Dear Gardening Friends: Letters from Students

Who says that gardens don't have an impact on students?  Check out these adorable letters I received from a class that just planted a Microfarm.  Not only are the letters cute, but they show just one way for students to practice spelling and writing.

"Dear Gardening Friends,

Thank you for donating stuf

for the garden.  We are

planting, radish, lettuce,

pepper, tomatoes.  Our group

planted tomatoes.  Have a

very happy spring.

Your friend Addy"

"Dear Gardening friends,

Thank you for helping with our

microfarm.  We planted some

veggies.  My group planted red

lettuce and green lettuce.

Yours

truely Ike"

"Dear Gardening friends,

We planted a microfarm.

Thank you for the money

to get us started.  We

planted Pepper, lettuce,

radish, tomato, and spinich

seeds.

From,

Jackson" 

"Dear Gardening friends,

Thank you! Do you have a

garden?  I do.  The pumpkins

usually take over :)  What do

you plant in your garden?

Your friend,

Nel"

"Dear Gardening friends,

Thank you.  We planted raddish,

lettuce, pepper, tomato, spinach.

There are 3 radish sprouts

in the plastic tray.

Have a nice summer.
Love,

Taylor"

"Dear Gardening friends,

Thank you for stuf for our

garden.  We plated some red

lettuce and some lettuce in

our room.  It is a lot of

fun.  You would love it.  I

can't wait to harvest the plants.

From Jake"

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.

Gardening and History

A garden provides a wonderful opportunity to discuss American history with your students.

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson grew 250 varieties of more than 70 different species of vegetables? In fact, if you visit the Thomas Jefferson Foundation website, you can purchase some of Jefferson's seeds, for the low, low price of $2.50 per packet. Don't forget to search by the correct gardening zone--zones 3, 4, or 5 for those fellow Wisconsin gardeners out there.

Did you know that Michelle Obama did not start the first garden at the White House? Vegetable gardens at the White House date back to Thomas Jefferson, Quincy Adams, all the way through Abraham Lincoln. Eleanor Roosevelt revived the garden during World War II to show her support for the Civilian Defense Program and to encourage citizens to start their own gardens. (More info here).

Did you know that Native Americans introduced the pilgrims to potatoes, beans, peppers, tomatoes, and squash; while the pilgrims introduced the Native Americans to carrots, wheat, rice, oranges, and wine grapes?

For some more historical connections, go here.

The connections are really endless. Why not focus an entire unit on the historical significance of gardening in the US? You can have students research prominent gardening figures, such as Jefferson, Eleanor Roosevelt, or George Washington Carver, among others. You can discuss how gardening and agricultural practices have changed throughout history, especially in regards to the industrial revolution. Or you can research the history of how certain fruits and vegetables arrived in the United States.

Have you done a history lesson on gardens? I would love to hear what you did and how it worked! Leave your comments below!

Students Write about their Microfarm

Students from Woodland Elementary School in Barron, WI have also been busy planting and harvesting a microfarm. Check out these adorable letters from the students describing their experiences.

Dear Mr. Wright,
Our class Micro Farm went great. We all loved watching
it grow. When they were finished growing, we got to eat them. My
favorite ones were the purple kohlrabis and the carrots. The one I did not like was the sunflowers. I got to plant the purple kohlrabis. I loved planting the purple kohlrabis. Thank you for inventing the Micro Farm.
Love,
Mackenzie

Dear Mr. Wright,
My class Micro Farm is going very well. We are harvesting around Oct. 21. We have purple kohlrabi, tenber green mustard, carrots, and sunflowers. One of the carrots was a foot taller then the other. The carrots were the last ones starting to grow. I can not wait until we harvest them. Thank you for giving us the farm.
Your friend,
Grace

Dear Mr. Wright,
Thank you for the micro-farm. It was fun watching the plant’s grow. My favorite was the purple kohlrabi. The sunflowers tasted funny. The tendergreen mustard and carrots tasted funny. It was fun to harvest the greens. I planted the sunflower. I planted the sunflowers with Walter and Kambria. We had it with ranch dressing.
Your friend,
Kiara

Garden Curriculum: More than math and science

When teachers consider starting a school garden, they typically first think of ways to apply it to math and science curriculum. However, gardens offer a fun and creative addition to language arts and writing skills as well.

When you begin a school garden, have students start a garden journal. You can set aside time each week for students to observe and record what they see. They can also draw pictures of their garden in the journal as a way to keep track of the progress of their plants.

Consider have students incorporate gardening related vocabulary in their journals, which will allow them to practice spelling garden related words and using them in sentences.

Or, if you would like your students to put on their creative thinking hats, have them write a story from the perspective of something in the garden. It could told from the perspective of a plant by describing all of the changes it has undergone from first being planted as a seed to growing big and tall. Or a story could be written from the perspective of an insect in the garden. The options are really endless and they give kids a chance to explore and think about their gardens from a different point of view.

Do you have other suggestions for ways a garden can help students develop their language arts and writing skills? Share them in the comments section!

Activity: Gardener Interview

Interviewing a local gardener provides a great opportunity for children to learn gardening tips and to recognize that their school garden is one of many gardens in the community.

The follow activity outlines the steps for conducting a gardener interview with your students. The goals of this activity are for students to learn how to ask good questions and conduct an interview, practice listening skills, synthesize information, create stories or draw pictures, and learn about local gardening techniques.

Materials:
Local gardener to be interviewed
Pens/Pencils
Paper

Activity:

1. Contact a local gardener and invite him/her to come to your class. Consider contacting a parent, community member or local master gardener volunteer.
   Make sure that whomever you contact is comfortable speaking in front of your class.
2. Discuss interviewing techniques with your students. Make sure they understand how to ask good questions and use good listening skills.
   If necessary, break students into pairs to practice interviewing and listening. Have them interview each other and present what they heard.
3. Brainstorm interview questions to ask the gardener.
   Examples:
   When did you begin gardening?
   What types of fruits/vegetables do you plant?
   How do you use the plants?
   What tips/suggestions do you have for our garden?
4. Have students write down the questions they will ask the gardener.
5. Confirm the date/time of the interview with the gardener.
6. On the day of the interview, ask a student to introduce the class.
7. Either ask the gardener to describe their gardening experience or have students begin asking questions.
8. If you already have a school garden, show it to your guest.
9. Thank the gardener for coming to the class.
10. After the interview, discuss with the class what they learned.
11. Have students either write a story about the interview or draw a picture.
12. Send a thank you note to the gardener.

Inviting a gardener to come to your classroom allows students to realize that they are part of a larger gardening community. It can be conducted before students start a garden or once they have begun gardening. Either way, it should allow for great gardening stories to be shared!

Work Cited:

Activity adapted from Krasny, M. (2005, June). Garden Mosaics Program Manual. Cornell University.