REVIEW

It has been quite a semester! It was a very blustery, frigid morning as we arrived to the garden this morning! Regardless, our last Monday with the kids were still so excited to be there! I find that it's a nice break from their school life and you can even see the appreciation on their faces. As finals quickly approach, it is refreshing to see a wide, gap-toothed smile and hear laughter!



Today we reviewed our semester's lessons and the intellectual turnout was no less than satisfactory, if not above expectation. We began by handing each kid a blank sheet of paper and their choice of crayon color. We started with the basics, asking what all goes into a garden and with great success, the kid's knowledge flourished as they began to scream that the sun, soil, and water are three basics that help our garden grow! Their drawings began to develop and our questions proceeded. We reviewed the water cycle, metamorphic cycle of a butterfly, and compost. The drawings were really interesting to see. They ranged from the very general cloud with rain to a very specific butterfly cycle with labels and numbers to show the order of the cycle. I think their favorite is the metamorphic cycle of the butterfly because of the game we played with them earlier in the semester! It really stuck and it showed as they shouted the answers! Another favorite was the compost! Though it is a nasty topic, they really enjoy the fact that horse manure helps!
I think our hands-on activities throughout the semester have really made a difference! I could tell just by our minor questions that the kids really enjoyed learning about the garden and what goes into the garden! Our last Monday ended with an epic game of bees and pollinators! To our surprise, the kids were fast! As our blood began pumping, the game got more fun leaving our time with the kids special!