A Brief Episode of Garden Anarchy

Today Dylan, Alyssa, and my teaching skills and patience were put to the test. Our first group of kids, Ms. Strickland’s kindergarten class, was without their regular teacher. They came out of their portable yelling, laughing, and not in their normal structured line. We attempted to read a book about plant growth and butterfly development but their interest was clearly somewhere else. Thinking on our feet, we decided to play a game about the interconnectedness of the garden. We formed a circle and used a ball of string to create an ecosystem/food-web. The children seemed to like this and I am always surprised at how enthusiastic all the children are to answer the questions posed by Eckerd student. With Ms. Stoll’s first grade class we observed changes in the garden and played the food-web game.

I am so grateful to have this opportunity to interact with kids and gain valuable teaching experience. I was reminded during the day’s lessons that I need to work on how I relate to the kids, improve my discipline skills, and not get so disappointed if a lesson does not go over perfectly. This is a learning experience for the Eckerd students as much as it is for the Lakewood classes.

As far as the actual garden goes as of Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.:
-Radishes are booming, I predict some will be ready to eat next week
-Most second-grade beans are 3-5 inches tall
-Collards are looking leafy and delicious
-The compost is looking darker, richer, and lovelier by the minute
-Aphids are going to town on some sunflower plants
-Ladybugs are going to town on said aphids
-The pineapple tops we planted have bit the dust, they will be replaced though
-The dill plant is turning into a dill tree!
-All sprouts are ready for some hot, humid, and sunny Florida weather