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As autumn gives way to the holiday season and the days grow colder and darker, we instinctively want to capture nature’s final display of color before the snow flies. Wreaths are a creative, simple, and kid-friendly way to do this.

The National Gardening Association is excited to announce a new grant opportunity for school and community gardens around the world. Announced on September 21st  to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Peace, The Muhammad Ali Center Peace Garden Grant will provide 50 youth programs with the basic tools and supplies needed to begin a vegetable garden. Recipients will use the gardens to teach youth about respect for diverse cultures and nutrition.  Sponsored by Yum!

“I saw different types of learners excel and take on different roles in our school garden who didn’t always do so in the classroom,” says Karen Nordstrom, a former teacher in a bilingual elementary classroom in Watsonville, CA. “It’s amazing that a small piece of land could be such a rich inclusive experience for all learners.” That included the many students who were children of migrant farm workers of Mexican descent along with a handful of youngsters who were native English speakers.

“If you want your students to learn English, give them something they want to talk and write about,” says former middle school science teacher Whitney Cohen. For her students, many of whom were children of California farm workers, a thriving school garden was the hook that inspired writing and speaking – and lifted the spirits of struggling language learners.

Fernbank Science CenterWhen any of the 33 volunteer gardeners at Fernbank Science Center in downtown Atlanta are working in the youth gardens, their top priority is to engage kids in what’s growing. That’s more important than picking up trash, pulling weeds, or watering newly planted seeds and seedlings—although volunteers handle all that stuff, too.