Juniper Elementary

Anita Roberts (Toni Bryant, Lauren Pollock, Golzar Mathew, Nicole Brackman (TK), Greta Lemon (TK), Hanna Linton (Sped TK/K)

Phase 1:  The Nature Collective adopted our current garden and planted a pollinator garden.  They came and did a lesson on pollinators with our kinder classes.  We were able to use the scoop chairs, purchased from the grant in the garden.  They have developed a great curriculum to use in our garden.  We did the first 2 lessons.  We plan to use the entire curriculum next year throughout the entire year.

The two lessons we did were learning what a pollinator was and which ones we might see in our garden.  We went on a search and put sticks with pollinator pictures in the garden if we found a pollinator.  We then made a tally on a graph to see how many pollinators we found.  We have kept this graph in our room and add to it daily as we find them.

Phase 2:  All garden supplies were ordered but we ran into a bump in the road…no secure fence yet!  The district is planning on raising the garden fence to keep it safe from vandalism, but it hasn’t happened yet.  We are hoping it will be done over the summer so we can invite families to come help set it up to make it a true outdoor classroom.

The district said we were unable to purchase the shade sails for over the garden because there is not a way to secure it.  That left some money in the budget so I was able to add the TK and Sped class and purchase raised garden beds for them.

We decided to build our raised beds and keep them in our classroom temporarily this year.  We planted radishes and sunflowers and shared them with our families at open house.

Phase 3:  Next year, once we have a more secure fence, we will be able to put the raised garden boxes into the garden and every kinder and TK class will be able to plant throughout the year.  Watering cans and shovels were purchased to use.

We will ask families to help set up the garden shed that will hold our tools, scoop chairs, and a teacher table for instruction.

We will lay down a recycled mulch path around the garden boxes to prevent weeds and make it easier to work outside.

I was able to purchase 2 large paint easels that will hang along the entire fence at the end of the garden so children can paint as part of the outdoor classroom.

We will be able to use the curriculum provided by the Nature Collective throughout the year.  They will be partnering with us once again next year.

Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity for our students!  We invite you to come visit next year!

Anita Roberts J

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature.  To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.”     -Alfred Austin

 

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