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Stimulating Imagination in the Garden

Submitted by RoseJM on Tue, 08/14/2012 - 08:33
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Building Fairy Houses
By: 
Rose Judd-Murray
Right Side Box: 

 Fairy Houses (The Fairy Houses Series)

 Author: Tracy Kane

 ISBN: 978-0970910458

 

With young children, there are few lazy days of summer. Most days are filled with intense constructive projects from blanket forts to tree houses

With young children, there are few lazy days of summer. Most days are filled with intense constructive projects from blanket forts to tree houses, and from sandcastles to bean teepees. Kids love creating these special spaces.

The Rain Garden is an Effective Tool

Submitted by cynthiad on Sun, 04/15/2012 - 14:31
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By: 
Rose Judd-Murray, NGA Staff
Right Side Box: 

A Book for a Rainy Day

Title: The Listening Walk
Author: Paul Showers
Illustrator: Aliki
ISBN: 978- 0064433228

Installing a rain garden in your home landscape can create family interactions.

The Beginning of a Library Garden

Submitted by cynthiad on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:54
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By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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NGA's Own LibraryGardens.org

Libraries have a unique opportunity to provide a visual connection between literature and nature. Grants are available to support library gardens, but often require someone with a vision. National Gardening Association offers assistance in this area. Whether you’re interested in developing a particular theme garden or a garden that encompasses a variety of books, our professional staff of landscape architects, horticulturists and educators can help you develop your vision. Visit Library Gardens for more information about how we can design your library garden which will in turn help you as your seek support for funding the installation of this space.

The Village of Plain City Garden features several animal topiaries named after classic authors.In an effort to preserve the historic Village of Plain City, Ohio, local gardeners and members of the county Master Gardener program pulled their resources to establish a landmark for the town.

One Stop for Your Garden-Based Education: A Garden in Every (Home)School

Submitted by cynthiad on Wed, 12/14/2011 - 13:09
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By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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Keep your Students Learning over the Winter Break!

Here are some fun activities you can send home with your students over the winter break to keep them engaged. You may even consider encouraging your students to get their parent's involved and complete these activities by offering extra credit when they return from winter break.

K-5th grade activity: How to Create a Moss Garden »

5th-12th grade activity: Serving Nutrition at Home »

Successful school gardening with kids in any situation requires a set of great resources. Having resources that enable you to seamlessly use the garden to enhance the core curricular areas makes your job, as the teacher, that much easier.

Books in Bloom-Our New Garden Feature

Submitted by cynthiad on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:22
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By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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Meet the Creators of Books in Bloom

Books in Bloom authors Mark Lubkowitz and Valerie Bang-Jensen (photo taken by dariabishop.com)Books in Bloom authors Mark Lubkowitz and Valerie Bang-Jensen (photo taken by dariabishop.com)Dr. Mark Lubkowitz earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology from The University of Tennessee and followed up with a post-doctoral fellowship in plant development genetics at The University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Valerie Bang-Jensen earned her Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University studying children’s literature, reading, curriculum and teaching.

Mark is now an associate professor of biology, while Valerie serves as an associate professor of education. These two educators are currently working at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont where they have joined forces and expertise to bring an interdisciplinary garden to life.

Download 3rd-5th grade lesson integrating reading, writing, and gardening (PDF) »

Download 7th-12th grade lesson on the value of gardening and cause and effect relationships (PDF) »

The Teaching Gardens at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont and home to the inspiration for Books in BloomWe have an exciting new article that we will be incorporating onto our website titled, Books in Bloom.

Sugar Snow

Submitted by sarahp on Fri, 01/14/2011 - 20:44
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Materials
- Types of sugar (i.e., maple syrup, molasses, white sugar, brown sugar, honey), enough for each student to sample
- Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Share Chapter 7: The Sugar Snow, pg. 117-130. An excellent account of tapping trees for maple sugar. ISBN:  978-0060797508

English Language Development in the Garden

Submitted by sarahp on Mon, 11/22/2010 - 12:57
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A Safe Place for Expression

An Australian study that evaluated the effects of school gardening on ESL students' learning about good nutrition reported positive gains in student learning and feelings of belonging to the school community. One ESL teacher described how the freedom of learning outside the classroom allowed ESL students – some from war-torn countries – to explore concepts in a place where they felt safe to express themselves. “The researchers observed that ESL students contributed as fully in the garden activities and were just as eager to describe what they were doing as were their classmates,” said the report. According to teachers, “the students felt a sense of purpose to ensure the plants did not die and in doing so created a bond with fellow students and teachers who shared in maintaining the garden.”

When students learn within an engaging context, they are more apt to feel comfortable and confident, grasp language structures and vocabulary, and build listening, reading, and communication skills. In schoolyard gardens, language-building activities grow out of concrete experiences, hands-on investigations, and natural events. These – and good teaching strategies – motivate youngsters to learn.

Teen Mentors and Third Graders Flourish in Literacy Garden

Submitted by sarahp on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 01:02
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Photo by Callie PowellIn Downsville, Louisiana, third grade teacher Donna Alford had a bounty of science-focused books, but no time to dig into them with students. Meanwhile, at the high school next door, teens had worked with community volunteers to bring a greenhouse and garden to life. English and biology teacher Keli Bryan imagined some fertile connections: Create a service learning project in which tenth graders serve as mentors to the third grade reading class by using gardening literature and curricula.

Poetry to Warm Up With

Submitted by sarahp on Sun, 07/25/2010 - 15:10
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Here are a few poems featuring plants and nature as subjects to help your students ease into the open, expansive mind-set that poetry invites.

Unless otherwise noted, these poems are in the public domain.

Perfume-Laden Air
by Sugawara Takesue no Musume (Japan, 1009 - 1070)

When from the neighboring garden the perfume-laden air
Saturates my soul with memories,
Rises the thought of the beloved plum tree
Blooming under the eaves of the house which is gone.

 

Creating a Letterbox Activity

Submitted by sarahp on Thu, 07/22/2010 - 23:54
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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!'

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KidsGardening logois a division ofNational Gardening Assocation logo

 

The National Gardening Association's mission is to promote home, school, and community gardening as a means to renew and sustain the essential connections between people, plants and the environment.

 

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Last updated on 05/25/2013