Early Childhood

School gardens can take a variety of shapes and sizes. These barrels are placed outside each classroom and can easily complement lessons.An ordinary mixed vegetable, flower, and herb garden provides endless possibilities for explorations across the curriculum. Many schools have also chosen to create special thematic gardens to focus and inspire garden adventures. Consider the possibilities of a Native American garden, for instance, for making connections to social studies and beyond.

Butterfly Garden at National Gardening Association in South Burlington, Vermont

Welcoming Caterpillars and Butterflies to your Schoolyard

Growing plants that attract butterflies is a sure-fire way of engaging youngsters in the school garden, and it invites discoveries about pollination, insect life cycles, and the interdependence of insects and plants. The first step is understanding what makes butterflies tick at different stages of their life cycle.

"To be able to walk under the branches of a tree that you have planted is really to feel you have arrived with your garden." -- Mirabel Osler

Amaryllis, tropical natives, are dramatic, fast-growing bulbs with brilliant blooms bound to captivate your classes year after year. Unlike bulbs from cool climates that require chilling, the amaryllis hails from warm climates, and will bloom 4-6 weeks after planting, with little care.

Bulbs can store energy (food) in the form of starch to fuel their seasonal growth cycle. Because they contain a miniature plant with flower, stem, leaf and root parts, bulbs are ready to spring forth when conditions are right. Many bulbs native to tropical climates adapt well to classroom conditions and, with minimal care, will prChicago Botanical Garden Spring Bloomsoduce resplendent flowers during our winter months.

Your students have spent all winter and early spring nurturing their classroom plants. As spring emerges, you may be planning to move your precious seedlings into school or home gardens, school or community flower beds, or other outdoor locations. Consider using transplanting as an opportunity to continue teaching about plants' needs and adaptations, and to tie in subjects across the curriculum.

Planting seedlings with Hurlburt Field Child Care Center: Hurlburt Field Child Care Center is a winner of the 2011 Muhammad Ali Center Peace Garden GrantIf you're gardening both in and out of the classroom, it may be nearing time to transplant carefully tended classroom plants to outdoor gardens and flower beds. To help your transplants make a successful transition, consider the following tips:

Once your students have created visions and plans for bountiful outdoor gardens, the next step is bringing them to life. If you're in an area with a short growing season and/or you want to harvest certain crops before school is out for the summer, you can get a jump on the season by raising your own seedlings. You may also want to start seedlings indoors if you've planned a commu[img_assist|nid=64654|title=Seedlings from St.