Environmental Toxins

“The physical pollution of the planet affects us mentally, psychologically, and even spiritually. Once we realize that all of life interrelates not only on a physical level, but across different levels of reality, we will have to embrace multidimensional awareness.”   —Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Light of Oneness

Thomas Fricke, a co-founder and president of ForesTrade, an organic spice company in Brattleboro Vermont, notes: “Almost all conventional spices made in the United States are sterilized with harmful chemicals that are disallowed in Europe.” – See more at: http://www.healthylifevision.com/a-silent-killer-in-your-kitchen-cabinet-thats-worse-for-your-health-than-alcohol-nicotine-and-many-drugs.

Concerns with Deet in Mosquito Repellant

        According to the CDC, lemon eucalyptus oil could be a much safer and more natural weapon against mosquitoes and can be as effective as DEET in repelling mosquitoes. Until recently deet was the only repellent recommended by the CDC, and approved for individual use by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Oil of lemon eucalyptus is repellent oil made from the leaves of Eucalyptus citriodora. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is registered with EPA. When oil of lemon eucalyptus was tested against mosquitoes found in the US, it provided protection similar to repellents with low concentrations of DEET. 

Concerns with DEET:   The most serious concerns about Deet are with the central nervous system. Dr. Mohammed Abou-Donia of Duke University studied lab animals’ performance of neuro-behavioral tasks requiring muscle co-ordination. Lab animals exposed to the equivalent of average human doses of DEET performed far worse than untreated animals.  Children with DEET toxicity reported lethargy, headaches, tremors, involuntary movements, seizures, and convulsions though the amount that led to this toxicity was unreported, according to the CDC.

20 Toxic Ingredients to Avoid in Beauty Products

Chemicals in Popular Hair Dyes Cause Cancer

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The brands of lipstick that contain lead are:
 CLINIQUE
ESTÉE LAUDER
SHISEIDO
RED EARTH (Lip Gloss)
CHANEL (Lip Conditioner)
MARK AMERICA
MOTIVES
LIPSTICK
AVON
The higher the lead content, the greater the risk of causing cancer. After doing a test on lipsticks, lipstick with the highest level of lead-AVON. Take this test:
1. Put some lipstick on your hand;
2. With a gold ring on this lipstick pass it.
3. If the lipstick color changes to black, then you know it contains lead.

Ocean Acidification – Ocean acidification has been driven by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations due to human fossil fuel-burning, combustion engines, power plants and furnaces. Increasingly, corrosive seawater is dwelling up to the surface in the U.S. along the West Coast, affecting the $111 million shellfish industry in the Pacific Northwest, and along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico.  When saltwater becomes more acidic, it harms the shell-making ability of oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels. Acidic saltwater poses a threat to other marine life and thus endangers the entire ocean food web. When a pteropod is placed in sea water with pH and carbonate levels projected for the year 2100, the shell slowly dissolves over 45 days.

FACTS about FISH and MERCURY:
 1. Coal-fired power plants emit MERCURY that drifts through the air and rains down on our waterways.
 2. MERCURY is absorbed by fish through their gills.
 3. MERCURY contaminated fish are eaten by other fish, birds and humans.

Waste Pollution     There are no records of the volume and type of material spilled into the oceans before the anti-dumping law. It is estimated that in 1968, 38 million tons of excavated material, 4.5 million tons of industrial waste, 4.5 million tons of sewage sludge, 100 million tons of petroleum-based product (plastic), 2 to 4 tonnes of chemical waste, and more than 1 million tons of heavy metals were released into the ocean. The U.S. archive shows that between 1946 and 1970 over 55,000 containers of radioactive waste were disposed in 3 sites of dumping of the Pacific Ocean. In addition, 34,000 tons of radioactive wastes were disposed in 3 sites of dumping ofF the U.S. east coast between 1951 and 1962. No law on dumping radioactive waste was put into force before 1972.

Reasons To Stop New Oil Drilling and Ditch Fossil Fuels

1. These pictures are an example of what oil spills have done to life in the sea
2. Fossil fuels cause air and water pollution.
3. Fossil fuels change our climate and cause global warming.
4. Fossil fuels are non-renewable.
5. Ocean Acidification 

 

 

This is what happens to mice when they are fed Monsanto’s GMO corn. Cancerous tumors develop!

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

An advertisement from 1947, from the makers of DDT, with the awesome tag-line “DDT is good for me-e-e!” It would be another 15 years before the dangers of DDT were brought to the public’s attention, and another 25 years before it was banned. Wake up people! Monsanto is the devil in disguise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Controlling Mosquitos and Other Insects

Things That Make Mosquitoes Love You
Mosquitoes crave the lactic acid, ammonia, and uric acid found in sweat.
Bugs love the carbon dioxide that surrounds you if you are breathing heavy.
Mosquitoes follow carbon dioxide trails to their source.
Mosquitoes are more attracted to darker colors and spot darker clothing easier.
Beer and alcohol causes a rise in body temperature that attracts them.
The smoke of a fire deters them.
Bugs smell salty snacks, and sweets on the skin, that make us more delicious.
Mosquitoes are attracted to lactic acid. The amount released through your skin is increased when you eat potassium-rich foods.
Mosquitoes hate the smell of garlic.
Peppermint essential oil and lemon eucalyptus oil act as highly effective natural insecticides to repel mosquitoes. 
 
Mosquitoes are not a garden pest, but a pest of the gardener!  
 
 Controlling mosquitoes starts with getting rid of standing water. Regularly empty and clean bird baths, drain pot saucers, and clear clogged gutters. Stock ponds with larvae-gobbling fish and set up a pump to provide constant circulation. Treat water barrels and smaller water features monthly with Mosquito Dunks, floating donut-shaped cakes containing the organic larvicide BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis). Hang a bat house (each adult can eat several hundred mosquitoes every night); put up birdhouses for chickadees, wrens, purple martins, and other insectivorous species; and encourage frogs, toads, and dragonflies to take up residence by installing a buffer of tall grasses and native plants around ponds and streams.
    If necessary, protect your skin with repellents based on oil of lemon eucalyptus. Brands such as Repel and Cutter Lemon Eucalyptus are derived from the native Australian lemon-scented gum tree, syn. Eucalyptus citriodora. It is the only plant-based control recommended by the CDC, and it’s safe, effective, and 100 percent natural. The citronella-scented geraniums you might find advertised as mosquito detractors are lovely plants, but there’s no proof they keep insects at bay.
    West Nile virus, dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, encephalitus: quite a list of reasons not to like the mosquito. Not to mention the itching and inflammation caused by their bites. Your chances of contracting malaria in the United States are minimal, but other mosquito-borne diseases are indeed a threat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 4,000 confirmed cases of dengue fever in the country between 1995 and 2005. Add to that 720 confirmed cases of West Nile virus (leading cause of arboviral encephalitis) in 2009 and it’s enough to make you want to run for the spray can. But an adequate understanding of these little critters can lead to safer and more effective methods of control.
        More than 150 species of mosquito may call your back yard home. All are true flies and spend most of their time feeding on plant nectar. Only the females supplement this diet with the blood of animals or birds, which provides the protein necessary for egg maturation. Adult females lay eggs on the surface of stagnant water. Four to fourteen days later, the eggs hatch into wriggling larvae that begin to feed on water-dwelling microorganisms including fungi, bacteria, and algae. The larvae pass through several life stages, called instars, before pupating into adults. Depending on the species, adults can live from a few weeks to several months.
Bee Stings
If you have a history of severe reactions to insect stings, call emergency medical services. If the stinger is still present, remove it immediately. Gently scrape the skin with a credit card, your thumbnail, or a blunt knife. Don’t pinch the stringer with your fingers or tweezers because this could squeeze more venom into the skin.
Apply ice or cold packs to constrict the capillaries and reduce swelling. Mama took a little tobacco, wet it with saliva and put it on the sting. Pain left immediately. Clean the area with soap and water and apply a mixture of baking soda and water.
If nothing is available, scoop up a handful of mud and hold it on the sting until mud dries or apply a slice of onion to the spot and hold it for a minute or so. 
Mosquito Bites
Male mosquitoes feed only on nectar. Female mosquitoes nourish their developing eggs with protein rich blood. Mosquitoes prefer to bite ankles and wrists, where blood vessels are nearer to the skin’s surface. They spit an anticoagulant under our skin, leaving us with whatever disease they’re carrying (encephalitis, malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever). Lemon Eucalyptus oil can be used to repel mosquitoes.
Cool area of bite to constrict capillaries near skin’s surface and reduce swelling. To scratch the bite will make it worse.
Tick Bites
Ticks are leading carriers of diseases to humans in the U.S., and second to mosquitoes worldwide. Toxins in the tick’s saliva cause the disease. Hard ticks have a tough back plate and tend to feed for hours to days. With hard ticks, disease transmission usually occurs near the end of a meal. Soft ticks have a more rounded body and lack the back plate. They usually feed for less than an hour and disease transmission can occur in less than a minute. Lyme disease is caused by hard ticks, including deer ticks. Sitting on a log in the woods, leaning up against a tree or gathering wood are risky activities when trying to avoid ticks. 
Tick bites are generally painless and may go completely unnoticed. You may notice a red, circular bump and some itching and burning once the tick is removed.  To remove a tick you can apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds; the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. 
You may also use tweezers to grasp the tick close to its head; avoid squeezing the tick’s abdomen. Pull gently until the tick comes free. Do not twist and turn the tick, as the head or mouthparts may break off and stay in the skin, increasing the chances for infection. Crushing the tick may transmit diseases. Rinse it down a sink or flush it down a toilet. Clean the bite area with soap and water or a mild disinfectant and observe the area for several days.
Illnesses transmitted by ticks often begin days or weeks after the tick is gone.  Symptoms may include fever, numbness, rash, confusion, weakness, pain and swelling in the joints, shortness of breath, nausea, and/or vomiting. Blood tests are needed to diagnose illness. To avoid ticks completely, stay away from outdoor areas where ticks thrive during the months of April through September. Tuck pants into boots or socks. Wear light colored clothes so ticks can be easily spotted and brushed off. Wear a hat or tie head in a scarf. Apply repellent. Promptly check yourself, others, and pets if exposed to tick areas. Mama always had a tick check before we went to bed.
 
To eliminate itch of insect bites, rub on meat tenderizer or lemon juice. White vinegar is another remedy for relieving the itch of insect bites. Apply it in full strength. Don’t use vinegar if the area is raw.

To repel insects rub cider vinegar on your skin to repel insects – if you take in enough cider vinegar by putting it on foods you eat, you’ll develop a body odor that will repel insects, including black flies. Rubbing the skin with baby oil or imitation vanilla extract repels biting insects such as mosquitoes and black flies. 

Mosquito Repellent

1/2 litre of alcohol
100 gram of whole cloves
100 ml of baby oil or similar (almond, sesame, chamomile, lavender, fennel etc)
 
Leave cloves to marinate in alcohol four days. Stir every morning and evening and after 4 days add the oil and it’s ready to use.  Gently rub a few drops into the skin of the arms and legs. Observe the mosquitoes fleeing.

Homemade Insect Repellant

4 Tbs. coconut oil, melted
10 drops citronella oil
10 drops lemongrass oil
10 drops eucalyptus oil
10 drops lavender oil
10 drops peppermint oil

Treatment for Insect Bites – Plantain grows everywhere. For bites of all kinds you cannot beat this plant. Just pluck a leaf, crush it up with your fingers, and hold it on the bite. You can even put a band-aid over it and hold it there that way for a while. The leaf will draw the poison or venom out of bite. It’s magic.  Some people have used it on brown recluse spider bites with great success.

Concern About Using Deet in insect Repellants 

According to the CDC, lemon eucalyptus oil could be a much safer and more natural weapon against mosquitoes and can be as effective as DEET in repelling mosquitoes. Until recently deet was the only repellent recommended by the CDC, and approved for individual use by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Oil of lemon eucalyptus is repellent oil made from the leaves of Eucalyptus citriodora. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is registered with EPA. When oil of lemon eucalyptus was tested against mosquitoes found in the US, it provided protection similar to repellents with low concentrations of DEET. 

The most serious concerns about Deet are with the central nervous system. Dr. Mohammed Abou-Donia of Duke University studied lab animals’ performance of neuro-behavioral tasks requiring muscle co-ordination. Lab animals exposed to the equivalent of average human doses of DEET performed far worse than untreated animals. Children with DEET toxicity reported lethargy, headaches, tremors, involuntary movements, seizures, and convulsions though the amount that led to this toxicity was unreported, according to the CDC.

 

 
Keep Wasps and Bees Away for outdoor gatherings.- Put about 10 cloves in 1/2 lemon and set out. They do not like the scent.
 
 

 

 GET RID OF ANTS
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons boric acid [purchase here: http://amzn.to/11nzGz6]
3 cups warm water 
Mix the sugar and boric acid well.  Add the warm water slowly, mixing all the while so it won’t be too lumpy.   Store in a jar until ready to use.  When ready to use, put cotton into the top of a jar lid to fill it and then saturate the cotton to the top.  Place it in the location where it is needed.  This solution will keep a long while. 
  Drip a drop or two over the edge of the lid to rest on the counter so the ants will find the solution sooner. It sometimes takes a little while for them to find it, but find it they will. When they do, do not disturb them as they drink. They will hang over the edge of the lid and drink for a while and then take it back to the nest killing the colony. Almost overnight they will be gone.

Homemade Mosquito Repellant

Add to a 16 oz spray bottle and fill with water.
15 drops lavender oil
3-4 Tbsp of vanilla extract
10 drops of citronella oil or lemon eucalyptus oil
¼ cup lemon juice.
Shake & use.

Homemade Mosquito Repellant II

1/4 cup vegetable oil mixed with these essential oils (mix and store in a spray bottle):
8 drops cedar
5 drops eucalyptus
4 drops lavender
2 drops rosemary
2 drops juniper
1 drop peppermint
1 drop cinnamon
1 drop clove
-OR-
2 cups witch hazel
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
20 drops citronella essential oil
20 drops lemongrass essential oil
Mix in a spray bottle and shake well before use.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Outdoor Classrooms and Garden Design

Nature isn’t a place to visit, it is our home. The most effective way to connect our children to nature is to connect ourselves.

“It is not half so important to know as to feel when introducing a young child to the natural world.”  Rachel Carson 

 “What is the extinction of a lily to a child who has never seen a flower ?”  Robert Michael Pyle

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~ Albert Einstein

Links to other pages:

Cross Curriculum Integration into the Outdoor Classroom

Creative Outdoor Ideas

Components of an Outdoor Classroom

Outdoor Classroom Design Basics

Why Outdoor Classrooms are Important

The Labyrinth and the Maze

Chickens in the Garden

Creative Uses for Pallets

Gardening With Kids Shop


   

LINKING OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS TO THE CURRICULUM

 
                   Cross-Curriculum Integration in the Outdoor Classroom 


Art: Students make pencil sketches of natural landscapes or animals, design markers and signs, and create promotional material. Other possibilities include using leaves, flowers or bark as textural features or for decorations with other natural findings.
English: The outdoor classroom can provide opportunity for students to keep a journal on the developmental progress of the outdoor classroom. Students can sit in the natural area and write poems or essays about their surroundings. Writing news articles on the outdoor classroom’s success would be an excellent opportunity to practice journalism. A monthly newsletter may be developed.
History: The outdoor classroom can be used to study of how early settlers and Native Americans used natural resources to make artifacts, grow food, make clothes and live off the land. Students may look at the history of the outdoor classroom site to see how it has changed over time. The outdoor facility could be used to study other cultures.
Family and Consumer Sciences: Students could learn how to grow a vegetable or flower garden and the economic benefits of doing so. Outdoor cookery or food preservation could be practiced. Students can study edible natural plants. The students may help plant some of the shrubs and trees. Natural items could be used as decorative features of the home or classroom.
Health/Safety: Students could locate poisonous plants in the outdoor classroom, identify them and study potential human health effects. Students could practice first aid by simulating outdoor scenarios. Students may want to search the outdoor classroom for potentially unsafe areas and describe what should be done to correct them.  Natural remedies might also be planted and discussed.
Life Skills: The outdoor classroom is filled with opportunities that can help young people gain skills and knowledge in citizenship, ethical decision-making, leadership, teamwork, responsibility, achieving goals, building relationships, communication and self-esteem. Knowledge and skills in these areas may be attained through hands-on projects, learning by doing, making positive contributions to society and by participating or leading organized outdoor activities in the outdoor classroom.
Mathematics: The outdoor classroom is a prime area to study mathematics, especially in the developmental stages. Math students may assist in calculating featured plots, determining the size of the developed area or measuring slope and elevation. Students could also measure tree heights and diameters, weigh large outdoor objects and tabulate volumes. They can also learn to use a map and a compass. Measuring, cutting and constructing habitat boxes and feeders are direct applications of math concepts.
Music: Music students could study how different cultures use nature as a part of their music. Students may make instruments from items they find in the outdoor classroom. Students could study other musicians who use nature as their inspiration, and possibly use the outdoor classroom in preparing their own music.
Physical Education: Outdoor classrooms provide prime opportunities for PE students. Activities such as hiking, running cross-country, exercising and playing outdoor games can be included in the class curriculum. Students may create games from objects they find in the outdoor facility and many of the activities can be combined with other subjects. Measure the walking trails and post distances so that “walkers” can set and achieve goals for regular exercise.
Science: The outdoor classroom is a “natural” science lab. Science students can conduct experiments that should only be attempted outside. Students could study aquatics, soils, animals, air, weather and plants and how living organisms interact with each other, as well as biology, chemistry, ecology or geology. Natural communities and ecosystems found in the outdoor facility can be observed.
Technology: An outdoor classroom is an excellent place for students to learn more about the use of different technologies. Students can take digital cameras into the outdoor classroom and capture images of insects, flowers, snakes, animals and other natural scenes. The images can be used to design Web pages or presentations about the outdoor classroom. Students may learn new concepts of Global Positioning Systems and Geographical Information Systems.
Vocational Agriculture: Vocational agricultural students will have plenty of objectives in their curriculum that will include and involve the outdoor classroom. Students can study pond management, forestry management or participate in land judging. Other areas to consider include designing trails; participating in building shelters, bird feeders and picnic tables; or growing the flowers and plants needed for the facility.
 
Life SciencesWhat are the differences between living and nonliving things? How are humans like plants? How are they different? Distinguish and describe differences and similarities.

  • How does a plant grow? Observe the life cycles of plants using fast-growing plants in your classroom.
  • What do plants need to grow? Do all plants need the same things? Study the vari- ous conditions that different plants need to grow. Compare the things people need to the things plants need. Create experiments investigating what happens when plants are exposed to different amounts of light, water, air, space, and nutrients.
  • Investigate the functions of different plant structures (cotyledons, roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds).
  • How do plants reproduce? How do seeds work? Dissect flowers and seeds. What factors influence germination of seeds? Create experiments to investigate how light, heat, and moisture affect germination.
  • Explain to students that some characteristics are inherited and some are caused by the environment. Locate examples of both in your garden.
  • How do plants use energy from the sun to make food? Discuss photosynthesis. Do plants need light to photosynthesize?
  • Discuss how plants adapt for their survival. Research the adaptations of seeds for dispersal and adaptations of flowers for attracting pollinators. Observe pollinators in the garden.
  • Investigate the impact of environmental changes on plants.
  • Study wildlife and insects and their habitats.
  • Investigate food chains and food webs. Demonstrate how plants are the primary source of energy for all food chains.

Earth Science

  • Create a garden weather station. Record daily measurements and compare conditions with plant growth.
  • How are some soils different from others? Compare and contrast the properties of different types of soils (density, air spaces, presence of living organisms, composition, texture, smell, appearance).
  • Simulate soil erosion in your classroom garden. Observe the difference in soil loss when water is splashed on a tilted, planted pot, and on a tilted, unplanted (but soil-filled) pot.

Physical Science

  • What is pH? How does it affect plants? Use litmus paper or a test kit to test the pH of different soils. Investigate how plants respond to soils with different pH levels.
  • Simulate the water cycle in the indoor garden by covering it with a “dome” of clear plastic. Study and observe the transpiration, evaporation, and condensation of water.
  • What are the properties of different types of light? Cover pots with cellophane of different colors to screen out all but one wavelength of light from plants. Observe plant growth.
  • How does energy change to matter during photosynthesis?

Mathematics

The garden provides a plethora of opportunities to practice basic mathematical activities such as calculations, comparisons, measurements, and varied represen- tations of data (charts, graphs, etc.). Math becomes practical and relevant when students implement concepts they have learned in the classroom in a real- life garden setting. Designing and planting a garden takes mathematical problem solving and practice. Gardening activities help to motivate students often confused by abstract textbook questions and examples.

 Math activity ideas:

  • Measure the growth rates of plants and display results on different types of graphs. Make predictions regarding future growth. Use standard and nonstandard units of measurement.
  • Host a bean race. Plant a number of beans at the base of a trellis and track their growth on a chart. Determine the rate of growth and award the fastest plant a blue ribbon.
  • Using information from seed catalogs, predict dates of germination and maturity. Plan backward from a desired harvest date to determine when each crop should be planted.
  • Measure your garden parameters and calculate the area. Use graph paper to make a map to scale of your garden.
  • Calculate amounts of fertilizer to use per quart and per liter of water.
  • Chart temperatures of the air and soil in your garden in Fahrenheit and real-life experiences in reading and math, and an opportunity for teachers to extend learning beyond the classroom.
  • Determine the weight and volume of soil mix when wet and dry. Determine the volume of soil in a rectangular window box.
  • Investigate vegetable prices in a supermarket. Track the amount of produce harvested in your garden and use the market prices to determine the value of your harvest.
  • Count the number of seeds planted and the number of seeds that sprout and calculate the germination rate.
  • Measure the height of a group of plants and determine the mean, median, and mode.
  • Calculate serving sizes of different fruits and vegetables using common cooking supplies.
  • Make a recipe that uses fruits and vegetables from the garden and requires various measuring techniques.

History–Social Science

Plants are an important part of world history. They have influenced human civilizations and economies since the beginning, and as the base of all food chains and supplier of oxygen for our air, they will always be essential to our survival. Gardening activities can be used to teach students about specific historical events and cultures, and to introduce current events like the impact of biotechnology. Some gardening activity ideas:

  • Research and report on cultural or ethnic differences in food consumption and gardening practices.
  • Research agricultural history and create a timeline of important events.
  • Visit some local farms and interview farmers about choice of crops, growing practices, marketing, and farm history.
  • Study the contribution of Native American foods and other cultures’ foods to our history and diet. Grow samples in the school garden.
  • Research the histories of classroom garden plants. Discover where they originated, the impact they’ve had on our diets, and how today’s varieties differ from the original plants. Locate their origin on a map and then trace their movement around the world.
  • Use the Thanksgiving holiday to explore meals throughout history and the different crops grown and harvested at that time of the year.
  • Complete a site analysis of the school garden and create a garden map noting important features, including a north arrow.
  • Trace the path of a fruit or vegetable from the field to the table.
  • Use the classroom garden to complement a study of the influ- ence of climate on food production.
  • As a class, develop garden rules and then vote on them.

English-Language Arts

Reading and writing are two very important class- room basics, and mastery of these skills provides students with the power to succeed. Relating language arts exercises to the garden can add an element of fun, too. Example activities:

  • Keep daily garden journals documenting observa- tions, weather conditions, and classroom activities.
  • Research the growing habits of the school garden plants using the Internet and reference material. Create a planting schedule based on the information.
  • Write letters to local merchants explaining the school gardening project and asking for donations.
  • Write thank you notes to volunteers and garden sponsors.
  • Write, illustrate, and publish a collection of garden stories and poems.
  • Brainstorm different adjectives to describe each plant in your garden.
  • Study new vocabulary that relates to plants and gardens.
  • Publish a class newsletter with student articles about the garden and distribute it to other classrooms and parents.
  • Write step-by-step instructions for common garden activities.
  • Follow written instructions to perform a garden task like planting seeds.
  • Read books and stories about plants and gardens.
  • Write a research paper on a favorite plant, including source citation.
  • Prepare and deliver a presentation about the garden for other students,

Teachers, and Parents

  • Learn about the origins of scientific plant names.
  • Read a garden magazine article highlighting a plant and distinguish between the facts and opinions presented by the writer.
  • Research the nutritional value of your favorite garden vegetable and then write a script for a 60-second advertisement designed to get more people to grow and eat it.

Visual and Performing Arts

Nature is the inspiration for many works of art, dance, music, and drama. Your school garden is a small piece of nature that can inspire budding artists.

Activity ideas:

  • Create paintings and drawings of garden plants.
  • Paint a class garden mural to hang in the hallway for parents’ night.
  • Make a seed mosaic.
  • Create a color wheel collage using pictures from old seed catalogs.
  • Make musical instruments from gourds and learn how to play them. • Make prints using paint and stamps made from various plant parts.
  • Create and perform a garden-inspired dance expressing the growth of a seed or the opening of a flower bud.
  • Pantomime various gardening tasks (transplanting, fertilizing, sowing seeds, pollinating).
  • Learn a collection of songs that relate to food, gardens, and the environment.
  • Draw your dream garden.
  • Listen to the music of composers inspired by nature.
  • Build clay or tissue paper models of flowers.
  • Use leaves to make crayon rubbings or fossils in clay.
  • Using a movie camera with single-frame capability, make a time-lapse film of a plant growing.
  • Create a skit about food safety.
  • Paint a classroom mural using samples of different soils as the medium.

Health and Nutrition

Research continues to document the significant health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, and yet most children do not eat the recommended daily amount. Growing fruits and vegetables in the school garden improves students’ attitudes toward these healthy foods and motivates reluctant eaters to try them. You can use the garden as a hands-on tool to teach nutrition lessons, including the importance of fruits and vegetables and proper food preparation techniques. Specific activity ideas:

  • Compare the importance of nutrients in the health of humans and of plants.
  • Study the nutritional value of the various crops in your garden.
  • Identify the parts of the plant represented by common fruits and vegetables.
  • Discuss the difference in nutritional value of various plant parts.
  • Study the adaptations of plant parts that make them good food sources.
  • Sprout various seeds for eating.
  • Conduct a blindfolded taste test using classroom-grown vegetables and supermarket vegetables.
  • Experiment with food preservation techniques like drying, freezing, and canning.
  • Grow a salad garden and give students a chance to sample the harvest with a salad party.
  • Invite a grocery store employee to talk to the class about where their products come from.
  • Visit a local farm.
  • Create a brochure with information on daily food intake recommendations.
  • Plan a day’s menu that includes all components of a balanced diet.
  • Keep food journals that highlight how many fruits and vegetables are eaten and describe any new produce tried.
  • Invite chefs from the community to present cooking demonstrations for students and parents.
  • Coordinate a cooking lesson in your school’s kitchen using the produce your class has grown.
  • Ask cafeteria managers to share safe food handling information and provide
  • Invite a registered dietitian to visit classrooms and discuss healthy food best part was when we got to collect and count the money.
  • choices and healthy preparation methods in connection with MyPyramid.gov.
  • Present a skit or puppet show about food safety.
  • Use MyPyramid.gov to help you choose a healthy diet. Come up with tasty recipes that use lots of fruits and vegetables and little fat or sugar.
  • Create a classroom or school recipe book featuring produce grown in school gardens.
  • Compare the nutritional content of different colors of a specific variety of vegetables, e.g., salad greens. Graph the Vitamin A content in the lighter-colored greens and in darker greens. Contrast this with other vegetables.
  • Research and compare fruits and vegetables with various origins. Identify cultural dishes and their preparation methods. Host an “international day” and provide healthful samplings of fruits and vegetables from those cultures.
  • Incorporate literature using the book Stone Soup and involve students in mak-ng their own stone soup. Have students discuss the benefits of the ingredients and how they fit into MyPyramid.
  • Research cultural holidays and the symbolism of particular fruits and vegetables that are included during those holidays. For example, identify the symbolism of tangerines in the Chinese New Year celebration.
  • Create a public service announcement or school announcement promoting fruits and vegetables. The promotion could highlight something growing in the garden, a fruit or vegetable offered in the cafeteria, or both. This will encourage students to develop skills for marketing food choices.
  • Grow and use fresh herbs to flavor your dishes with natural ingredients and decrease the use of salt in recipes.
  • Visit a local farmers’ market or start a school farmers’ market.

These ideas are a sampling of classroom gardening activities available to you. Search books, magazines, and Web sites for additional ideas. As you grow with your garden, you will create many activities of your own. Be sure to pass them along to other teachers and parents.

    7  Benefits of gardening in schools: 
  1.Grows literacy skills and self  esteem 
  2.Builds positive environmental attitudes. 
  3.Enhances understanding of key life science concepts and inquiry skills 
  4.Promotes cooperative behavior
  5.Develops within the child a sense of responsibility and a reverence for life
  6.Builds healthy nutritional attitudes and behavior
  7.Students who are behaviorally disturbed or learning impaired make greater strides in a garden.  
      

 

                                                                                               

 

Outdoor Classroom Design Basics

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM DESIGN BASICS

In designing children’s outdoor environments the goal is to use the landscape and nature as much as possible. It is desirable to integrate the outdoor and indoor classroom with one sense of place and identity so the transition is seamless.

A design that allows children to go back and forth encourages children to experiment with autonomy from adults, both physically and symbolically. The outdoor space becomes part of the classroom, rather than a retreat from the classroom. Many teachers are choosing to run indoor/outdoor programs and free snack times to enable and enhance the long stretches of uninterrupted play times.

The outdoor classroom should be made of natural materials such as logs, stumps and boulders and the landscape created in natural ways with berms and mounds. The simplest way to include natural play elements in the outdoor classroom is by adding natural parts like stones, logs, sand, trees and water or an organic garden. It will encourage self directed exploration and discovery.

You can build a trench in the sand and dirt or a rock dam over a stream, but there’s not much you can do to a jungle gym except climb, hang, or fall off. Natural elements provide for open-ended play that emphasizes unstructured creative exploration with diverse materials. The complexity and variety nature offers invites longer and more complex play. Because of their interactive properties, plants stimulate discovery, dramatic pretend play, and imagination.

Teacher training and many other resources are available for you to get started on your outdoor classroom and lots of great books to help too.

Components of an Outdoor Classroom:

Sand and water play area – A sand pit offers the wild play opportunities of the beach. If you must cover it think about using light fabric that lets air and water through and is easy to cover and recover. Sand is best if it can be mixed with water.

Water is one of the greatest play and experimentation elements for young children. Create opportunities for water play and discovery. Introduce water to the sand area. It can be as simple as adding a hose line to the sand area. Simple drainage underneath the sand will keep water from pooling up. Use hoses, water tables, tubs, sprinklers, gutters, spray bottles, and ice!

Vegetation – Include trees, bushes, flowers, grasses and vines. Start an organic garden. Well-arranged plants for children can become playhouses, hideouts, castles, and far-off places. Group your plantings to form small rooms, hidey nooks, hollows, and secret spaces. Plantings become wildlife habitats and say “welcome” to birds, chipmunks, butterflies and fuzzy caterpillars. Herb gardens are a good first step. Protect the trees! An existing mature tree, or a gentle hill can be the area’s best natural feature.

Structures – Create a lean-to, a playhouse, a grotto, a platform, a playhouse, a mini tree house, or a slide embedded in a grassy berm. Provide equipment and materials that can be changed. Add feeders, birdbaths and birdhouses. The birds will thank you and build nests, lay eggs and have babies. Create a mosaic or mural. Make a material wish list.

Sound exploration: add metal, wood and bamboo chimes. Hide tiny bells in bushes and trees that children interact with. Install PVC talk tubes so children can throw their voices to other parts of the play yard. Build giant “thunder drums” out of steel or plastic barrels. Give children sound exploration opportunities that ring and resonate deeply in the body and sound harmonious to the ear. Sound can be an enchanting creator of moods and melodies. Provide a thunder drum, kettledrum, rainmaker, chimes, and a quiet area.

Topography of a play area is important. Bumps, berms, and hills help to create spaces and plateaus to climb to, lookout from and roll down. Build decks on top. Beams, logs and stumps create places to jump from 24 to 36 inches high.

Textures create different moods and a different feel. Children use their bodies in different ways when traveling over different types of materials. Create a secret path from stepping stones, wood chips, bricks, cobble stones, flagstones, log sections, colored gravel, or concrete-molded pavers with fun items stuck into them. Make a “wobbly walk”. Tricycle tracks are extremely important for young children.

Miscellaneous materials for an outdoor classroom:  Storage bins, benches, cages, boxes, shelves, hooks, crates, sacks, tricycles, wagons, wheelbarrows, balls, bags, jump ropes, buckets, shovels, sifters, bicycle tires, tubes, tubs, easels, chalk, paint brushes, cartons, blocks, crates planks, sawhorses, rope, duct tape, poles with pulleys and clotheslines, magnifying glasses, compass, measuring tape, jars, rain gauges, food coloring, baking soda, paint, beanbags, balls, stones, blocks, parachutes, shovels, brooms, sand sifters, turkey basters, milk crates, PVC pipes, bells, traffic cones, hoops, cups, bowls, tubs, plastic vases, wood tools, washboards, butterfly nets. Use the Consumer Product Safety Commission Guidelines

  1. Site Analysis for the Garden Classroom

Read the landscape and develop a garden design that responds to the landscape.  An ecological design strives for a balance between the site’s natural history, it’s ecological setting, and human interaction with the area. The collective vision of what the sight can become will transform the school grounds from the ordinary to the extraordinary. 

Note existing features: measurements, drainage patterns, existing erosion, amount of sun the area receives (must have 6-8 hours of full sun ), location, distance and availability of water, and soil analysis.  Make sure there are no underground electricity, sewer, or water lines. Secure the site with fencing or block any views such as a dumpster or busy road. Does the garden need to be handicap accessible?

Put together a summary of the site conditions for the space, light, and soil available on the sight and find plants with matching requirements. If you are building raised beds then I suggest that you not make them more than 3-4 feet wide so that children can reach plants. 

  1. Purpose of the Garden

The outdoor classroom is an interactive opportunity for students and adults to learn how math, history, literature, art and music are influenced by nature and our natural resources. Who will the garden serve? What kind of garden or gardens do you want to build?

  

  • Herb Garden           
  • Butterfly Garden   
  • Tree Garden          
  • Salad Garden
  • Root Garden                    
  • Rain Garden                   
  • Flower Garden        
  • Rock Garden
  • Dye Garden                     
  • Art Garden                     
  • History Garden        
  • Zoo Garden
  • Sculpture Garden             
  • Ethnic Garden               
  • Clock garden          
  • Vegetable Garden 
  1. Safety of the children means considering access to water, shade for gathering, the enclosure of the garden, a design for optimal sensory experiences, maintenance of the garden and clear boundaries and pathways. Have the group come up with a set of ground rules. Crowding leads to conflict. Paths should be at least 2 feet wide or 5 feet for handicap accessibility. Children should be able to touch anything in the garden. Chose materials wisely and plan for all seasons. Signs should be consistent with the purpose of the garden and the outdoor classroom activities. You may want to include a place for children to eat such as a shaded picnic area.
  2. The Participatory Process means inviting anyone who might have an interest in the school grounds to give input and participate such as teachers, caretakers, parents, principal, administrators, neighbors and most important students.Reach out to the community and develop partners for materials and support. Student involvement in the initial design and future upkeep are essential to the success of the project. The collective vision of the group will determine the agenda and carry the agenda out. Create a physical plan, a to-do list, a time line and a list of needs.

Suggested Committees needed:

  1. Funding and resource development
  2. Youth activities and action projects
  3. Construction
  4. Public relations
  5. Connect to the Curriculum and the school grounds can provide a wealth of learning opportunities. Integrate the development, monitoring, and maintenance of the grounds with what happens in the classroom. The opportunities for engaging students are broad and cross the full range of subject areas. Design activity sites where children can investigate. Plant so that the cycle of life becomes transparent to students. Some schools have taken advantage of this by creating a full time school garden teaching position. A responsive and adaptable design, broad based participation and opportunities to connect to the curriculum and the broader community are the keys to a successful and sustainable school ground initiative.
  6. Recognize People’s Efforts and expressing appreciation for their support is very important. 

Elements of a Sustainable Landscape are:

  • Plants that have low water requirements
  • Native plants
  • Ground areas are not hard to mow
  • Healthy soil means healthy plants
  • Ground cover or mulch to manage erosion, soil temperature, evaporation, and weeds
  • Use of organic methods to prevent and reduce pest problems
  1. Some Components of an Outdoor Classroom:

 Weather Station      Compost Bin        Worm Bin          Labyrinth

Sundial      Shaded gathering area        Rain Barrel      Recycle Bin

Weaving Loom      Trails     Tool Shed      Bamboo teepee for beans

Willow Hut       Activity Centers      Fire Pit       Outdoor kitchen facilities.

Fossil mound     Cereal Maze       Arbors      Solar Fountain

Bird Baths        Bird Feeders     Sculpture Wall

Please visit Life lab on the web to see a great program at work and also for support the Cornell University site “Garden Mosaics” and the Brooklyn Children’s Garden are great programs and garden references.

Suggestions for a Zoo Garden:

butterfly bush    Catnip     butterfly tree    Chameleon plant     turtlehead          Hens and chicks      Elephant Ears     Bear’s Breach     Kangaroo Paw            Leopard Flower    Tiger Lily    Lion’s Tail    Ostrich Fern    Snakeshead          Snapdragon      Stickey Monkey     Lambs ear    Unicorn grass   Cattails       Horsetail       Duckweed    Snake plant    Spider Lily   Shrimp plant

7 Steps to a Green School

    Think Green!

7 Steps to a Green School

  1. Establish A Green Team or Eco-Committee

The Green Team is the heart of the Green Schools process by organizing and directing activities. Consisting of students, teachers, custodians, facilities managers, parents and school board members. The Green Team is democratic and can be run by the students themselves. Whatever type of school or age group, student involvement in the committee is essential. The group can be responsible for coordinating the greening activities, making recommendations to relevant school decision-makers, and facilitating communication among and actions by the whole school community.

2. Adopt An Environmental Vision Statement or Planet Pledge

Create your own vision statement, setting out what the students and/or school community are striving to achieve. The Environmental Vision Statement is displayed in places within the school and recognized by the students and community as a statement of beliefs and intents. This statement is often in the words of students, and can be an inspiring classroom, art, or school-wide assembly project. Such statements can be accompanied by a resolution from the school board, Parent Teacher Association, the Green Team, or other school bodies.

3. Conduct A School Environmental Survey

Identify priorities for action. Begin by conducting a review of the school’s environmental impact. Students are involved in assessing the level of waste from school lunch, checking the building for inefficiencies such as leaky taps, or electrical equipment left on overnight. The school and the Green Team work with local organizations, businesses, or other resource people  during the review. These audits can be fun and help educate the school community about the health and environmental impacts of the school.

4. Create A Green School Action Plan

  1. Monitor and Evaluate Progress

Use the results of your environmental survey to identify priorities in the key areas where you want to make change and create an action plan. Set realistic and achievable targets to improve environmental performance at the school so kids and adults can take pride in tangible accomplishments in the short term. It is important to set long-term, inspiring and challenging targets to move beyond the status quo and foster greater environmental improvements. The action plan could involve and promote a school recycling program; eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning materials; carpooling; energy conservation like turning off lights, computer monitors and printers; or a school garden.

The Green Team, students, or other school community members can assist with monitoring and evaluating progress on the priorities in the action plan that can involve conducting an annual environmental audit to monitor levels of waste, recycling, energy use, purchases of environmentally-preferable products, and financial savings and/or costs. Use these ecological footprint tools to ensure that progress towards the goals and targets is made and that the action plan is modified, if necessary. It ensures that environmental education is an on-going process in the school, since students can be responsible for the annual audits. The basic data collected over time can show the waste, pollution, and energy avoided – big motivators for people to continue the efforts.

6. Integrate Greening into the Curriculum

Greening activities can be integrated into existing curricula in science, art, humanities, math, language arts, or electives. Using the school as a hands-on laboratory offers opportunities for real-world problem-solving. Students can undertake study of themes such as energy, water, forests, toxic pollution, and waste. The whole school should be involved in practical initiatives like saving water, recycling materials and saving energy. Outdoor education, and time spent in nature locally is a critical component of a hands-on, place-based, experiential education. Where environmental education is not part of the regular curriculum, recommendations can be made by the Green Team as to how these themes can be incorporated.

7. Inform, Involve, and Celebrate!

Honor, celebrating, and communicating about achievements are critical components of a Green School! Greening programs often unify the whole school and strengthen community relations. Your might consider partnering with external organizations from the community to benefit from their experience and expertise. In some schools, environmental consultants have offered to take part in the environmental review process. Many local government agencies and utilities offer free advice on energy, recycling, and hazardous waste management. Schools should consider the wider community when preparing action plans – for example, schools could offer to be the local recycling point or to be a drop-off for Community Supported Agriculture boxes. Some schools get involved with clean-up or habitat restoration at nearby parks. A communication and publicity program keeps the school and the community informed of progress through classroom displays, school assemblies, newsletters, or other press coverage. Communicating is key to spreading success and inspiring more actions. Annual Earth Day celebrations offer an opportunity to showcase actions taken by the school and bring together the school and wider community.