Vegetable Clothing

Native Americans became masters at extracting the natural dyes contained in vegetables and plants. By purchasing just a few readily available products from the supermarket, you can create vegetable dyes just like Native Americans used.

With adult supervision, children can learn to make dyes from different vegetables and then tie-dye a T-shirt or piece of fabric using their homemade dye. Carrots, red cabbage and beets are good vegetables to use for dye, and children can experiment by creating different colors.

Shred the vegetables using a grater or food processor, then place them in a pan and cover with cold water.

Simmer on low heat for up to half an hour, and then strain the colorful liquid from the vegetable matter.

To dye fabric (it will only work for natural fibers like cotton and silk), soak it in the dye solution overnight, then rinse well.

Children can experiment by using more or less vegetable matter, combining different-colored dyes and leaving the fabric in the dye for shorter or longer time periods to create different colors

Check out this video that shows a similar project: http://bit.ly/a8lzUu

School Garden Trivia

Knowledge sprouts in the garden with this trivia activity!

Materials:

• Garden stakes
• Laminated trivia/facts
• Glue

Activity:

• The history and lore of plants provide a great learning opportunity for your young gardeners.  After choosing the types of fruits and vegetables you will plant in your garden, research some fun facts about them.  
• Type or write the facts on small pieces of paper and laminate them.
• Read the facts to students or have them each share a fun fact or story.
• Attach each fact to a garden stake and place it in the garden.   Not only does it help identify what is growing but it offers a little history too.

Check out these great websites for fun facts and stories:

• Heirloom Seeds Garden Trivia
• Examples:
• "Tomatoes were originally thought to be poisonous and did not gain acceptance in the US until 1820, when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson ate a basket full of tomatoes on the courthouse steps in Salem, New Jersey on September 26, 1820.  The assembled crowd expected to see the Colonel drop dead.  When he suffered no ill effects, the tomato was on its way to become the most popular vegetable grown by backyard gardeners today!"
• "The radish was eaten during breakfast, lunch and dinner by early American settlers.  By the late eighteenth century, at least ten varieties of radishes were popular in home gardens.  Thomas Jefferson grew eight different varieties in his own gardens at Monticello."
• Ag Day
• Examples:
• "We are eating 900% more broccoli than we did 20 years ago"
• "The bright orange color of carrots tells you they're an excellent source of Vitamin A, which is important for good eyesight, especially at night.  Vitamin A helps your body fight infection and keeps your skin and hair healthy!"

Activity: Got Dirt? T-Shirts

With this fun and easy activity, children will make their own Got Dirt? gardening t-shirts.  The t-shirts will be perfect to wear while working out in the garden.

Materials

• T-shirts
• Fabric paints
• Paint brushes, sponges, etc.
• Water
• Paper towels
• Permanent Marker

Activity

• Before having students decorate the t-shirt, write each child's name on the t-shirt using a permanent marker.
• Give each student a t-shirt, some fabric paints and paint brushes.
• Have each student decorate their t-shirt with pictures of fruits and vegetables that will be in the garden.
• Don't forget to have them write "Got Dirt?" on the t-shirt!
• Place the completed t-shirts in a safe place to dry before wearing.

After decorating the t-shirts, students can wear them while working in the garden.  Students will enjoy wearing the t-shirts and parents will like that the students' regular clothes aren't getting muddy!


Work Cited:
Thumb Print Garden T-Shirts

Activity: Making Seed Packets

Teaching students what plants need to grow is an important lesson that can accompany any school gardening project.

Materials

• Paper
• Markers, crayons, etc.
• Seeds
• Glue or staples
• Research materials, if applicable

Activity

• To make the seed packet, have each student take a piece of 8 1/2" x 11" paper and fold it in half.  Glue the edges of the paper together expect for one edge at the top.  The unglued edge will be where you add your seeds.
• Instruct students to decorate their seed packets by drawing a picture of their fruit/vegetable and writing the name of the fruit/vegetable on one side.  Students can either invent their own fruit or vegetable or research real fruits and vegetables.
• On the other side of the packet, students should write the planting and growing instructions for their plant.  For example:
• What does the plant need to grow? 
• How/where should it be planted?
• What will it look like once it grows?
• How long will it take to grow?
• Once students are done decorating their seed packets, add seeds and seal it by gluing the remaining edge.

Activity: "Planting" an Indoor Garden

Even if you don't have the space available to start a school garden, you can still teach your students about fruits, vegetables, plants and gardening.

This easy activity allows you to "plant" a garden in your classroom and teach kids about various fruits and veggies.

Materials:

• Clip art of fruits and vegetables on white paper for students to color
• Coloring materials (markers, paint, crayons, etc.)
• Scissors
• Craft sticks
• Glue
• Container and potting soil or styrofoam to create "garden plot"

Preparation:

• Find clip art of fruits and vegetables for students to color
• Print pictures on white paper

Activity:

1. Give each child one or several images of fruits or vegetables.
2. Have the children identify the type of fruit/veggie and color it the appropriate color.
3. Have children cut out the pictures and glue them to the craft sticks.
4. Place the potting soil or styrofoam into the container.
5. Have students "plant" their garden by placing their craft sticks into your "garden plot"
6. Continue to have children identify the fruits/veggies in their garden.

Extension:

• Have children use the fruits and vegetables from their garden as puppets. 
• Have children create skits or plays with the puppets.
• Read a garden story and have children hold up their fruit/veggie when it is mentioned in the story.
• Use the pictures of the fruits and vegetables to help plan your school garden.  Have students decide where each one should go and place it into the "garden plot" accordingly.

Activity: Seed Necklaces

This fun activity allows students to create seed necklaces.  Students can observe the growth of their seeds as they begin to sprout. 

Materials:

• Small re-sealable plastic bag (ex: small jewelry bag, found in craft stores)
• Yarn
• Cotton Balls
• Water in spray bottle.
• Spray bottle
• Seeds or Beans
• Scissors
• Single hole punch
• Permanent marker

Activity:

1. Punch a hole in the top of each plastic bag.
2. Using the permanent marker, write the student's name on the plastic bag.
3. Wet the cotton ball using the spray bottle.
4. Place the cotton ball in the plastic bag.
5. Place the seed/bean in the bag so that it is resting against the cotton ball.
6. String the yarn through the hole in the plastic bag to create a necklace.
7. Moisten the cotton ball as needed.  The seeds should begin to sprout within a week, depending on the type of seed used.

Activity: Super Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and vegetables sure are super!  They provide us with vital nutrients and vitamins.  In this activity, students will create super heroes out of fruits and vegetables.

Materials:
Paper
Markers, crayons, colored pencils and/or paint
Research materials

Activity:

1. Either assign or have students choose a fruit or vegetable.  If you've already planted your garden, have students choose fruits and vegetables from the garden.
2. Have students research the health benefits of their fruit or vegetable.  The website Fruits and Veggies Matter is one example of a site that lists examples of fruits/vegetables and their nutritional benefits.
3. Instruct students to draw a picture or cartoon of their fruit/vegetable as a super hero.  The fruit/vegetable's super power should relate to its nutritional benefits.  Encourage students to be creative. (Click on the sample below to enlarge the image).
4. Have students share their super hero and then hang their drawings around the classroom.

Activity: Veggie Stamp Holiday Cards

Instead of using store bought holiday cards, consider having students make their own unique cards using fruits and vegetables.

Materials:

• Paper
• Tempera paints
• Paper plates
• Paint brushes
• Knife
• Various fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes, cucumbers, star fruit, apples, mushrooms, carrots, or broccoli.

Activity:

1. Cut fruits and vegetables into manageable sizes for kids to use as stamps. If you're feeling creative, try carving shapes, such as stars, hearts or letters, out of the potatoes or other fruits and vegetables.


2. Put tempera paint onto paper plates for each student.


3. Instruct students to use the paint brushes to apply paint to the fruits and vegetables and then stamp them onto paper. Students can create collages or try to create a holiday scene for a holiday card.


4. Don't forget to remind students to not snack on their stamps. ;)


5. Let their artwork dry and then proudly display their work around the classroom or give as gifts!

(photo from http://whipup.net/2006/09/18/veggie-prints/)

Activity: Exploring the Four Seasons

As fall begins, now would be a great time to talk about the seasons with your students and to explain what happens in the garden in each season.


Materials:
Construction Paper
Markers/crayons

Activity:

• Ask students to name the four seasons. (Write them on the board).
  
• Ask questions about each of the seasons:
  What is the weather like in the winter/spring/summer/fall?
  Can you name some activities we do in the winter/springs/summer/fall?
  What do you usually wear in the winter/spring/summer/fall?
  
• Explain that just as we do different activities and wear different clothes for each season, the garden is also different in each season. In particular, the weather also plays an important role for each season in the garden.
  
• Ask students how the garden changes with each season.
  
  In the spring, we prepare our garden and plant seeds. The rain helps to water our seeds so that they can grow.
  
  In the summer, the sun helps our plants continue to grow big and tall.
  
  In the fall, our plants are ready to be harvested. We get to pick them and enjoy eating them. The weather starts getting colder in the fall and we have to prepare our garden for next year.
  
  In the winter, it is too cold for most of our plants to grow outside. It snows in the winter and covers up our garden.

• Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to draw a picture of each season. Have students include different activities that occur in each season and/or draw what the garden looks like in each season.
  
• Have students share their completed drawings.
  

Work Cited
Activity adapted from “Me and the Seasons” in Jaffe, R. & Appel, G. (2007). The Growing Classroom: Garden-based science. National Gardening Association: South Burlington, VT.

Activity: Carrot Necklaces

Materials:

• Carrots
• Heavey thread
• Darning needle
• Knife

Activity:

1. Wash the carrots and cut them into slices about 1/4 inch thick
2. Thread your needle. The thread should be long enough to go around someone's head, plus a little extra.
3. Push the carrot slices onto the thread by pushing the needle into the center of each slice.
4. Once completed, lay your necklace on a piece of paper in a dark place to dry, making sure none of the carrots touch each other. As the carrots harden and dry, they turn into wrinkled beads. The dryin process takes about a week.

Work Cited:
Ocone, L with Pranis, E. (1983). The National Gardening Association Guide to Kids' Gardening: A complete guide for teachers, parents, and youth leaders. Wiley Science Editions: New York.