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Composting

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.

Youth Garden Spotlight: Twelve Stones CDC Community Garden

Submitted by juliad on Wed, 10/03/2012 - 09:57
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By: 
Julia Parker-Dickerson, NGA Staff
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Apply for the Muhammad Ali Center Peace Garden Grant today!

Having had a mild winter, the Twelve Stones Community Garden kicked-off their first youth garden in February 2012. Students jumped at the chance to get raised beds started, filling them with soil and making plant selections.

School Gardens = Natural Playgrounds

Submitted by cynthiad on Mon, 08/13/2012 - 15:07
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By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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Teachers at the K-State Center for Child Development use the produce from the garden to prepare simple dishes with their students. Here’s a recipe for Caprese Salad that is easy to make in a classroom.

Ingredients:

  • Thick slices of a Ripe Tomato (enough for each child to have at least one)
  • An equal number of slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Twice as many leaves of fresh basil
  • A pinch of salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

Make sure everyone washes their hands and the work surface prior to touching the food.

Starting at the edge of a serving platter, place a slice of tomato, a basil leaf, a slice of mozzarella and another basil leaf. Continue in that pattern, forming a spiral from the outside in, until all the ingredients have been arranged. The salad should end in the center of the platter. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper and salt.

Upon arriving at the Center for Child Development (CCD) on the campus of Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, visitors quickly recognize the uniqueness of the facility.

Holding Onto the Garden — Environmental Sustainability

Submitted by cynthiad on Tue, 06/12/2012 - 10:01
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By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff with Carol Fraser
Tips for increasing the environmental sustainability of your site's garden.

“We make decisions in the garden based on what is good for the earth, not solely what is good for our short-term needs.” (Hurricane High School, Hurricane, WV)

Composting with KidsGardening.org

Submitted by cynthiad on Tue, 02/14/2012 - 10:58
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By: 
Cynthia Domenghini, NGA Staff
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Get Your Students Hooked on Composting!

Here's a high school activity to help relate the benefits of composting to your students: Inquiring about Compost

If you like that activity, be sure to check out our new Compost Activity Kit which features standards-based lessons for the Kindergarten through eighth grade crowd.

Student gardener at Atwood Elementary contributing to the compost pile.Compost. It’s all around us. Whether we assist in the process or not, composting is taking place. If we choose not to use it, we are missing a valuable opportunity.

Compost Theatre

Submitted by sarahp on Sun, 07/18/2010 - 07:02
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A Rotten Performance

“As a kid, I loved when there was some kind of performance at school,” says Lisa Fernandez, co-founder of Compost Theatre, a duo that travels to schools and festivals. “It’s fun to see that what sparks a child can often stay true for a lifetime.” The traveling show that she and her “partner in compost” Jody Schwan created years ago – and continue to revise – is meant to engage, teach, and persuade people about the process and value of composting and recycling.

2006 Mantis Award Winners

Submitted by admin on Wed, 02/24/2010 - 15:16
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Changing the World One Garden at a Time

The National Gardening Association and Mantis partner annually to select dedicated youth and community gardens for the Mantis Award. Applications are welcomed from all nonprofit groups and award recipients receive their own Mantis tiller/cultivator. In 2006 Mantis generously awarded 25 garden programs. Here are inspiring stories from a few of these deserving programs.

Some Things a School Garden Can Be

Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/23/2010 - 15:40
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A school garden can be an opportunity; it can be a habitat for insects; it can be a process that brings plants and children into bloom; it can be innumerable other things. The four dimensions I’ve written about demonstrate the enhancement that children’s curiosity and inherent experimentation bring to the basic opportunity.

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