This past week we had fun learning about an early form of photography called cyanotypes. This type of photography, called a photogram, is done without a camera and instead uses only a special type of paper, sunlight, and water.
Cyanotypes have been associated with plants from the very beginning, as Anna Atkins, the first female photographer, used this invention in the mid 1800s to capture types of algae. We used plants from the Garden of Wonders and the results were pretty great! What a fun way to savor the sunshine as the rainy season approaches. This week we... -Made watercolor paintings of nasturtiums and borage in the garden. -Continued harvesting wheat berries from the wild wheat field along the west side of the playground (an entire wheat organization has sprung up) -Tidied up the garden together -Planted lavender, artichokes, and cardoons in the bed between the figs -Planted marigolds and herbs in the kitchen garden - Weeded and watered daily -Made cyanotypes of various types of foliage from our garden -Collected seeds from marigolds, calendula, and nasturtiums -Ate a lot of popcorn and vegetables in the garden -Harvested delicious Italian plums with our newly found orchard fruit picking tool! -Played or gardened in groups during free time -Weeded and watered daily -Building with mud and bricks Happy Gardening! Mel and Jess
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We have officially entered into fall, and the air feels cooler and fresh after the (literal) scorching end to summer. Fall is a time for reflection, observation, and enjoyment of our time outdoors as the rainy season nears.
Scroll down to read more about what we did the week of Sept. 17 in GAP and follow us on Instagram @gardenofwonders to see our daily stories and adventures in the garden. Happy Gardening! Mel and Jess Garden Teachers Abernethy Elementary School -Hand harvested wheat berries from the wild wheat field along the west side of the playground. -Threshed and winnowed the wheat as we collected the wheat berries. -Went on daily nature walks through the native plant garden and the school grounds. -Planted new lemon sorrel seedlings -Weeded, cleaned and prepared beds in the kitchen garden courtyard -Dug out our fort and made mud for our fairy houses (we had a few " mud monsters" too -Built a little pretend cafe where the kids sold produce in exchange for edible flower petals -Collected seeds from marigolds -Harvested herbs such as rosemary, mints, comfrey and horseradish -Drew pictures and wrote in our garden journals -Played or gardened in groups during free time -Weeded and watered daily -Played "Surprisatillo" where the kids hid little edible surprises inside tomatillo shells Growing Gardens is hosting Garden Camp this August at the beautiful Vernon School Garden (2044 NE Killingsworth, Portland, OR).
Explore and Discover – Creatures in the Garden August 13-17 Kids ages 5-8 8:30 am-3:30 pm with aftercare optionsWe will have a fun and exciting week exploring creatures that live in the garden and beyond. We will create habitats for insects, search for all kinds of critters that are hiding all around, imagine we are pollinators sipping nectar from a giant flower, learn about animal tracks and make tracks from plaster molds, among lots of other fun activities. Our snacks will have a creature theme every day. Grow, Harvest, Cook and Eat- Garden Chefs August 20-24 Kids ages 8-11 8:30 am-3:30 pm with aftercare optionsThis outdoor cooking camp will use garden fresh produce to create delicious dishes from the garden. We will be using a solar oven and rocket stove. We will also explore the garden’s ecosystem, observing the animals and insects that live in this space. In addition, we will have a craft/art project related to the daily theme based upon food from various cultures and places, such as New Mexican blue corn tamales, Italian bruschetta, Oregon Trail johnny cakes and blueberry cobbler, and Asian Pacific stir fry. Come join us for a culinary adventure in the garden! Learn more about the garden camp and register HERE. Scholarships available. Hello GAP families!
Spring is a busy time in the garden, and after a long wet and cold late winter and early spring, we have a lot to do to get ready for summer. Every day we have a garden task to complete. This past Thursday and Friday we were stepping up tomato plants from their four-inch pots to gallon containers. We will be working on the beds next week as this week got too hot for successful planting. A reminder of our (rough) daily schedule: 3-3:40pm Prepare snack, eat and clean up. 3:40-4:30pm Recess/outside play. Art4 Life kids are still out until 4pm, so they have a little time to play with friends that are in that program. The kids need this time to play, be physical, interact with peers, and enjoy free time in the garden to nibble on spring flowers and greens. 4:30-5pm Garden tasks and programmed activities 5:00-5:30pm Second recess (They love this!) Please remind your child that garden tasks are an important part of GAP. Some are having a hard time transitioning from free play to structured activities at 4:30, even though they know this happens every day. In all gardens, only about 10 percent of gardening is planting, with 70 percent dedicated to weeding/pruning and 20 percent to tending the beds and plants. We need your help reminding students that our garden time is important, and that focus and attention helps get the jobs done, and done well. Sometimes, we do journaling, drawing, scavenger hunts, games and things that are a lot of fun in the garden, AND we have work to do. It takes a community and a lot of people to make the gardens productive and beautiful. Your kids are the ones who primarily care for the gardens, and we thank you for choosing the garden program for your after school care. Also, a reminder that our classroom is a nut-free zone. Any snacks that your kids bring from home should be nut free or consumed before GAP. We provide gluten free, dairy free alternatives. Also, please be sure you have Julie’s phone saved in your contacts. If there is a change of plans for your child (absence, different pick up people, stuck in traffic.) please let her know at by texting 925-705-6276. Follow us on Instagram and see more of what we’re creating. See you in the garden! Julie, Riley and Ariel Flower buds and lush green leaves have returned to the Garden of Wonders. As we all shake off the long, chilly winter, the garden beckons us with much work to be done! Our spring cleaning kicked off with students helping pick up trash from the native area and garden, planting violas and strawberries, and weeding multiple different plots.
Though it is tempting, we ask that you please remind your children that bulb flowers like tulips and daffodils should not be picked. A typical GAP afternoon kicks off with free time in the classroom or the chance to prepare the class snack. This week we made celery critters together using grapes, tomatoes and pretzels in an “ants on a log” fashion – sans peanut butter, of course. We also prepared a lovely frittata together using chard from the garden, which was a big hit with the kids. After snack, students are usually given a half hour or more of free play outside. Favorite games include lava monster, marketplace exchange, and hide and seek. After recess, the kids are often split into smaller groups to engage in a garden activity. One of their favorite recent garden activities was drum circle weeding. To help make weeding less of a chore, we allow subsets of the groups of students to drum on their weed pails as the others dance and weed. After a few minutes, they switch. Another garden-themed activity that’s been a favorite in the past few weeks has been You’re Only Safe If… This is a version of tag where the educator says something like “You’re only safe if you're touching chard!” All the students must then run to find chard before they get tagged by the educator. If they are not safe, they join the team of taggers. We’ve already had so much fun this year, and we thank you for your continued support! Julie, Riley and Ariel Hello families!
GAP teachers are excited to be back in the swing of things after being away last month. We are especially thankful for our amazing substitutes, Ariel and Riley, who took such great care of our students in January. This month we’ll be busy with various end-of-winter projects as we prepare to welcome spring. Last week we cleaned and painted our bee houses in preparation of introducing our mason bees to their new homes in March. This week we dissected flowers from our winter-blooming camellia shrubs to learn about the anatomy of flowers. Students worked in teams to examine, sketch and label the flower’s many parts. They also got to take colorful and vibrant primroses to plant in their home gardens! (Primroses are winter plants, so keeping them outside in the cold is perfectly fine. Once the flowers begin to wither, simply pluck them off to allow new buds to bloom.) One of the most popular educational games we’ve played recently is Where Does the Food Grow? Students are given a list of vegetables that either grow beneath or above the soil (e.g. peanuts and broccoli), and they must determine which grows where and sketch it as one of their garden drawings. While snack time is always lots of fun, this week GAP students got an extra special treat. Our neighbor and baker, Tim Healea from Little T Bakery, paid Abernethy a visit and donated yummy bread dough, which we baked and devoured right away. Thank you, Tim! We are working to incorporate new, fun and healthy snacks to our growing GAP snack menu. If you have any suggestions, please pass them along. Thank you again for supporting GAP. Dania and Julie Follow us on Instagram and see more of what we’re creating. Hello everyone!
As we get ready for winter break, we wanted to extend an extra thank you for helping make our after-school program so special. Community is a theme we emphasize throughout the school year, and your continued support helps keep our GAP community strong. Please note: Julie will be away for much of January, and Dania will be gone January 16-25, but we will have two wonderful substitutes, Ariel and Riley, who many of you have already met. We will make sure that our subs are fully prepared to provide GAP students with the best care and attention. If you have any questions regarding our short absences, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Julie has (finally) learned how to use Instagram, and she’ll be posting photos over the break! So, if you begin to have GAP withdrawal, you can check in and reminisce on the year so far. We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season! Dania, Julie, Caitlin and Allyson Hello GAP families!
We hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far. Between the rainy weather and the Thanksgiving break, the Garden of Wonders has been somewhat quiet, however, our classroom kitchen has been busy and smelling oh so good! Julie has been doing an amazing job roasting hearty winter vegetables and baking delicious treats such as cookies and pumpkin seeds. Needless to say, snack time has been a huge hit, as have our fun indoor activities. We took a temporary break from our Daily Outdoor Observations (see last blog post) for a couple of weeks to allow more time for holiday-related festivities. We made colorful Thanksgiving turkeys from popsicle sticks and beautiful flower petals. We also made holiday wreaths with fragrant rosemary from our vegetable garden. The next few weeks will be filled with more garden-inspired activities, nature journaling and, of course, spending as much time outside as possible as we prepare our garden for the cold winter season. Please let us know if you have any questions — now or in the future. And finally, some housekeeping. Our kitchen garden, located just outside the school cafeteria, is in need of minor repairs, including reinforcing some of the garden beds. If you are able to help, please contact Julie and she’ll gladly put you to work! Also, please remind your children that toys from home are not allowed at GAP — especially Pokémon cards! In order to keep the peace in our classroom, we will not allow any students to play with their own personal toys during free time. GAP provides plenty of activities and games for everyone to enjoy. We would greatly appreciate your continued support with this. Thank you for supporting GAP! Dania and Julie Follow us on Instagram and see more of what we’re creating. The Garden Afterschool Program (GAP) blog is back in action! First, a bit of housekeeping. Please remember to send your kid/s to school with appropriate clothing for the colder and wetter days ahead. Extra clothes, layers, and, of course, rainproof gear are all highly encouraged. Also, safety is our highest priority, so please let us know if your child is going to miss GAP on a specific day, or if you need to make future enrollment changes. Now let’s get down to the good stuff — the fun and learning that’s happening at GAP! Each afternoon kicks off with a healthy, delicious snack. Not only do we harvest food from our own vegetable garden to eat, but everyone also gets a chance to help prep and cook. It’s a hands-on experience! After snack, each of us is responsible for washing and putting away our own dishes. (YOU’RE WELCOME!) After our classroom is nice and clean, it’s time for some outdoor fun. We spend about 30 minutes at recess (rain or shine); less if it’s a heavy downpour. Then we gather to do a Daily Outdoor Observation (DOO), where students spend 15-30 minutes observing and studying different life forms in the vegetable garden. This can include noticing the changes in the leaves as the weather gets colder; the changes that occur as plants grow and mature; and the different types of critters that visit our garden each day. Student are asked to draw or write their observations in a personal nature journal. We then spend another 15-30 minutes working in and around the school’s multiple garden areas. This is when children really get their hands dirty and become fully engaged in the wonderful art of gardening. This week we raked leaves for our compost, planted winter crops, and removed weeds from each garden area. Each week brings a new set of projects to complete. The kids make a huge contribution to the beautification of Abernethy’s gardens! We have lots of indoor activities planned to keep everyone engaged this fall, along with as much outdoor play time as the weather will allow. We hope that your child will continue to learn, grow, and have fun with our little community of gardeners this school year! Please let us now if you have any questions — now or in the future. Thank you for supporting GAP! Dania and Julie Follow us on Instagram for more great pictures throughout each week. Dear Friends and Families of Abernethy’s Garden Afterschool Program!
Welcome back! We are excited to see everyone, get back into the groove of things and start the year off on a good foot! Our themes for this quarter focus on building community and understanding the importance of winter. Some of the fun activities we have planned include: Pickling vegetables, making bird feeders, mapping out our garden spaces for the coming months, and celebrating our garden communities! We are so excited to see what creative and brilliant things your students will contribute :-) Also, it is an unseasonably cold winter and we’d like to remind you to to help prepare your students with warm clothes each day. Hats, gloves, jackets, rainproof gear and extra clothes are encouraged (if you need help getting these items, please feel free to e-mail us). We’d like to be outside as much as possible, but safety is always our highest priority! Thank you very much for your continued support of our program! -Ellen, Arielle, Linda |
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November 2019
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