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Making the Garden Accessible to Kids with Special Needs

Question: What are some features for modifying gardens to accomodate children with special needs? Answer: Raised beds bring the joy of gardening up from the ground to an accessible height. (A raised bed is simply soil that is enriched and built up...
Safety of Pressure-Treated Wood

Question: I want to build raised beds for our garden. Is pressure-treated wood safe to use? Answer: For years pressure treated wood has been used to build playgrounds, raised beds, and decks. Although the wood can last for years without rotting,...
Mini Pumpkins

Question: My kids would like to try growing mini pumpkins this year and train the vines to grow up some kind of support. Any suggestions? Answer: Mini pumpkins can be easily grown on a wire tunnel so children can crawl under the vines. The vines stay...
Fun Garden Structures

Question: What are some fun garden structures my children could help make for our backyard garden? Answer: Everyone knows about bean tepees: five or more poles bound at the top and underplanted with pole beans. For variety, consider a tunnel: insert...
The Gourd Explored

"My fourth and fifth grade special needs students are captivated by things they can nurture and interact with," reports Joan Gould from Athens, GA. "The kids had been watching and feeding birds for some time when we learned that purple martins provide...
Creating a Letterbox Activity

Overview Letterboxing is a popular recreational pastime that involves following clues to find a box stowed in a scenic or interesting place. The hook? Searching for 'hidden treasure!' Background A letterbox is simply a weatherproof box, such as...
Garden Structures: Grades K-2

Question: What are some simple garden structures that I could build with my K-2 class? Answer: This age group is less concerned with permanence and more with the process of creation. Thus, bird-feeders from old styrofoam trays or pinecones, birdbaths...
Building a Maze

Overview Mazes are an engaging and fun addition to any youth garden. They can be made from a wide variety of materials depending on the resources and space available. Design and installation of the maze hones math and art skills. Background For thousands...
Personalizing the Garden

When kids develop a sense of ownership in your youth garden both the program and the children thrive. Children engaged in planning and caring for the garden tend to take on responsibility and put more effort into garden maintenance and learning...
Developing Symbols for Your Peace Garden

Objectives Students will: learn that images and objects can convey meaning; conceptualize symbols of peace, and describe how they connect the idea of peace to their symbols; plan to integrate their symbols in a garden/habitat setting; grasp the...