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Indoor Gardening

Submitted by sarahp on Sat, 12/29/2012 - 01:04
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By: 
Sarah Pounders and NGA Staff
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Download sample lesson plans from GrowLab®: Activities for Growing Minds

Make Room for Raddy (pdf)

Plantenstein (pdf)

Does the weather have you stuck inside your classroom? Invite the outdoors in… plant an indoor garden!

Most classrooms garden during the fall and spring, but by incorporating plant activities indoors you can reap the benefits of garden programs year round. Using grow lights or sunny windowsills, your class can experiment with growing a wide range of plants, from houseplants and blooming bulbs to edible crops like radishes and lettuce.

Let There Be Peace on Earth

Submitted by sarahp on Fri, 11/30/2012 - 01:15
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By: 
Sarah Pounders
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2013 Muhammad Ali Center Peace Garden Grant

NGA is proud to announce the 3rd year of the Muhammad Ali Peace Center Peace Garden Grant program sponsored by Yum! Brands Foundation. In an effort to help all schools sow the seeds of respect, the Muhammad Ali Center Peace Garden is designed to help schools teach lessons of peace and hunger awareness through garden activities. As a global initiative, the United States and all international locations are eligible for participation. Grants applications are due on January 2, 2013. Apply online.

Read about one of our 2012 grant recipients: Twelve Stones Community Garden.

Plant the seeds for world peace in your garden. The garden offers a laboratory for students to observe how all living things are interconnected and must stay in balance to thrive. Here are a few peace related themes you can introduce through garden programs:

Amaryllis for the Holidays

Submitted by sarahp on Mon, 10/29/2012 - 00:17
in
By: 
Sarah Pounders

Potted amaryllis bulbs make wonderful holiday gifts for family and friends. Planting them and then watching them grow also makes for a fun activity to do with your children. Their beautiful blooms add to holiday décor and last longer than cut flowers. They are fairly inexpensive (although you may find some of the more unique varieties are offered at a premium price) and the only supplies you need are bulbs, soil and pots.

Know Your Food

Submitted by cynthiad on Mon, 08/13/2012 - 16:05
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By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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The 2012 Food Day School Curriculum was designed for educators as a Food Day resource that can be used in the classroom or to increase your own knowledge about what it means to Eat Real: Download the 2012 Food Day School Curriculum

Many times gardening is promoted as a way to teach youth where their food comes from.

Many times gardening is promoted as a way to teach youth where their food comes from. This phrase, “know where your food comes from,” is one that has received much attention and rightfully so.

Keeping Pets Safe in the Yard and Garden

Submitted by cynthiad on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 08:39
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By: 
Rose Judd-Murray, NGA Staff
When gardening, we need to remember to keep our children and animals safe.

Wheatgrass and catnip are great options for plants your cat can safely enjoy.As families enjoy their garden together this summer, it’s important to recognize that our families are more than just parents or guardians and children.

Developing Character in the Garden

Submitted by cynthiad on Sat, 05/12/2012 - 07:39
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Anti-Bullying Strategies
By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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Creating a No-Bully Zone

Although the 2011-2012 school year is coming to an end, this is a great time to start planning an anti-bullying unit for the start of the 2012-2013 school year. Here is an activity to guide you and your students through the process of designing your own anti-bullying contract.

Download the Bullying Prevention Activity (PDF) »

A principal's insight on how school gardens can eliminate bullying.    

Young gardeners contributing to the larger effort of beautifying the school.Within a garden live many individual plants. Each of these plants alone can be beautiful and unique, but as a whole, alongside all the other plants, they are so much more.

Planting a Windowsill Herb Garden

Submitted by pauls on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 04:37
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By: 
Paul Simon, Landscape Architect
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Tips for Kids

  1. Learn what conditions each herb prefers. For example, basil prefers warmth, while sage and rosemary like cooler temperatures. Click Here to review additional plant care guides for herbs.
  2. Pinch back branching plants, such as basil, to keep them shrubby rather than leggy.
  3. Choose compact or dwarf varieties.
  4. Leaves receiving enough light will be thick and normal in size. Which window in your house receives at least 5 to 6 hours of daily sunlight?  Keep in mind that insufficient light results in thin, small leaves.
  5. Keep soil moist but not soggy. Pressing your finger into the top inch of potting mix is a good way to check for soil moisture.

Dill can look like fireworks!Growing herbs indoors on a sunny windowsill can provide a convenient source of fresh basil, dill, rosemary,

Cleaning Indoor Air with Plants

Submitted by pauls on Tue, 01/17/2012 - 11:12
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By: 
Paul Simon, Landscape Architect

So it’s the winter season and my kids and I have been thinking about purchasing some new indoor plants to spruce-up the house. Of course instead of having another typical plant shopping trip, I begin thinking about how to make this experience adventurous and educational! This is when I remembered a past article, by Charlie Nardozzi, about a study conducted between NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA).

Creating Your Own Children’s Garden

Submitted by cynthiad on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 11:23
in
By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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Are you looking for an indoor activity for the garden? Download these simple instructions to create signs for indoor and outdoor gardens.

Here is a geography lesson for grades 3-5 to introduce the topics of longitude and latitude as they relate to botanical gardens. Download Where in the World???

Think back to your childhood. Can you remember any interactions with plants or a garden that made an impression on you? I can remember the first time I learned about snapdragons. I was at my grandmother’s house and my mom showed me how you can pinch the sides of the bloom to cause the flower to open and close, which looked like a dragon mouth. I was in awe that a plant could do this. Another time I “discovered” the softness of lamb’s ear. The amazement that a plant’s leaves could feel so soft was a memory that remains with me today.

Changing the World, One Garden at a Time

Submitted by sarahp on Thu, 03/28/2013 - 00:34
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By: 
Sarah Pounders

When PS 41 in Greenwich Village, New York was chosen to receive one of the National Gardening Association’s Adopt a School Garden grants sponsored by Organic Valley, parent volunteer Vicki Sando could not have imagined that their container garden that’s maintained by the Kindergarten class, would turn into a nearly

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