What to do with all those pesky pumpkins...

Make pumpkin muffins of course! Here are some TBS students cooking up muffins for the entire after school crew...

The Rain has Let Up!

While the rain is great for our garden, its a bit trickier for the gardener. We spent a full week harvesting radishes and making lovely dishes. Now we are back and planting for the winter season. The rain gave us plenty of weeds to pull...

While some babes were tending to the garden beds, other were making like birds and nesting. As a class we thought about what it takes to build a nest. How can such a small bird make something so sturdy, yet soft? How many trips does it take? How do they carry their materials?

Here are some student nests!

Let's Observe a Tree!

Sweet Briar Creek spent time observing trees and understanding their parts. They also took advantage of the beautiful foliage that had fallen to the ground by creating leaf rubbings.

What happens to the plant world in fall?

Why do the leaves turn different colors? What does the weather have to do with the state of the plants?

K/1 Students illustrated a tree during its fall transition.

Plant Marker Making and Leaf Rubbing

This week gardening took a turn toward the arts. Noticing the fragility of our popsicle stick markers, we opted for a more sustainable route. We took antique spoons, drew pictures of our plants, and pasted them on to the center of spoons. We then weather proofed those babies and planted them in the soil with their namesakes!

After we finished painting, we scoured the garden for texturally interesting leaves. We used leaves of many shapes and sizes to make beautiful leaf rubbings!

Making Compost at the Chaparral House

It takes an army...

 Of kids of course!

A Laurel Creek Student loves the smell of our green and brown piles.

The students didn't feel quite right kicking the snails out of their home, so we made them a little sanctuary.

Make sure those plants stay nice and hydrated!

Look What I Found In My Garden

It doesn't get much better than this.

Life

Things are a sproutin'

Succulent Soil

This week was all about the senses. Soil was gathered from every corner of the TBS campus and put into secret paper bags. It was the students' job to smell, touch, listen, and look at the vast amount of different soil textures we have at our lovely school.

After they enjoyed the sensual soil, each student wrote one descriptive word about each type they encountered and placed that word in a marked envelope.

Then things got a little wacky. Groups were formed, envelopes were dispersed, and skits were created using the adjectives the young gardeners had written to describe their soil!

Story time in the Chap House Garden

A resident delighted us with stories from yesteryear.

 We gave the chive plants a little haircut :)

 A little taste perhaps?