Monday, November 28, 2011

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!






Monday, November 14, 2011

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.






Friday, November 4, 2011

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!