2nd graders in Ms. Fein's class and Ms. Yoshida's class Learn about Decomposing

This week 2nd graders in Ms. Fein's class and Ms. Yoshida's class learned about decomposing and organic matter in soil as part of their introduction to composting.  They put fruit and veggie scraps. newspaper, coffee grounds and coffee filters and dirt in a plastic bag. We'll look at the bags in a few weeks to see how the contents have changed. At that time we'll start to put items in our worm bin.

We discussed some decomposers including pill bugs and red wriggler worms.

Ms. Newman's Kindergarteners Learn about Veggies and Plant

Yesterday Ms. Newman's kindergarteners visited the edible garden for the first time. We discussed their favorite fruits and vegetables and then reviewed the vegetables that they were going to plant. We named lettuce, kale, broccoli, sugar snap peas and carrots.  The children planted sugar snap pea seeds and then seedlings of kale, lettuce, broccoli and beets in their Peter Rabbit/salad bed.

Thanks to community volunteer Carolyn Hasselkorn and parent Crystal for helping the children plant.

The children enjoyed sampling carrots and sugar snap peas in the garden. Later Ms. Newman was prepared a taste of salad using broccoli, peas and lettuce.

One boy said, "this was fun! I've never gardened before!" Hopefully he'll continue to enjoy gardening!

4th Graders Learn uses of some California Native Plants

Last week Ms. Chaides 4th graders spent time in our new Native American Garden. The garden contains a lot of California sagebrush, monkey flower, deer grass, toyon and manzanita. We'll be adding more plants to it this winter.  We reviewed the fact that these plants can be found in our local Santa Monica Mountains that are visible from the school patio.

Manzanita has been used for medicine and food.  California sagebrush is used for medicine and is a plant used in smudging. It's leaves are very fragrant. Sticky monkey flower leaves are sticky, thus the name. Parts of it are used for medicine. The Native Americans have used the branches of deer grass to make baskets.

The students observed a white sage plant that we'll plant soon. The leaves are very fragrant and the Chumash made smudge sticks from the plant for use in ceremonies.

California sagebrush

Ms. Keller's Class Plants in the Jefferson Garden

Last week Ms. Keller's class learned about Thomas Jefferson our 3rd President. Their learning centered around his interest in plants. They learned that he farmed at his plantation in Monticello, Virginia. His vegetable garden was 1,000 feet long and his slaves worked on the plantation. His favorite vegetable was peas and one of his favorite lettuce varieties was tennis ball lettuce. The students planted seeds of Champion of England peas and tennis ball lettuce in their garden bed. We purchased the seeds from Monticello.

We discussed seed saving-Jefferson saved seeds and in fact had Lewis and Clark bring back seeds and plants from their travels. The heirloom seeds that we plant were saved from plants at Monticello. We also discussed the meaning of the term heirloom, eg. something that is saved and passed down.

Jefferson made detailed notes about his planting, his successes and his failures. That's why we know so much about his gardening! Thanks to our scribe for the day for taking notes.

Thanks to Amanda Keston for making Sugar Snap Peas and Pasta from www.epicurious.com. The kids loved it!  Thanks also to Carolyn Hasselkorn and Ms. Evie for helping the kids plant!

Garden Related Activities when Kids are out of School

If your kids like to garden they might like some of the following activities that they can do at home.

Planting: 

1) Kids might like to plant some cool season veggies in pots or in the ground. Remember that everything takes longer to grow now that it's not so warm outside. For that reason, I plant seedlings as well as seeds so I'll have vegetables to eat sooner.  I recommend asking the kids what they'd like to plant-usually it'll be their favorite vegetables. Check the back of the seed packets to see how long until germination. That might also be a factor in what you choose to plant!

2) You or they might want to plant some bulbs. At Marquez we're planting some red tulips behind yellow pansies. They'll look good together.  I also like planting paper whites-they are easy to grow and smell great!

3) Kids can research what they'd like to plant in a spring garden and then order seed catalogs.

4) If they want to start seeds indoors using grow lights like we have at Marquez, check out the grow light gardens from Gardeners Supply.
5) Plant some wildflower seeds. California poppy seeds can be found at most nurseries. (Kids learn about poppies in our study of plants used by indigenous peoples). Theodore Payne has a large variety and you can check on-line and have seeds sent to you. 

Wind chimes:

1) Wind chimes can be made out of various materials. Some Marquez students are going to make some out of terracota pots for our sensory garden. I'm going to make some out of xylophone pieces. There are lots of good ideas on Pinterest.

Garden gifts for others:

1) Kids can paint a terracota pot with acrylic paint and then plant seeds or seedlings in it as a gift.  They could give someone a small herb garden or salad garden. They can also do this with paperwhite bulbs.

Other garden related activities:

1) Kids can help make raised beds. Gardeners.com has some raised beds that are easy to put together. 2) Make a worm bin or purchase one and start composting with worms. The worms do best at temps from mid 50 to mid-70s so consider keeping the bin in the garage. Worm bins can be made out of large Rubbermaid containers. Just put holes in the top so the worms can breathe and some in bottom for drainage. Put another bin underneath to catch moisture. Directions for worm composting: https://www.lacitysan.org/cs/groups/public/documents/document/y250/mda4/~edisp/cnt008925.pdf

Reading:

1) Kids might like to read books about gardening either factual or fiction. Kids Can Compost is an introductory book about composting, Planting a Rainbow, Compost Stew, Growing Vegetable Soup are also good books for young gardeners.

2) Garden project books: Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots has fun projects as does The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids.

What Marquez 4th graders Do and Learn in the Native American Garden?

The Native American Garden is an example of linking gardening to the curriculum as a way to make lasting memories for the students. In this case, we provide links to social studies and science and to our local flora of the Santa Monica mountain area.

The garden was installed in the 2014-15 school year based on a design by Ryan Drnek of Sodder Studios after approval by LAUSD personnel. Initial funding for the garden was from a grant from the Pacific Palisades Garden Club. Subsequent funding has come from Gibson International Realty.

We discuss how many of the plants in the garden can be found in the local mountains, just five minutes from school. Some of the students hike there and recognize the plants. Others use some of the plants at home, for example, white sage.

We discuss how native plants don't need much water, i.e. that they are drought tolerant and adapted to our climate. In the local mountains the plants self-seed and don't get extra water.

Many of the plants in the front garden are California native plants that were and are used by local indigenous peoples, the Chumash and Tongva, for food, medicine and other purposes.   The plants include deer grass, Cleveland sage, California poppy, black sage, purple sage, sticky monkey flower, island alum root, milkweed, white sage, hummingbird sage, sagebrush and yarrow.

In the fall, the students learn about California poppies, the state flower, as they plant the seeds in the garden. Later they can harvest and save the seeds.  We also discuss the role of mulch at this time and if necessary, add more mulch. Mulch keeps the soil underneath moist and reduces the need for watering. It also prevents weeds from growing.

In the winter, the students learn about other plants in the garden either as they plant them or as we observe them. Deer grass is an easy one to learn as it's the biggest plant in the garden. Students learn that the Chumash make baskets from this. They learn that there are several varieties of sages and that they smell good.

In the spring the California poppies, the state flower, explode with color!

California poppies in bloom

A smudge stick used for ceremonies is made from white sage

Students research and prepare reports on the different plants. During this process they learn how they are used by local pollinators as well as by indigenous peoples. During the spring annual garden celebration they tour the garden to the guests. The guests are given copies of the student's reports.

Identifying markers label the plants so community members can learn about them as well. This next year we will be purchasing identifying labels, similar to those in botanical gardens, that have QR codes that will link to explanations written by the children.

The attachments below show some pages from an iBook written by students in Ms. Chaides' class in spring of 2017. A printed copy was given to the attendees at the celebration.

In addition, reports from Ms. Chaides' and Ms. Palos' students from the garden dedication in spring of 2015 can be found on  Palisades Cares.

Ms. Conn's Class Plants in the Jefferson Garden

Yesterday Ms. Conn's 5th graders planted in the Jefferson Garden. They learned that Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president, was also a horticulturist. His favorite vegetable was peas! The students planted heirloom seeds of Champion of England peas and Brown Dutch lettuce that we purchased from and that were harvested at Monticello.  The peas originated in England in 1843.  Brown Dutch lettuce was the most frequently planted lettuce variety by Thomas Jefferson in his garden at Monticello.  Thanks to Michele Wahlig for gardening with the children.