An Exciting Week Ahead...

This morning we had our weekly Monday meeting where we discussed the week's lesson plan as well as our weekly garden goals. Professor Curtis had a lot of good things to say about how the garden is going... the beds look great, everything is organized and running smoothly, and the kids are enjoying the garden. Today was no exception, as the kids seem to absolutely love the lesson. We are focusing on composting and the kids get a chance to really get down and dirty with decomposition. We get a new supply of compost each day from our volunteers and we had plenty to go around today. I won't go into details now (some incentive to keep reading this week...), but let's just say the kids get sticky, smelly, and psyched about compost!

Upon entering the garden this morning everyone was blown away with how great the wildflowers look (top, left). We also have a baby squash (below) and newly planted eggplant, okra, and peppers. This week we plan on starting several new projects, including painting an outdoor chalkboard to add to the outdoor classroom feel. I had a chance to photograph

some of the garden's visitors, including a monarch caterpillar (above)... the adult was too fast for the camera!

Stay in touch for more dirt on compost...

Peace!

Erin Stockdale,

Independent Study

Using the 5 Senses Around the Garden!

As Ethan stated below, we focused on the different types of soil (clay, silt, and sand) this week. More specifically, we wanted the children to use their 5 senses to learn about the differences. Our little scientists were willing and ready to use their 5 senses, especially, when they realized "taste" would be involved....

My group started out with sight. We used our magnifying glasses to really get us in 'scientist' mode' and we focused on the little details of the different soils and of different plants. We also used our sight to explore this wonderful flower (pictured up top to the right). One of the 4th graders in my group was able to tell me that this flower meant a squash was coming, and when the flower died we would be ready to eat a squash! Of course he mentioned that we would have to share it with everyone :)

Our taste and touch senses were used on the 3 types of soil and than we brought our senses into the garden to touch the spinach and the dill. The spinach is growing so incredibly well in the garden and with Sarah Tucker making spinach pizza, I can only imagine that it's going to be a lot of children's new favorite vegetable! I had the children describe to me what they felt were the differences between the skinny dill leaves and the thicker spinach leaves.

Even my kindergartners were using very descriptive words! For our hearing sense, I

had my group sit far away from the others and we closed our eyes and became active listeners. We heard birds, trucks, people talking, and one of my group members specifically heard a generator.

The final sense we experienced was "smell". First we smelled each different soil and talked about the differences, realizing the sand kind of smelled like salt, the silt smelled a little bit more like the garden and the clay was the soil that we had a hard time describing because it smelled "grosser" than silt from my students perspective! We went into the garden to use this sense, and I chose the dill for my students to smell.

This was a great week in the garden! Can't wait for next weeks compositing lesson!

Jamie P.

An Independent Study Lady

Another beautiful Thursday morning in the garden! The sun was shining and the wind was blowing. The pie trays acted nicely as Frisbees when the wind caught them right and I’m pretty sure every cup of sand, silt, and clay made it to the ground at least once during the classes.

The topic for the day was on soils and we found out that the students favorite way to observer them was sight, specifically with the magnifying glass. Once the students had their hands on them they wanted to look at every plant and insect in the garden. We dug into the compost pile as the students grabbed frantically for the rolly pollys to get a closer look. I explained to the kids the importance of bugs in the soils and how the compost is one large food pile for these insects. There were also a lot of compliments on the paintjob of the compost from the kids, so thank you to whoever painted that.

After the classes left, the garden became quiet again so Jamie and I started to get to work. We cleaned up and organized the shed then finished up the day with some weeding by the sunflowers.

Ethan Mauger

spinach pizza and brazilan collard greens -straight out of our garden!

To the table!

Today we picked Spinach for our spinach "pizza".

We mixed garlic, olive oil, salt, and parmesan cheese. Then we put it all on an english muffin and baked them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Everyone loved it!

Many students were apprehensive about spinach at first but after their pizza, they were sold.

I think we've got them hooked on spinach.

A friend of mine helped cook today. The kids loved Ms. Cami!

In another class we cooked brazilian collard greens. The recipe can be found here.

Each group was able to help make the collard greens.

While the others were busy using our collard greens from outside as their model for their drawings. They also learned how to spell "COLLARD GREENS"

We've got a lot of artists at Lakewood!

It is always a pleasure to cook with our students at Lakewood.

They make my day so much brighter.

take care,

Sarah Tucker

Rain or Shine

It may have been overcast and drizzling this morning, but that did not stop the early Tuesday morning crew from getting the job done. Just like the garden doesn't stop for bad weather, neither do the volunteers! Because it was not the best conditions outside, our students didn't come out today, but that left us with some ample time for some much needed maintenance. On a weekly basis, we use a lot of paper and plastic products for lessons, demonstrations, activities, etc. This was a concern raised between some volunteers. So, like with every kink, we found a solution! Always moving forward, we decided to implement a mini recycling center right in the garden. Taking two out garbage cans, we cleaned them out, poked holes in the bottom so they don't collect water, painted them, and labeled them "Paper" and "Plastic". We then found a home for them next to our compost pile. Once a week, or however often it is needed, we will take our loads over to the recycling center conveniently located a few blocks from school. By setting a good example for our students and by motivating ourselves to be more conscious of such decisions, we are finding one more way of giving back to the community and helping out our surroundings. Now our plastic cups, old papers, wrappers, and other such items can be recycled with ease.

There seemed to be a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle theme in today's garden care today because we also discovered an old wooden plat at the recycling center that Camilo readily painted for us so that we may add another seating area/display area to the garden. Such sections in the garden are important because they encourage discussion and activities to take place right in the middle of the garden, rather then from an on-looking point of view. On top of that, we also mulched and weeded away.

On a side note, all of our wild flowers are in bloom and I can not get over how beautiful they are! In all, even though we didn't get to teach today, the Tuesday morning crew walked away feeling very accomplished with our new additions to the garden.

Katie Schaefer
Independent Study

Beet Ya To The Garden!

The goal of today was to teach our Lakewood Elementary children about different types of soil. We set up a hands-on activity that allowed students to touch sand, silt, and clay in tin pans. The children loved seeing their new Eckerd friends and getting into the same groups they were assigned from last week. Once we were arranged in our fun groups we played some "get to know ya" games by having the children remind us big college kids the rules of the garden and their favorite veggies! Next, the students used their five senses to discribe what each soil feels like. One little boy said " I love the beach! I know that this sand must be from St.Pete beach!." We also let the youngsters use their five senses to explore the beds as well (pictured below).

After the children told me how the soil smelled, looked, and tasted ( just kidding!), they were ready to have a soil race! The race involved all of the students: three students poured water over saran wrapped cups topped with either sand, silt, or clay, while the other three observed which soil type let water through the fastest. The kids were really excited to see which type of soil would escape the cup first!

Once the races were finished my group really wanted to taste some of the dill plant (pictured above, right). As we were heading over, Sarah H. noticed that a beet was ready to be harvested. The children were really excited to see it come out of the ground! The kids were eager to eat the beet right away, but I assured them they would enjoy it in the wellness kitchen sometime soon!

Until next time,

-Saige Liparulo

Seed Germination!

This week we focused our lesson on seed germination and had each class split into their normal groups in order to plant and learn about seeds! We planted one cup of corn and one cup of beans per group. This was great because for some of the students it was their first time planting! They were instructed to bring the seeds back to their classroom and our little garden experts know to keep the plant by the sunlight and water them a little bit everyday. Our hopes are that these plants will do well enough so we can transplant them into the garden once they grow!

This is my first time taking part of a garden for this long of a period of time and every time I go out to Lakewood I am AMAZED at how much everything has grown in just a few weeks time! Our corn and spinach are flourishing and I am taken aback when I see how much the spinach has grown in one week - the leaves are now the size of the kids palms!

One of the best parts about being a part of the EDIBLE garden is just that...the kids LOVE to eat things! Today we tried the Dill...which, according to the Lakewood gardners, apparently tastes nothing like pickles.... :) and kale which they seemed to enjoy more. Sarah has been cooking up some delicious Kale chips and the kids are absolutely loving them!

This was a great week full of sunshine and seed education! I'm excited for next week when we'll be focusing more on different types of soil and their composition!

Best,

Jamie P.

An Independent Study Lady

I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard recently, "it smells so good in here" by those walking by the wellness kitchen. Which must be one of the reasons why even more teachers have signed up and each class that has cooked has kept their spot for the next eleven weeks. It warms my heart to watch kids actually enjoy food that is going to keep diseases at bay and doctors away. They have all been so brave and adventurous when they try these unfamiliar greens. All of the teachers have been encouraging and helpful, one especially so when she wrote me saying,

"Sarah- WOW! My children loved cooking with you. Watching their expressions as they tasted the kale was priceless. When W asked if he could drink the juice in the bowl I knew you had him hooked on greens! Thank you so very much! I am hoping you are up for another cooking experience soon."

The germination lesson has gone really well. The kids are all excited to see how their beans and corn will grow. I also like the way it helps teach responsibility. Telling my group that they were responsible for their cup made them take even more ownership. And the fact that it is a group effort teaches them how to work together harmoniously.

Spending time with our students at Lakewood starts my day off in the right direction!

(kind of like our gardens compass)

:)

Take Care,

Sarah Tucker

The day in the garden started out so foggy, we could barely see the beds across the field! But as the kids trickled out of their classrooms, the sun came out, burned away the fog, and gave us lots of sunshine for the rest of the afternoon. This week's lesson focused on introducing the kids to the idea of seed germination, and how plants develop in their earliest stages. To do this, we are using corn
and bean seeds. On Wednesdays, we have kindergarden, first and second grades, so we kept the lesson plan age-appropriate by first planting seeds in cups (with their help of course), and then talking about what parts of the plant we can see above and below the ground. To help the kids understand this concept, we brought them over to the edge of the field, and showed them what the roots of sedge grass look like. The kids were SO enthusiastic about seeing us pull sedge out of the ground, we started thinking we should recruit them to help weed.......... just kidding!
It was great to see how excited the kids were about taking their planted seeds back to the classroom. They were all very careful about handling the cups, and very aware of the special delicacy that this process involves. Hopefully this will be reflected in the height of their plants when they bring them back to the garden next week! Can't wait to see how they've grown!

Just Keep Growing!

Being as this is my first time on the blog since the students have come back out this semester, I would like to say it feels great to be teaching again! Throughout the week, I have two 2nd grade classes and one 3rd grade class; all new faces, yet still brimming with enthusiasm about the garden. This week we are incorporating last weeks lesson of the need of sun, water, and soil for growth into actually putting it all into action. My garden "scientists" are performing the "experiment" of what will happen when you combine all of these factors to grow corn and bean seeds. They were able to take them into the classroom when lessons were done so that they can observe the growth process through the clear cups. In a few weeks time, they will bring their seedlings back out of their classrooms to put out into the 3 Sisters Garden in the Patch. Many of my students are veterans out in the garden, so showing them anything that may be new after the long winter break from the garden has been exciting! They were all very excited about the native plants row, all the sunflowers that are starting to pop up, the climbing trellises over many of the beds, the expanded pineapple rows, and much more. As usual, we had to take a taste test, so while they drew plants and we discussed the different parts (i.e. leaves, stems, buds, roots, etc.), we were able to munch away on sweet peas and the last of the broccoli. Besides the teaching, there is a lot of other things going on in the garden as well. The painting of the beds is now complete, the sedge war continues on with more mulch to cover it and hands to pull it, and weeds are now match against our volunteers. Between the IS ladies, our grad student, and our professor, the planning never stops and our volunteers really give us the ability to make it all come together and work. I am so excited to see how things progress this semester. I've been on the project since August, so this is my first time in the garden is the spring and it's all growing so fast!

Until next time!
Katie Schaefer
Independent Study

Sunny Florida Monday!

It was another cool and beautiful monday morning at the patch! The ground was damp, the plants were moist and happy, and the sun was just starting to warm up as the independent study students briefed the volunteers on the weeks lesson plan. Young minds will start to stretch as we get the kids planting their own seeds and thinking about how plants grow and get their food.

As the morning started to heat up, a strange new visitor appeared next to one of the beds...

This harmless orange slime mould, which finds moist decaying wood to be delicious, sparked interest with the children as they described it as "cheese," among other things. However, in the garden we take every opportunity to teach we can get, and this mould created interest which led to some interesting discussion on how all life forms need to "eat."

Things are really starting to brighten up as the beds are almost completely painted, and the vegetables seem to be responding to all the attention with remarkable growth.

The spinach is doing incredibly well, having almost doubled in size since last week.

With a little free time between classes, Erin finds her "peace of the patch" next to the collard greens with a paintbrush. A little color really has gone a long way in the garden.

After Christina P. lead a very exciting game of "tomato tomato cucumber" (a spinoff of duck duck goose), she makes use of her time by giving the sunflowers a little love.

All in all, it was a really great start to the week. The kids were very excited to get their hands dirty and the peace was spread throughout.

All Good Medicine.

Max Shindler,

Student Volunteer

Sun, Fun, and Friday!

Today we had probably the calmest two classes I have ever seen at the garden. The first class I had last semester, and they've since changed teachers. Two of my kids I worked with personally previously it was wonderful to be able to work with them again. They are now third graders, and so big! At first I didn't even recognize one of them! They were so excited to be able to see the garden, and kept asking "do we have any beans, squash, radishes?" all plants they had grown previously. They also wanted to know where their plants from last year were. I had to explain that we harvest all the vegetables at the end of each growing season and use them in the harvest festival. I asked them if they came to the harvest festival and both of them shook their heads no, so hopefully they will this year! This class has been learning about the different parts of a plant: roots, stem, leaves, and flowers, so instead of asking them to draw what a plant needs, I had them draw the different parts of the plant and explain to me why each part is important. They were so eager to tell me everything they had learned, I was so excited!

The second class we had this afternoon was a class of kindergartners. They had never been out to the garden and were so excited to be in it they couldn't help but break out into a run once in awhile to get to the next bed. We went over the rules several times, but I think it might be best with the younger classes to start off each week with the rules so they have a solid reminder. For the kindergartners I spent most of the time showing them everything in the garden from the sunflowers to the beets to the aloe. I also let them taste a couple of different things including dill, collards, and kale. One of the girls was hungry and kept wanting more whereas the two boys were a little pickier about what they ate. I told her we had to wait to allow the plants to mature so we could get the most from them. I absolutely love kindergarten classes because I can be a little bit whimsical or play follow the leader and they love it. We pretended the trench the sunflowers are in is lava to make sure we didn't step on any of the sunflowers, and played follow the leader when they kept running through the garden.

Finally, we did some maintenance for the garden. Everything is starting to look great, but a garden always need work done! We turned the compost (to the best of my knowledge) and added some water because it looked extremely dry. We also poured more water on the papayas since they look like they're struggling a little bit from the transplanting. Lastly, we weeded since weeding always needs to be done. As long as we can keep ahead of the sedge, then we're in great shape! Well until next week!

Rolly Pollys Everywhere!

This morning in the garden we worked with a class of spunky 2nd graders. Most were garden veterans, but we did have a few new students who seemed kind of shy about the garden at first. After we gave them the tour, though, everyone was engaged and outgoing. Some of the students even knew more about the plants in the beds than I did! Several of the students wanted to water the plants, and it took at least two students to carry the full watering can. Many of the students did not know what snow peas were, so we showed them some fully grown peas in the bed. I had to reassure them that they would get to eat the peas soon:

The most exciting part for the students, though, was definitely the discovery of rolly pollys. As soon as one student discovered rolly pollys and snails under a rock, the rest of the class was quickly drawn in. We explained that the bugs were an important part of the decomposition process, and that plants need bugs to survive. We also had them draw pictures of what they saw in the garden. Here are some samples:

These kids really made my morning brighter... working with them is a great way to start the day!

Peace!

Erin S.

From garden to table: The Wellness Kitchen

Hi There! I am Sarah Tucker, a graduate student from Ole Miss. This school year I will be working in the garden and in the Wellness Kitchen. Today we went exploring, picking, cooking and tasting! We had so much fun and learned a lot too.

We tasted sweet peas straight out of the garden!

For the 3 & 4 year old Pre-K students we picked, cooked, and ate beets. They loved the bright red color and learning how healthy they will grow when eating them.

For the 4 & 5 year old Pre-K class we cooked our own collard greens.

We picked the collards, washed them off, cut them up, sprinkled balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic on them. Then we cooked them in a frying pan. The Pre-K class loved the collard greens!

With the Kindergarten classes we made kale chips. They were a hit! Kale is rich in Vitamin K, C, & A. It is filled with magnesium which is great for the heart. In addition, it has lots of phytonutrients that help fight diseases like cancer.

How to make Kale Chips:

You need: Kale, olive oil, garlic, a cookie pan, parchment paper, & an oven

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Before!

After!

Lakewood has incredible students! I was so proud of how open they were to tasting beets, collard greens, and kale. Next week, I plan on sending the kids home with a recipe to share with their parents.

Take Care,

Sarah