August 2011
Soil health was of great concern during the month of August 2011. The trench digging for the electrical upgrade destroyed the tops soil we had generated during the past two years in the garden. The soil was now covered with mounds of hard clay like dirt and rocks from well below the surface. Soil concerns and soil health were incorporated into the curriculum. Students viewed and discussed the movie Dirt. Students used their five senses to observe five different soils and documented their observations. Bean seeds were planted in the five soil types and their growth was observed and documented.
September 2011
The seeds we started in peat pots last month were sprouting well and ready to plant. The garden club planted a large section with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and basil. Another group of fifth graders from several classes planted, another section with cucumbers, zucchini and white squash. We are hopeful that the garden will be showing good growth and progress for the dedication of the outdoor classroom and water reservoir next month.
The students are very excited about the garden and the plans that we have made. They look forward to spending time in the garden. Many spend their recess weeding and caring for the plants. They love to wear their garden gloves.
The students are very excited about the garden and the plans that we have made. They look forward to spending time in the garden. Many spend their recess weeding and caring for the plants. They love to wear their garden gloves.
October 2011
The garden is growing well. The tomatoes are getting huge and needed to be staked and tied up. The worm tea we have been pouring on them seems to have had a positive effect. There are numerous small green tomatoes on them but they do not seem to be turning red. The basil is ready to be harvested. The zucchini, cucumbers and squash have lots of blossoms and the weed barrier is keeping back most of the weeds. The students are very excited to observe the changes in the garden and are anxiously awaiting harvest time.
We harvested the green beans that we planted with a second grade class. The fifth grade students were so proud to assist the second grades with selecting and picking their beans. The second graders were smiling from ear to ear. After we harvested the beans we all washed our hands as well as the beans. Good garden sanitation practices were shared and modeled. Then we all ate saw raw beans. They were fresh and crisp and healthy. Everyone tried them and most enjoyed them.
The major focus this month was the coordination and planning of the outdoor classroom dedication. We have been working with community partners, Island Palm, Synergy, and the US Army Garrison to plan and implement this project. The dedication ceremony is scheduled for October 26, at 10:00am. The base commander will speak, three fifth grade students will read their thank you letters aloud and the garden will be blessed by a Hawaiian Priest. Following the ceremony we will have juice and cookies on the lanai. Students have been busy writing thank you notes to the team members involved in the outdoor classroom. There are 21 community agency’s involved in the out door garden project. We are taking the 100 thank you notes written by the students and putting them into booklets for the different agencies.
We have been talking about sustainability and water conservation in the classroom. Our language arts reading theme is Our Changing Planet. Students have been able to make connections between sustainability in the garden and how each of us can help to care for our planet. They have been able to express that we are caring for our planet by recycling vegetable and garden waste in our worm bin and using the product of the worm bin to fertilize our garden. They are also realizing that while we are caring for the planet we are also caring for ourselves by growing and eating healthy foods.
November 2011
The outdoor classroom dedication went well. Ms. Joanne and Ms. Haylee, from Island Palm, came to the garden club and educated us on how to use the water reservoir to water the garden. They have agreed to continue working with the fifth grade throughout the year on water conservation and sustainability projects. We will also try to incorporate math by calculating how many gallons of water we are saving when we use the rain water catchment to water the garden.
This month’s focus is on the scientific method and garden experiments. We have been researching healthy soil and nutrients plants need to grow as well as compost and vermicompost.
We are conducting two experiments in the garden. The first is "The Effect of Worm Tea on the Growth of Soybeans". We have completed the background research, question, hypothesis and procedures. We planted four rows of soybeans. Two rows will receive worm tea and two rows will not. Students will implement the treatment and gather data on the growth.
The second experiment is " The Effect of Fish on the Growth of Corn". We have been researching Native American corn planting. Native Americans buried a dead fish under their corn seeds. We have also researched how decomposition of organic matter adds nutrients to the soil. The Native American connection allows us to bridge garden with our social studies unit on the colonies, and the scientific method. We have cleared the plot where the corn will be planted and will plant the corn this week. Students will collect and analyze the data.