These activities supplement the June 16th Getting the Most From Your School Garden Webinar Symposium. If you attended all four webinars and complete all four activities you are eligible for a Certificate of Completion! If you just want to have these activities as part of your school garden toolkit, welcome!
Adding Fruit Plants to Your School Garden
After listening to the presentation on fruit plants in the school garden, design a landscape plan with a fruit plant addition. Consider the layout of your school’s existing garden, the needs of your student population and how the addition will be used in curriculum. Also consider the needs of the plants you want to add. What site is most appropriate? What are the varieties that do best in your area? Is more than one variety needed? What is the maintenance required for these plants? Contact Ashley Hoppers (aahoppers@uga.edu) if you need any assistance.
Designing a landscape plan does not need to be difficult. This worksheet from Iowa State Extension will lead you through the steps you need to take and will prompt you with items that need to be considered. Click HERE for the worksheet.
Seed Saving In Your School Garden
Seed saving is an easy addition to the school garden and it can easily tie into the school curriculum. The Ark of Taste is a living catalog of food facing extinction. Some of these may make a nice addition to your garden like Jacob’s Cattle Bean. This bean has been grown in North America since the 1600s. You can read the story of Jacob’s Cattle Bean HERE.
After reading the story of Jacob’s Cattle Bean, create a lesson plan tying this bean to one of these disciplines:
- History
- Geography
- Creative Writing
- Poetry
- Math
Vermiculture (Worm Composting)
Create a table top worm composter for your classroom. This is a clean, efficient way to introduce your students to composting. This system is easy to carry and transport making it possible to take home or send home with a student. Feeding the worms can be a classroom event! Click HERE for instructions. Contact Josh Fuder (jfuder@uga.edu) for additional information on vermiculture.
The Great Georgia Pollinator Census
Adding a simple, sustainable bee home to your garden allows your students to learn about mason and leafcutter bees. These bees use preformed cavities to build their nests. In order to prevent pathogens these homes should be thought of as disposable and should be discarded after 1-2 years of use. Click HERE for instructions. Contact Becky Griffin (beckygri@uga.edu) for information on the pollinator census or building bee homes.
Other Resources
If you are interested in obtaining a Certificate of Completion please contact Becky Griffin at beckygri@uga.edu.
