From Soil to Plate: First Graders Discover the Journey of Food
By Angie Bruder, Garden Educator How does food get here? Does it just appear in stores? To answer that question, first graders at West Godwin explored the fascinating journey of cornflakes from soil to plate. Students learned that all foods come from nature, and then many foods are trucked to factories for processing and packaging. […]
October Garden Lessons: 1st and 2nd Grades Discover the Joys of Gardening and Healthy Eating
In our indoor sessions in 31 classrooms of first and second graders, we explored the question, “What’s so great about gardening?” Together, we discussed the benefits of growing our own food and the importance of making healthy choices. This led to a lively conversation about “Sometime Foods” and “Anytime Foods,” helping students understand which snacks […]
H.O.P.E. Gardens Featured in School News Network: Cultivating Community and Learning
This year, H.O.P.E. Gardens was honored to be one of only four organizations in Michigan awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program. School News Network visited our schools to learn more about what this grant means for us. Check out their article here.
Growing Dreams: A New Community Garden for Families & Neighbors
Last week several dreams were fulfilled as a new community no-till nature-based garden was installed. The dream of a dear friend of many, Theresa Drost, was realized as children joyfully prepared the land to begin a new garden where families will come together to grow food and community. The dream of Family Network who envisions […]
A Family School Garden Adventure at STEM Night!
We loved being a part of West Elementary’s STEM Night, showcasing the beautiful garden that students helped create! Families enjoyed a fruit salsa tasting and were given a kid-friendly recipe cookbook before heading out to explore the school garden. For many parents, it was their first time seeing the garden, and their children proudly led […]
Garden Detectives on the Case: Uncovering Nature’s Secrets with All Five Senses!
This year, 3rd and 4th graders from four Wyoming elementary schools are embarking on the Great Garden Detective Adventure! In their first lesson, the young detectives used their five senses to gather clues about the fruits and vegetables growing in the garden. As part of this exploration, they tasted a variety of produce and used […]
From Bloom to Seed: Harvesting Sunflowers for Next Season’s Growth
Harvesting Sunflowers!
From Vine to Cup: Empower U Students Make Their Own Grape Juice
From the vine to the cup! Concorde Grape Juice!
A Beautiful Harvest: FitKids360 Summer Celebration
This summer, we had the most beautiful time harvesting, preparing, and sharing a meal with the families we’ve been gardening with as part of our collaboration with FitKids360! It was a celebration of the hard work, care, and dedication these families put into growing their gardens, and the results were nothing short of amazing. As […]
Parent Night Open Houses in the Garden
“I’m Growing Food at Home!”We were thrilled to hear that families from Parkview, Oriole Park, and Gladiola Elementary have been embracing gardening at home! During the recent Parent Open House events at all three schools, excitement filled the air as students proudly guided their parents through the gardens they helped cultivate. These vibrant gardens, full […]