After School Program

Teens Reaching Youth in Utah

Submitted by sarahp on Sun, 09/30/2012 - 17:24

By:

Dave Francis

Building forts, picking berries and floating stick boats can be pleasant childhood experiences that lead to fond memories and a lifelong appreciation of nature. However, children today are far less likely than past generations to spend time playing outside, and a growing body of research says children are paying a high price for it.

Know Your Food

Submitted by cynthiad on Mon, 08/13/2012 - 16:05

By:

Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

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. This phrase, “know where your food comes from,” is one that has received much attention and rightfully so.

Looking for Opportunities to Grow

Submitted by cynthiad on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 11:10

By:

Becky Wivagg with Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

Looking for Activites to Help Youth Grow?

Download these free attachments and get your students outside!

Discover a Rain Garden (PDF) »
Discover a Sensory Garden (PDF) »

Sharing the Love: Spreading Seeds

Submitted by RoseJM on Mon, 06/11/2012 - 00:00

By:

Rose Judd-Murray, NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

How-To: Make A Seed Bomb

Materials:

Clay (purchase at craft stores)
Compost or potting soil
Seeds (we recommend easy-to-grow or native varieties)

Bring this activity home, or share it in the classroom with these easy step-by-step directions (PDF). »

Taking a walk together as a family is a great way to teach your kids about varieties of flowers, shrubs, and trees. It's an unstressful time to engage and allow them to ask questions about their own local environment.

Developing Character in the Garden

Submitted by cynthiad on Sat, 05/12/2012 - 07:39

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) »

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.

“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.

Growing BIG in the Great Outdoors

Submitted by cynthiad on Tue, 02/28/2012 - 10:12

By:

Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

Bonnie Plants’ Third Grade Cabbage Program is a free program offered to third grade classrooms nationwide. The purpose is to support youth to eat healthy and be garden advocates. To support this purpose, Bonnie Plants offers resources online to help students grow their cabbage. In addition, lesson ideas and recipes are provided along with help for teachers and parents. Visit the Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program website for more details about registration.

You can also view a complete list of the Third Grade Cabbage Program scholarship winners for 2011 for each state.

Being outside has so much to offer; whether you are a gardener or not, there is a place for you in the Great Outdoors. Each year, thousands of third graders nationwide find a special place outside by participating in a program which challenges them to grow an oversized cabbage.

Compost Happens

By:

Jean Persely for NGA with Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff

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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.

Companion Planting

Submitted by sarahp on Mon, 01/28/2013 - 02:01

By:

Eve Pranis, NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

Download related lesson plan Growing Garden Companions.

Arranging crops so they complement each other in some way is known as companion planting. Plants that have different requirements — for nutrients, sunlight, and space, for instance — often make good garden buddies. Because they are unlikely to compete for resources, you can plant them close together to save space. What's more, some combinations can actually help one or more of the companions flourish. Consider the following factors:

Growing Food

Submitted by sarahp on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 01:10

By:

Sarah Pounders

Right Side Box:

Download a sample lesson plan, "The Producers," from Growing Food

Ask your students to tell you where our food comes from. Do they respond with a restaurant or a grocery store name? Do they suggest it is made in a factory? What about on a farm? Do any of your students hint about our food supply's connection to nature and our environment?