Growing Together: Open Forum

Hi Ya'll.

I am just reaching out for idas here.  Hiope it is the proper place.

Every week I hold a gardening class for kids for the elementary students in the Boys and Girls Club in gardening.  We have a hudge incredible community farm garden and kids garden and demonstration jitchen that we hold classes inworking with.  I am going in to the 3rd week.

Unfortunately, the funding for the class with formal registration was not awarded for the Spring and I have a rotating attendance of 40 kids wanting to come each week (maxed out at 20 per class)   This leaves me unable to teach ongoing gardening education but plan a short gardening activity with the kids each week that is instructional, engaging and hopefully motivational to garden more.

I have 45 mintues with the kids.   We have covered Sunflowers (week 1 we planted)    Earth Day (we made seed balls - thank you Kids Gardening for the instructions) and last week we discussed parts of plants and planted the sunflowers other kids planted with 15 new kids.  (what an adventure - they were elementary kids, happy to be outdoors but we did get things planted) 

If anyone has any suggestions to best prep for this 45 minutes or quick 45 minute lessons on kids gardeing, ideas, ttips or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

I work for a non-profit part time.   I just want to keep motiviating  the love of growing, healthy eating and pass on some kindness to in these kids along the way.

Thanks for any and all help!

------------------------------
Suzanne Moses
Wimberly's Roots Community Garden and Kitchen
Winder GA
www.WimberlysRoots.com
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Suzanne, you have access to such an amazing resource for the boys and girls club community! I am a garden educator at a public elementary school. We have a one acre nature center and garden on campus which all 650 students have bi-weekly access to with their classrooms (23 students per). Our students really enjoy signing up for a "job" when they come to the garden. Jobs are posted on the board and they might include watering seedings (using recycled soda bottles with holes in cap), seed saving, turning compost piles, up potting seedlings, nature scavenger hunts, taste testing, harvesting. Hope this helps!

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Rebecca Perez
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2024 09:25:32 PM
From: Suzanne Moses
Subject: 40 kids - up to 17 per class weekly gardening lesson ideas

Hi Ya'll.

I am just reaching out for idas here.  Hiope it is the proper place.

Every week I hold a gardening class for kids for the elementary students in the Boys and Girls Club in gardening.  We have a hudge incredible community farm garden and kids garden and demonstration jitchen that we hold classes inworking with.  I am going in to the 3rd week.

Unfortunately, the funding for the class with formal registration was not awarded for the Spring and I have a rotating attendance of 40 kids wanting to come each week (maxed out at 20 per class)   This leaves me unable to teach ongoing gardening education but plan a short gardening activity with the kids each week that is instructional, engaging and hopefully motivational to garden more.

I have 45 mintues with the kids.   We have covered Sunflowers (week 1 we planted)    Earth Day (we made seed balls - thank you Kids Gardening for the instructions) and last week we discussed parts of plants and planted the sunflowers other kids planted with 15 new kids.  (what an adventure - they were elementary kids, happy to be outdoors but we did get things planted) 

If anyone has any suggestions to best prep for this 45 minutes or quick 45 minute lessons on kids gardeing, ideas, ttips or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

I work for a non-profit part time.   I just want to keep motiviating  the love of growing, healthy eating and pass on some kindness to in these kids along the way.

Thanks for any and all help!

------------------------------
Suzanne Moses
Wimberly's Roots Community Garden and Kitchen
Winder GA
www.WimberlysRoots.com
------------------------------

Hi Suzanne,

You are doing such great work and I am inspired by your commitment to keep going despite the funding challenges! Besides the many wonderful resources from Kids Gardening, I really like this guide, "Cultivating Joy and Wonder" from Shelburne Farms. Remember not to put too much pressure on yourself if you need a break, the kids will enjoy just being outside and using their senses and you could do art activities too :)

Have fun and good luck!

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Caitlin Mandel
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2024 09:25:32 PM
From: Suzanne Moses
Subject: 40 kids - up to 17 per class weekly gardening lesson ideas

Hi Ya'll.

I am just reaching out for idas here.  Hiope it is the proper place.

Every week I hold a gardening class for kids for the elementary students in the Boys and Girls Club in gardening.  We have a hudge incredible community farm garden and kids garden and demonstration jitchen that we hold classes inworking with.  I am going in to the 3rd week.

Unfortunately, the funding for the class with formal registration was not awarded for the Spring and I have a rotating attendance of 40 kids wanting to come each week (maxed out at 20 per class)   This leaves me unable to teach ongoing gardening education but plan a short gardening activity with the kids each week that is instructional, engaging and hopefully motivational to garden more.

I have 45 mintues with the kids.   We have covered Sunflowers (week 1 we planted)    Earth Day (we made seed balls - thank you Kids Gardening for the instructions) and last week we discussed parts of plants and planted the sunflowers other kids planted with 15 new kids.  (what an adventure - they were elementary kids, happy to be outdoors but we did get things planted) 

If anyone has any suggestions to best prep for this 45 minutes or quick 45 minute lessons on kids gardeing, ideas, ttips or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

I work for a non-profit part time.   I just want to keep motiviating  the love of growing, healthy eating and pass on some kindness to in these kids along the way.

Thanks for any and all help!

------------------------------
Suzanne Moses
Wimberly's Roots Community Garden and Kitchen
Winder GA
www.WimberlysRoots.com
------------------------------

I work in residential care facilities and do 45 minute classes. The kids move fast this is what works for me. hope it helps.

Week 01: Plant Vegetables, Introduction to the Gardens, and Pew knowledge Surveys

Garden Intro, Beginning Plants in the Ground, intro to class structures, intro to teacher, pre-
garden survey, garden rules, garden planning and planting beginning plants, fertilizing
established plants

Week 02: Garden Planning Practice and Design, Companion Plants introduction

Will introduce companion plants, talk about sunlight needs, and show other examples of garden
designs then let students design their own gardens using two mediums – 2D paper drawings
and 3D lego gardens. The paper version will be the focus for the contest. Then, we can vote on
student bed designs and implement the winning one from each class if possible in the next
upcoming classes.

Week 03: Planting Winning Garden beds, Direct Sowing in ground, Pollinator Education,
Chaos Gardening

Planting the winning voted on garden beds if applicable and possible! starting seeds in garden,
using seed tape, talking about pollinators/sowing pollinator mix with pollinator activity books, put
up pollinator homes if applicable, Chaos gardening experiment, fertilizing established plants,
watering, amending soil, planting requested plants, and weeding where needed!

Week 04:-Painting Garden Pavers, Birdwatching, and Garden Scavenger Hunt w/
Binoculars

Birdfeeders and bring back binoculars for birdwatching and biodiversity and scavenger hunt,
painting garden pavers personalize and free activity if applicable, and garden educational and
sensory and mindfulness scavenger hunt with binoculars and reward for scavenger hunt
completion.

Week 5:- Kindness Rocks, Flag Design, Honeybee Edu, Recycling, Mutual Aid, and
Discuss Causes for market

Painting kindness rocks and intro to causes, mutual aid discussion, students will harvest and all
harvested food will be donated to community free food boxes during our summer program,
introduction to harvesting, discuss causes for our market, discussion of market, garden
maintenance day, voting for market causes, show pictures from other markets

Week 6: Rock and Gemstone Excavations and Bingo, Air Dry Clay Flowers and Crack
Geodes Crafts

Rock and gemstone excavations and bingo identification games, air dry clay free craft –
examples of air dry clay flowers, crack a geode, maybe egg carton geodes depending on if able
to get these done in advance!

Week 7:Floral Arrangements for Staff, At-Home garden take home sheet, and personal
Garden Journals

Make floral bouquets for staff members and family for our after school programming, practice for
the market, take home sheet of indoor or at-home garden activities, garden journals passed out
and introduced, garden journaling time, can continue last week's activities by painting air dry
clay projects that have dried now.

Week 8: Garden Artwork – Using New Mediums: Seed Artwork and Nature Printing and
Collages

We will bring back binoculars for birdwatching in case bird feeders brought birds out, using
seeds and glue and cuttings from around garden and paint and butcher paper to create artwork

to introduce clients to different art mediums, Nature prints and seed artwork, Nat Geo magazine
collages

Week 9: End of Garden Celebration before Market with Crafts, Face Paint, Edible Flower
Salad, Lemonade with Mint, Solar Ovens, Surveys
Celebration with games and Crafts, food from garden and edible flower salad, homemade
lemonade with mint from garden, solar ovens science food experiment! Recipes in garden
handouts for home and to take. Some organizations will not allow solar ovens.

Week 10: Garden Market and Goodbyes!
Garden market for staff and invited guests, practice sales and donations go to cause we
support!

------------------------------
Kalie Johnson
Fostering Hope Ohio
OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2024 09:25:32 PM
From: Suzanne Moses
Subject: 40 kids - up to 17 per class weekly gardening lesson ideas

Hi Ya'll.

I am just reaching out for idas here.  Hiope it is the proper place.

Every week I hold a gardening class for kids for the elementary students in the Boys and Girls Club in gardening.  We have a hudge incredible community farm garden and kids garden and demonstration jitchen that we hold classes inworking with.  I am going in to the 3rd week.

Unfortunately, the funding for the class with formal registration was not awarded for the Spring and I have a rotating attendance of 40 kids wanting to come each week (maxed out at 20 per class)   This leaves me unable to teach ongoing gardening education but plan a short gardening activity with the kids each week that is instructional, engaging and hopefully motivational to garden more.

I have 45 mintues with the kids.   We have covered Sunflowers (week 1 we planted)    Earth Day (we made seed balls - thank you Kids Gardening for the instructions) and last week we discussed parts of plants and planted the sunflowers other kids planted with 15 new kids.  (what an adventure - they were elementary kids, happy to be outdoors but we did get things planted) 

If anyone has any suggestions to best prep for this 45 minutes or quick 45 minute lessons on kids gardeing, ideas, ttips or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

I work for a non-profit part time.   I just want to keep motiviating  the love of growing, healthy eating and pass on some kindness to in these kids along the way.

Thanks for any and all help!

------------------------------
Suzanne Moses
Wimberly's Roots Community Garden and Kitchen
Winder GA
www.WimberlysRoots.com
------------------------------