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Growing a Garden Companion

Submitted by sarahp on Mon, 01/28/2013 - 02:27
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By: 
Sarah Pounders

I knew it was time to step up our family’s gardening efforts when my 4-year-old informed me she needed new gardening gloves because hers had dirt on them. Yikes, how did this happen?

The Youth Garden Grant

Submitted by sarahp on Sun, 10/28/2012 - 23:10
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By: 
NGA Staff
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The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,241 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China. Visit The Home Depot Garden Club site for more information.

Plants. Soil. Shovels.

Inspiration. Motivation. Recognition.

As sponsor of the Youth Garden Grant Program, The Home Depot provides schools and nonprofit organizations with the tangible and intangible supplies needed to grow and sustain vibrant youth gardening programs.

Teens Reaching Youth in Utah

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

Looking for Opportunities to Grow

Submitted by cynthiad on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 11:10
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By: 
Becky Wivagg with Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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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) »

When faced with numerous challenges, probation officers at Rockwall County Juvenile Services have decided to teach their youth to grow.

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    • Sharing the Love: Spreading Seeds

    Submitted by RoseJM on Mon, 06/11/2012 - 00:00
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    By: 
    Rose Judd-Murray, NGA Staff
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    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). »

    Follow these step-by-step instructions to make your own seed bombs.

    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
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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.

    Compost Happens

    Submitted by cynthiad on Mon, 02/13/2012 - 16:38
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    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.

    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.

    Planting Day Event

    Submitted by sarahp on Sat, 06/01/2013 - 00:40
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    By: 
    Sarah Pounders

    Organizing a special planting day event provides a wonderful opportunity to recognize the contributions of sponsors and volunteers who helped in the planning process, attract the attention of the media and government officials while promoting the garden to the community, and last but not least, actually get the plants in the ground.

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    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 06/19/2013