecticide on all but one cabbage, so the Cabbage Whites could have that one and we may still get to enjoy ours when they were ready.  What a great compromise and lesson in sharing :)  Plus, it offered us the opportunity to observe the effects.  Now, reflecting on what I now know about gardening, next time we will skip the spray, and I will encourage the kids to pick off the caterpillars and place them over the fence on the opposite side of the playground,  That's much more hands-on than me taking the 'keep away from children' yet still 'organic' spray out on a Friday afternoon after the kids have left to spray the plants.

Oh, and the caterpillars that we kept in the bug viewer!  Within 2 days the larger was spotted by a kid hanging from the top of the container in his 'chrysalis,' or what I was taught, in his cocoon.  Of course we had to read, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, and they really did get fatter, just like the story!  The second one soon followed and we were able to successfully release them.  Who knew it would be that easy?!

This is an excellent example of why I detest doing lesson plans 1-2 weeks in advance...aside from being ADD. and a master procrastinator of paperwork, how can we maximize on our 'teachable moments' if we are tied down to the always demanded, must be posted, must be followed, must show evidence of...blah, blah, blah?  I have harnessed my ADD (to an extent) and have become a teacher with great flexibility...yeah, that's it, lol.

Sorry so long!  My laptop was stolen around the end of our spring gardening and had all the pics on it :(  Future posts will have pics. I love taking pictures, for the parents, documentations of learning, and  for my personal resume/portfolio.