Plants Need Light to Grow
In March students in 39 STEAM classrooms learned that dormant seeds contain stored energy (cotyledon) to produce a plant. In April they discovered that after a plant begins to grow, the seed energy becomes depleted and plants must get their energy from the sun. Students were able to compare plants that were grown in sunlight […]
Unearthing the Garden’s Secret Helpers: Worms
As spring unfolded, our students embarked on an eye-opening journey into the intricate world of garden ecology. They uncovered the invaluable role played by worms, nature’s unsung heroes, in nurturing our green spaces. These humble creatures devour organic matter and fallen leaves, converting them into nutrient-rich soil that forms the bedrock of vibrant plant life. […]
Kids Learn About Pollination and Beekeeping
4th-grade students at Grandville South Elementary learned the importance of pollinators as they examined flower parts under magnifying glasses and bee parts under microscopes. One student told our staff he was excited to use a microscope for the first time! Student volunteers tried on a beekeeper’s suit and helped demonstrate how to care for bees. […]
February is a Good Month for Garden Planning
. Kids in 39 Wyoming Public Schools STEAM Â classrooms, 7 Team 21 after-school programs, 2 classrooms at South Elementary in Grandville, and 4 classrooms at Countryside Elementary in Byron Center, all planned their summer gardens in February. They began by learning why planting a variety of fruits and vegetables helps protect the garden from being […]
Variety-The Spice of Life
In January we brought ‘Variety…The Spice of Life’ to 39 Wyoming Public School STEM classrooms. Students learned how eating a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables gives us a variety of the vitamins and minerals that make our bodies strong and healthy. We use MyPlate, which was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, […]
Gardening in January in west Michigan? Yes!
This month we installed a regenerative, no-till school garden at Godfrey Early Childhood Center in Wyoming. We were greeted with sunshine as we engaged in the process of covering the ground with cardboard, paper, leaves, and mulch. Soon a blanket of snow will cover the layers causing them to break down and create a […]
Is it Dirt or is it Soil?
This month 850 students at 3 Wyoming schools learned that “soil” is the scientific name for the ground in their school garden. They discovered that soil has both living (organisms, decaying matter. air and water) and non-living (clay, sand, silt) parts and that it is the living parts that add important nutrients to our food. […]
A New School Garden Install
Super Garden XV! Our recipe for a new garden at Godwin Middle School Ingredients: A big dump truck full of wood mulch (10 yards) A truck load of composted mulch (7 yards) At least 20 yard-waste bags of fall leaves Many sheets of cardboard from collapsed boxes 20 – 7th and 8th grade students 7 […]
Harvest Time!
Harvest Time in our school gardens includes picking, weighing, washing, preparing, and tasting! Watch the excitement, in this video, as the students at West Godwin Elementary discover cucamelons growing from overhanging vines and show off the radishes, peppers, cucumbers, and other vegetables they have harvested. After harvesting, students took their vegetables to a scale where […]
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 […]