Garden Paths for Happy Feet
Sometimes little feet are so happy to be exploring in the garden they forget where it is safe for them to go. “Oh no was that a plant?” We want the children to feel free to roam through and enjoy their school gardens and at the same time preserve and protect what they have […]
Herb Gardens for Seniors
Part of our mission at H.O.P.E Gardens (Helping Other People Eat) is to inspire our student gardeners to not only grow food for themselves but to also consider helping the people in their community have access to healthy garden produce. Our middle and junior high students embraced the challenge by planting beautiful herb gardens as […]
Bugs in Our Garden!
Summer garden students could hardly contain their excitement as they turned over rocks, looked under plants and dug in the soil in order to observe the abundance of bugs living in and around their school gardens. They compared the creatures they captured to pictures that revealed which ones were beneficial to the garden and which […]
Learning About Worms
The kids got excited about digging for worms in our worm farm and learning about the important role worms play in garden soil. They learned that worms loosen soil by creating tunnels that make it easier for the roots of plants to stretch out and also allow rain and air into the soil. They fed […]
Recipe: Fruit Kabobs
Ingredients 1 cup watermelon chunks 1 cup pineapple chunks 1 cup grapes 1 cup strawberries 2 kiwi (peeled and cut in quarters) 6” bamboo skewers 1 cup light strawberry yogurt Directions Place fruit chunks on bamboo skewers. Place fruit kabobs on platter. Place yogurt in bowl. Serve kabobs with yogurt on the side. Source: USDA […]
Continuing Our Impact with Remote Lessons
We provided remote lessons with garden activity kits to more than 600 students at 13 schools each month this winter. The activities were enjoyed by leaders and students alike. In January, students were given a lesson on Seed Dispersal and then used seeds to create Pinecone Bird Feeders. Students had fun getting their hands into […]
Staff Spotlight: Meet Arthur Gardine!
This year, we transitioned from having students helping in the gardens to working with only staff and a few volunteers, and found we needed extra help. In June, we hired our first youth employee, Arthur Gardine. Arthur first learned of H.O.P.E. Gardens when he was a 6th grade student at South Elementary. He helped install […]
H.O.P.E. Gardens Receives Farm-to-School Grant
In August, H.O.P.E. Gardens and the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids were awarded a USDA Farm-to-School grant. This competitive award is granted on an annual basis to organizations that support planning, developing, and implementing farm-to-school programs. H.O.P.E. Gardens will use part of this grant to install a new fence for Wyoming Regional Center, a program […]
“Whose Garden Is It?” Kids: “It’s Our Garden!”
“Whose garden is it?” Kids: “Our Garden!” This is near and dear to my heart! It has been such a privilege to spend time with kids and youth in gardens as we learn together how to grow food and try new things. This year we had some water challenges which gave youth the opportunity to […]
The Seed of Love and the Thorn of Prejudice
The seed of love and the thorn of prejudice. This week we were saving sunflower seeds. We grow a variety at the schools that produce brown, tan, white, black and grey seeds. While picking out seeds a young girl shared with me that some people are prejudice toward her but she isn’t going to let […]