Natural hazards

“Because Your Children Live What They Learn…”

By:

Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

Here are some meaningful plant selections to incorporate into your peace garden:

Rhododendron - in Russia, the blossoms signify peace, health, and purity

Mistletoe - in Scandinavia, associated with Frigga, the goddess of love

White pine tree - for the Native American Haudenosaunee, or Six Nations Peoples, the five needles joined together indicate unity

Peace Rose - a rose variety introduced in 1945 to commemorate the end of World War II

Sunflowers - a symbol of freedom from the threat of nuclear weapons during the 1990s. Sunflowers are warm and welcoming; grow in friendly crowds; and produce nutritious seeds for people and wildlife.

Cosmos - named after the Greek word for well-ordered universe; symbolizes peace and order

Education in the garden is a great way to teach kids to live responsibly and peacefully.This philosophy, from the creator of Playschool Child Care, Inc., Carol Acosta, is what continues to guide the program more than 25 years later.

Compost Happens

By:

Jean Persely for NGA with Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

Jean shares some of her ideas to get kids interested in composting:

Ask students what happens to blue jeans and t-shirts in the landfills? Can they be composted?
Ask for an old cotton t-shirt and/or an old pair of jeans to be donated. Place them at the bottom of the compost pile, or use a smaller piece for a worm bin. Do the students realize they are wearing plants? How long will it take to break down? Have students make guesses as to what will happen to these old clothes.
Do you have multiple working compost bins at school? Have a t-shirt composting race with another class. Which class will have a faster compost pile? What causes one compost bin to decompose materials faster than the other? Was one pile being turned more than the other? Take the temperature inside the pile. Is one pile hotter than the other?
Consider doing an experiment with a piece of a t-shirt in one pile and a plastic bottle in another. Let the students predict what will happen.

As the wife of an active duty Marine, Jean Persely has made the most of her frequent moves by teaching others to “bloom where they are planted.” Jean has committed to making a positive impact on any community she joins. It was in 2005, that Jean developed a vision to impact a school community by planning the introduction of a garden.

Volunteer Surveys, FREE Download

Submitted by admin on Fri, 05/25/2012 - 15:49

By:

NGA Staff

As a garden coordinator, if you can understand what motivates your volunteers you'll be more prepared to recruit, support and retain a support network. Download Volunteer Surveys(PDF) »

1 attachment

Exploring Water — Four Lessons to Teach about the Importance of Water

Submitted by cynthiad on Tue, 02/14/2012 - 15:09

By:

NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

Each lesson within this curriculum unit can be taught independently or in succession with the others. Download the lessons below:

This curriculum unit, developed by the education staff at the National Gardening Association addresses the core specific elements of the water cycle for K-12 students. There are four grade specific lesson plans, but the lessons can easily be adapted to meet the needs of any age classroom. Content in the lessons covers different aspects of the water cycle and applying the principles to activities and inquiry that can be discussed in and out of the school garden.

Catching the Rain

Submitted by sarahp on Thu, 07/22/2010 - 09:10

Objectives

Students will:

discover the impact of soil conditions on rainwater absorption
learn gardening practices to help increase moisture absorption

Central Concepts

Water does not penetrate well in some soil conditions, causing runoff and erosion.

The Right Spot for a Rain Garden

By:

NGA Staff

Overview

The first step in rain garden design is scouting an appropriate site. This activity challenges students to explore one aspect of this process: soil drainage assessment. (For full background information about the purpose of rain gardens and basic design principles, please read Rain Gardens to the Rescue.)

Inquiry Flows

Submitted by sarahp on Wed, 04/21/2010 - 00:49

Creating a Classroom River

"Exploring life in the river near our school intrigued my third and fourth graders," reports Waits River, VT, teacher Cheryl Ollman. "But, of course, the time for working outside is limited by our climate. When I discovered that a local educational group was experimenting with an indoor river simulation, I volunteered to test it out in my classroom."

The Right Size for a Rain Garden

By:

NGA Staff

Overview

Students will use math skills to determine how large their rain garden must be to effectively manage stormwater runoff at a chosen location.

Materials

Measuring tape
Graph paper
Pencils
Calculators

Rain Gardens to the Rescue

Absorbing Stormwater Runoff...and Student Interest!

Also known as a bioretention system, a rain garden is a landscape feature planted in a shallow depression designed to capture stormwater runoff. Once collected, stormwater is slowly absorbed into and filtered by the soil. As a result, rain gardens decrease the amount of water and pollutants entering municipal drainage systems and natural waterways.

Growing Good Citizens

Empowered students improve their world

We believe that children are able to observe their environment and assess its needs; children should be empowered to make the kinds of changes in their environment they see as necessary; by educating our children about environmental issues they will become concerned, active, environmentally conscious adults.