Evergreen School is entering our second year of participation in the Little Green Thumbs program. Here is what the Little Green Thumbs Website says about the program:
- Little Green Thumbs is an indoor gardening program that gives elementary and high school students the opportunity to become food producers right in their own classrooms! It is a hands on, inquiry based education program which helps young people to value the health of themselves, the environment, and their community. Students actively cooperate to grow and care for their garden- they choose what to grow, plant the seeds, and maintain the garden throughout the year. In the process, students learn about nutrition, environmental stewardship, sustainable food systems, and community interdependence.
We have five gardens growing throughout the school in classrooms, hallways, and soon, the gathering space. Students have thought carefully about what they would like to plant. In Ms. Watkins class, they even wrote persuasive letters about what they wanted to plant and why. Through integrated, authentic, hands-on learning, students are not only building understandings about gardening but also building knowledge networks that enhance their functional knowledge and understanding in core subject areas- reading, writing, mathematics, science...
In addition to providing the materials for the gardens, Little Green Thumbs also provides training for teachers at a weekend workshop and garden "experts" who come out to schools to work with the classes. In Calgary, the Calgary Zoo operates the Little Green Thumbs Program and we recently had a visit from our friend Jaclyn, who came out to do some hands on activities with the children.
Students created terrariums out of 2 L bottles and plastic bags. They did everything from cutting their bottles to adding drainage material and soil, to planting their choice of seedlings.
Students created terrariums out of 2 L bottles and plastic bags. They did everything from cutting their bottles to adding drainage material and soil, to planting their choice of seedlings.
Some Kindergarten students learned about the seeds found inside of fruits and vegetables. They used their senses to explore the whole fruit, then cut them open to find and count the seeds and taste their fruits or veggies. Other classes sorted and counted seeds for some hands on math learning. Another group created "rock bugs" to live in the garden.
Next time you visit the school, keep your eye out for our sprouting gardens!