Growing Together: Open Forum

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  • 1.  Garden Signs

    Posted 10-17-2021 01:45:00 AM
    Hi!  I am finishing up a school garden and outdoor classroom grant and I would like to add some signage around the garden to serve as sort of anchor charts, per say.  The topics would include, steps to planting seeds, parts of the plant, planting in the ground instructions, composting, to name a few. I'll also add that this is a Pre-K and Kindergarten campus. 

    Short of designing them and getting them made myself, does anyone know of a company that may already have something like this available?  I have until the end of the month to get this figured out.

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    Sara D.
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  • 2.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 10-17-2021 09:36:00 PM
    I am in the same boat and I've found a few options available through a basic Google search but nothing that exactly fits my needs. I do know there's a website called Vecteezy.com that has free vector images that you can download and use to design your own. I think that's the route I'm going to take. Also print companies like Gotprint.com can produce the metal signs you'd need for outdoor pretty affordably. Good luck and let me know if you find any great resources!

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    Whitney Tucker
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  • 3.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 10-18-2021 08:52:00 AM
    Hi Sara! There was a similar thread earlier in the year and Em shared this link from Life Lab for their sign designs: https://lifelab.org/garden-signs/

    @Anne Santana can you share what you ended up using for signs?​

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    Amelia Dupuis
    Kids Garden Community Manager
    KidsGardening
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  • 4.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 10-18-2021 08:52:00 AM
    Hi Sara,

    What kind of budget do you have? 
    There are a TON of companies that design signage for museums, nature centers, the National Park Service, etc. It can get expensive quickly. 

    If you want to DIY the design, a good sign company (not Kinkos) can manufacture and install. 

    The benefit of using an Interpretive Sign Company is that they will do the content and layout if you want. 

    Pulse does a lot for nature centers
    http://www.pulsedesign.com/news/nature-play-exhibit-design-wayfinding-signage-created-for-spots-playground-at-plum-creek-nature-center

    Panner does a lot of parks

    I am not familiar with their work, but it looks comparable to other outdoor interpretive signage. 

    --
    Michelle Zupan
    Curator 
    Hickory Hill & the Tom Watson Birthplace
    502 Hickory Hill Drive
    Thomson, GA  30824
    706-595-7777
    FAX: 706-595-7177

    Visit us at www.hickory-hill.org or on Facebook.
    Follow us on Twitter: HHEducation

    Historic homes of the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc








  • 5.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 11-05-2021 08:27:00 AM
    We created our own signs and they came out great. We painted and then the children selected what each sign was to say and we created a multi sign post.
    I t looks great and is personal and therefore more meaningful and understood by our young children. 
    Be creative and have fun
    It can open a world of possibilities

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    Elizabeth Lawton
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  • 6.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 11-05-2021 01:27:00 PM
    PWES signage for the garden. 4 rules Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Respectful, Have Fun. Our Art Club helped paint and make the sign. Ok I am trying a different method for posting a photo! Thanks for your understanding.
    I usually revisit the rules as the kids are coming into the garden for the first time.
    Thanks Amelia for your help! 


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    Pamela Cooley
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  • 7.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 11-08-2021 10:16:00 AM
    That sign is amazing!  What kind of wood did you use and did you seal it?  We just started a garden club and would love to make a sign but I don't want it to disintegrate in our midwest winter.

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    Michele Brodbeck
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  • 8.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 11-11-2021 02:12:00 PM
    Thanks Michele, I can't take credit. Our Art teacher and Art club helped to paint it. I think she said she found some scrap wood (possibly a pallet?) in a dumpster and then she used a polyurethane sealant... So far it has weathered well here in the harsh wind, sun and snows of Colorado! Good luck.  She also painted fun, colorful plant markers with just wooden pine stakes from Home Depot.

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    Pamela Cooley
    Prairie Winds Elementary
    Hawk Gathering Garden- Volunteer Garden
    Coordinator
    zoo_fro@hotmail.com
    Monument CO USA
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  • 9.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 11-05-2021 05:54:00 PM
    Would you be willing to share a photo of your student-made sign?

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    Susie Frei
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  • 10.  RE: Garden Signs

    Posted 01-06-2022 01:11:00 PM
    For our garden signs that last for a few years, I reached out to the school district's marketing office and they were willing to design the signs for us, based on the content I sent them.    I then sent it to a local sign shop they suggested and they made them for us.

    For content signs in the garden that describe small gardens or plants, I do some quick design and laminate them with a small laminating machine and staple to a paint stick.   They usually last for a couple months before they get too "smeary."


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    Anne Santana
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