Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but winter
is a problem
Carolyn

Are you planning on finding an outdoor plot for them to plant? If so, you
can get them cranked up in January by choosing seeds from a good online
catalog like www.burpee.com, and starting some of the seeds indoors. If you
don't have a window facing South, maybe you can rig up a fluorescent fixture
over some trays on a counter. And, even without an outdoor plot, perhaps you
could have them plant something rugged that they can take home, like
marigolds. Beans are the all-time favorite in classrooms because they're big
& fat, both in seed and grown form. But, some parents may not want a bean
plant at home.

"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote in message
...
Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but
winter
is a problem
Carolyn

"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote in message
...
Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but
winter
is a problem
Carolyn

Where are you?

"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote in
:

Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to
foster the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and
Fall, but winter is a problem
Carolyn



did you see the Happy Kitchen Garden Day thing?

Happy Belated Kitchen Garden Day to rdoiron!

From: (rdoiron)
Subject: Happy Kitchen Garden Day!
Date: 22 Aug 2004 05:03:01 -0700
Message-ID:

Hope you'll be celebrating!

http://www.kitchengardeners.org/kitchengardenday.html

--
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect." Chief Seattle

"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote in message
...
Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening?

Idea's aren't hard. It's the end of summer. Go to the city library and get
current issues of Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Organic Gardening, Gardening
How To or Garden Gate. Or all of them. They're focasing on October right
now. There are also books regarding children and gardening you can search
for on the internet under Google search, or Web Ferret or ask Jeeves.

Like I said, it's the end of summer. You could invest in some spring bulbs
at Walmart, or Big Lots, or possibly the Dollar Store, some inexpensive bulb
planters or some good hefty trowels. Sears aluminum trowels are about $2-
$3 each and are guaranteed for life. LIFE. Three or four would be good
along with some inexpensive bulb planters at the dollar store.

Get with the Principle and designate a safe and untrampled spot for a
spring garden. Talk about how perfect bulbs are (so are seeds, they are
miraculous). I once showed a 5 year old who was climbing the display racks
at the older Lowes while his mother was frantically trying to pick out some
loose bulbs and keep an eye on him at the same time how neat and magical
bulbs were.

I had him pick out a bulb in the crate, and then I told him the story about
the sleeping flower. That if planted at the right time, would wake up and
bloom near his birthday (which happened to be in March). I then showed him
the special tool that it took to plant the bulb and by that time his mother
realized he had been climbing up metal shelves and saw him all hunkered down
inspecting bulbs with me.

We picked out a few spring bulbs for him to plant, and when I ran into this
lady in town where I lived at the time the next spring, she informed me that
he had not only helped plant the bulbs, but ran out every day after January
to see if his flowers were waking up. And was thrilled when the first shoots
of the leaves started poking up from the soil.

If you call Horticulture magazine (1-800-234-2415) or Fine Gardening
Magazine (1-800-283-7252) or Organic Gardening magazine (1-800-666-2206 or
possibly 1-800-914-9396) and ask if they would contribute a few issues that
deal directly with children and gardening, I'm sure they'll comply with your
requests. Children encouraged to garden represent our future in more ways
than one. I salute you in your endeavors. (you can also check with your
local Extension agency and see if they have Master Gardeners who come to
schools.) Or if any local gardens or Arboretums have potential field trips
that would be fun to take them on.

I know my friend once went to a second grade class and showed all the
children how to start a little greenhouse with clear salad boxes she had the
teacher hand out that she'd saved up for a few months, and brought in the
soil less mix and some variety of seeds for each child to pick out. she then
talked with the children about gardening and seed starting, each child
picked out a package of seeds (she said she got them for 10c apiece at Big
Lots the previous Spring and kept them sealed in a ziploc in the fridge
until school started and she went into the class the first part of
February), she showed them how to make their own little personal greenhouse
out of the salad boxes, and they labled the boxes, and she showed them how
to plant the seeds. (she also picked 90% viable seeds, to make sure
everyone had no frustrations at lack of germination).

When they were finished making and planting the little greenhouses, they set
up a folding table near the windows in the room and she said she'd return in
a month to show them how to go the next step upwards. By the time the
plants were ready for the outside gardens the teacher had gotten permission
to plant in, the children knew how to start seeds, how to mostly keep them
alive, how to share if someone's seeds died because they didn't water them,
or if they got the horrible disease, Mr. Damping Offingheimer(that was cute)
and by May, pretty much every child in that classroom had a flower, or a
vegetable they were excited about.

I went a step further and asked her recently if she had ever followed up on
any of those children she'd talked and worked with that year on seed
starting and upkeep. She said out of 38 children in that class, 19 went on
to be serious about gardening, meaning raising flowers or vegetables on a
regular and seasonal basis. 29 children maintained and had houseplants, Nine
went on to take horticulture in college, with two saying they were inspired
by those simple little things she did as what motivated them to go on
towards gardening and horticulture on a more serious end. And as a bonus,
the teacher she did the presentation for, went on for the next ten years
doing the same thing, only telling the children to save their own salad
boxes to bring to class and managed to turn the classroom greenhouses into a
home based project to be brought back to school for results in the early
spring to plant in the designated teaching garden. The teacher said she
noticed that the patience it takes to nurture seeds and keep them alive and
growing to become whatever it's purpose is, taught children more than she
ever could have hoped. It taught them patience and about some of the
mysteries of life. How neat! I wish you all the best in this incredible
task. I hope this gives you a couple of ideas. Keep me posted on your
successes!
madgardener up on the ridge, back in fairy holler, where now I teach
customers who are interested how to nurture and grow their plants they buy
at the nursery.......in Eastern Tennessee zone 7, sunset zone 36
I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but winter
is a problem
Carolyn

We have an established, bird - butterfly garden. So they will be feeding
birds all winter. It is almost impossible to plant annuals since the
garden is not tended mid June - late August.
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Are you planning on finding an outdoor plot for them to plant? If so, you
can get them cranked up in January by choosing seeds from a good online
catalog like www.burpee.com, and starting some of the seeds indoors. If
you
don't have a window facing South, maybe you can rig up a fluorescent
fixture
over some trays on a counter. And, even without an outdoor plot, perhaps
you
could have them plant something rugged that they can take home, like
marigolds. Beans are the all-time favorite in classrooms because they're
big
& fat, both in seed and grown form. But, some parents may not want a bean
plant at home.

"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote in message
...
Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to
foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but
winter
is a problem
Carolyn

Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but winter
is a problem
Carolyn


1. Grow coleus or other indoor plants from cuttings.
2. Start sweet potato vines in water.
3. Start grapefruit seeds, avocado pits,
mangoes, any thing that is edible, save the seeds and see if they wil grow.
Make a collection of tree seeds, and start them.
4. Grow a carrot top forest, from the top 2 inch end of a carrot. Just put in
shallow water in a saucer
5. Learn about types of soils.
6. Learn about composting.
7. Grow wheat or other grasses in pots.
8. Do an experiment with potted bean plants by putting one in sunlight, one in
the
dark, one in a cold place, one in warm to see what plants need to grow. Do this
with seeds also to see what a seed neesd to germinate.
9. Force bulbs in containers.
10. Learn the parts of a plant, parts of a leaf, parts of a flower. A Botany
book will give you the terms, and good diagrams. Use real plants as well as
diagrams
11.Look at bark and twigs with dormant buds of winter trees and learn to
identify them by these characteristics. Force some spring blooming shrubs like
forsythia into bloom.
12. Put a celery stalk in water that has been colored with dye. Watch the color
rise up in the stalk. How did it do that?
13. Soak lima beans in water. Carefully remove the outer skin,(seed coat) and
then separate the two parts of the seed (cotyledons). Inside you will find the
tiny embryo plant complete with root, stem, and tiny leaves. Kids love this
and find it truly amazing. I do too!

I may think of more..........
Emilie
NorCal


































dark, one in a cold place, one in warm etc to discover what plants need to
grow.
9.
8. Force bulbs in a container.
9.
9.

I agree, some parents don't want bean plants in their home but I can't
think of anyone who doesn't want fresh basil in winter. Mint and
lemon balms are good too, most kids do a double take when they smell
these for the first time. Christmas pepper (get edible ones) and
sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) are impressive too. You can also make
a sprout kit for lentils and alfalfa.

Don't forget vegetative propagation: african violet leaf, potato,
garlic, hens & chicks, etc. If you're really daring, you can start a
vermicomposter.

Here's some sites:

http://www.kidsgardening.com/
http://www.bry-backmanor.org/gardenfun/
http://www.global-garden.com.au/gardenkids.htm
http://www.growingedge.com/kids/
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/firstgarden/
http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/worm/

Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but winter
is a problem
Carolyn

Try this site:
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopE...n/projects.htm
sed5555

On 8/26/04 3:58 PM, in article , "Carolyn
LeCrone" wrote:

Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but winter
is a problem
Carolyn



Have you seen Sharon Lovejoy's book?

How about forcing some bulbs?
Cheryl

"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote:

Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but winter
is a problem

They can care for house plants they planted in the fall.

They can enjoy winter flowers such as witch hazel and hellebores.
(Caution: hellebores are very poisonous to children)

They can force Paper White Narcissus or Amaryllis Bulbs.

They can dry flowers collected in the fall.

They can enjoy plants with berries in the winter like holly.

They can plant seeds they bring from home from foods they eat.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to

Thanks, I had thought about annuals, but herbs are a MUCH better idea!
Carolyn
"Pen" wrote in message
om...
I agree, some parents don't want bean plants in their home but I can't
think of anyone who doesn't want fresh basil in winter. Mint and
lemon balms are good too, most kids do a double take when they smell
these for the first time. Christmas pepper (get edible ones) and
sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) are impressive too. You can also make
a sprout kit for lentils and alfalfa.

Don't forget vegetative propagation: african violet leaf, potato,
garlic, hens & chicks, etc. If you're really daring, you can start a
vermicomposter.

Here's some sites:

http://www.kidsgardening.com/
http://www.bry-backmanor.org/gardenfun/
http://www.global-garden.com.au/gardenkids.htm
http://www.growingedge.com/kids/
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/firstgarden/
http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/worm/

Thanks for all of your suggestions. Time constraints are another big
problem. We live in a huge school district and "time on task" is closely
monitored, so I'm trying to fit activities into the student's regular
curriculum.
Carolyn
"madgardener" wrote in message
...


--
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect." Chief Seattle

"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote in message
...
Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to
foster
the love of gardening?

Idea's aren't hard. It's the end of summer. Go to the city library and get
current issues of Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Organic Gardening,
Gardening
How To or Garden Gate. Or all of them. They're focasing on October right
now. There are also books regarding children and gardening you can search
for on the internet under Google search, or Web Ferret or ask Jeeves.

Like I said, it's the end of summer. You could invest in some spring bulbs
at Walmart, or Big Lots, or possibly the Dollar Store, some inexpensive
bulb
planters or some good hefty trowels. Sears aluminum trowels are about $2-
$3 each and are guaranteed for life. LIFE. Three or four would be good
along with some inexpensive bulb planters at the dollar store.

Get with the Principle and designate a safe and untrampled spot for a
spring garden. Talk about how perfect bulbs are (so are seeds, they are
miraculous). I once showed a 5 year old who was climbing the display
racks
at the older Lowes while his mother was frantically trying to pick out
some
loose bulbs and keep an eye on him at the same time how neat and magical
bulbs were.

I had him pick out a bulb in the crate, and then I told him the story
about
the sleeping flower. That if planted at the right time, would wake up and
bloom near his birthday (which happened to be in March). I then showed
him
the special tool that it took to plant the bulb and by that time his
mother
realized he had been climbing up metal shelves and saw him all hunkered
down
inspecting bulbs with me.

We picked out a few spring bulbs for him to plant, and when I ran into
this
lady in town where I lived at the time the next spring, she informed me
that
he had not only helped plant the bulbs, but ran out every day after
January
to see if his flowers were waking up. And was thrilled when the first
shoots
of the leaves started poking up from the soil.

If you call Horticulture magazine (1-800-234-2415) or Fine Gardening
Magazine (1-800-283-7252) or Organic Gardening magazine (1-800-666-2206 or
possibly 1-800-914-9396) and ask if they would contribute a few issues
that
deal directly with children and gardening, I'm sure they'll comply with
your
requests. Children encouraged to garden represent our future in more ways
than one. I salute you in your endeavors. (you can also check with your
local Extension agency and see if they have Master Gardeners who come to
schools.) Or if any local gardens or Arboretums have potential field
trips
that would be fun to take them on.

I know my friend once went to a second grade class and showed all the
children how to start a little greenhouse with clear salad boxes she had
the
teacher hand out that she'd saved up for a few months, and brought in the
soil less mix and some variety of seeds for each child to pick out. she
then
talked with the children about gardening and seed starting, each child
picked out a package of seeds (she said she got them for 10c apiece at Big
Lots the previous Spring and kept them sealed in a ziploc in the fridge
until school started and she went into the class the first part of
February), she showed them how to make their own little personal
greenhouse
out of the salad boxes, and they labled the boxes, and she showed them how
to plant the seeds. (she also picked 90% viable seeds, to make sure
everyone had no frustrations at lack of germination).

When they were finished making and planting the little greenhouses, they
set
up a folding table near the windows in the room and she said she'd return
in
a month to show them how to go the next step upwards. By the time the
plants were ready for the outside gardens the teacher had gotten
permission
to plant in, the children knew how to start seeds, how to mostly keep them
alive, how to share if someone's seeds died because they didn't water
them,
or if they got the horrible disease, Mr. Damping Offingheimer(that was
cute)
and by May, pretty much every child in that classroom had a flower, or a
vegetable they were excited about.

I went a step further and asked her recently if she had ever followed up
on
any of those children she'd talked and worked with that year on seed
starting and upkeep. She said out of 38 children in that class, 19 went on
to be serious about gardening, meaning raising flowers or vegetables on a
regular and seasonal basis. 29 children maintained and had houseplants,
Nine
went on to take horticulture in college, with two saying they were
inspired
by those simple little things she did as what motivated them to go on
towards gardening and horticulture on a more serious end. And as a bonus,
the teacher she did the presentation for, went on for the next ten years
doing the same thing, only telling the children to save their own salad
boxes to bring to class and managed to turn the classroom greenhouses into
a
home based project to be brought back to school for results in the early
spring to plant in the designated teaching garden. The teacher said she
noticed that the patience it takes to nurture seeds and keep them alive
and
growing to become whatever it's purpose is, taught children more than she
ever could have hoped. It taught them patience and about some of the
mysteries of life. How neat! I wish you all the best in this incredible
task. I hope this gives you a couple of ideas. Keep me posted on your
successes!
madgardener up on the ridge, back in fairy holler, where now I teach
customers who are interested how to nurture and grow their plants they buy
at the nursery.......in Eastern Tennessee zone 7, sunset zone 36
I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but winter
is a problem
Carolyn

Wow! Thanks for your input. I hadn't considered using cuttings. I have
printed your wonderful list!
"MLEBLANCA" wrote in message
...
Where can I find ideas to use with 9 year olds, in a classroom, to foster
the love of gardening? I have lots of ideas for Spring and Fall, but
winter
is a problem
Carolyn


1. Grow coleus or other indoor plants from cuttings.
2. Start sweet potato vines in water.
3. Start grapefruit seeds, avocado pits,
mangoes, any thing that is edible, save the seeds and see if they wil
grow.
Make a collection of tree seeds, and start them.
4. Grow a carrot top forest, from the top 2 inch end of a carrot. Just
put in
shallow water in a saucer
5. Learn about types of soils.
6. Learn about composting.
7. Grow wheat or other grasses in pots.
8. Do an experiment with potted bean plants by putting one in sunlight,
one in
the
dark, one in a cold place, one in warm to see what plants need to grow. Do
this
with seeds also to see what a seed neesd to germinate.
9. Force bulbs in containers.
10. Learn the parts of a plant, parts of a leaf, parts of a flower. A
Botany
book will give you the terms, and good diagrams. Use real plants as well
as
diagrams
11.Look at bark and twigs with dormant buds of winter trees and learn to
identify them by these characteristics. Force some spring blooming shrubs
like
forsythia into bloom.
12. Put a celery stalk in water that has been colored with dye. Watch the
color
rise up in the stalk. How did it do that?
13. Soak lima beans in water. Carefully remove the outer skin,(seed coat)
and
then separate the two parts of the seed (cotyledons). Inside you will find
the
tiny embryo plant complete with root, stem, and tiny leaves. Kids love
this
and find it truly amazing. I do too!

I may think of more..........
Emilie
NorCal


































dark, one in a cold place, one in warm etc to discover what plants need to
grow.
9.
8. Force bulbs in a container.
9.
9.