Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Destination: TROLL NATION

It's amazing what our creative and industrious kindergarten, first and second graders have been building...digging...excavating...and where they have been getting really muddy...it's Troll Nation!




If you haven't had a chance to visit , come check it out in the k-2 area behind the sand box.
It started as a simple hole back in October and has blossomed into tunnels, caves and roads. When it rains it becomes miniature rivers and channels!



It's incredible what a little digging in the earth can do for focus, stress relief, fun, community, and a general feeling of connectedness.

We hope, when the garden starts to get more established, the kids will feel a similar sense of ownership and find such wholehearted enjoyment!

Have a Wonderful Holiday Break with your Beautiful and Creative Children!!

Bird Houses...



Gourds make great birdhouses, which attract birds, who eat bugs...and the circle of a happy garden continues...

This is why we plan to plant gourds in the spring.
In the mean time we are actively looking for folks with gourds to donate to the cause.

Wouldn't it be great for our kids to paint them and fill our gardens with color and birds?

Let us know if anyone has a good gourd resource!

...and for all you builders out there, any kind of birdhouse idea would be welcome and fabulous...either to bring in a bunch already made for the kids to paint or even to lead a building workshop?

The Garden Art Ideas are endless...we love to see art appear in the garden. Feel free, teachers and liasons, to add to our gardens in any way you wish...as long as it's rain proof !

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Holiday Garden Maintenance!



Over the Holiday Break our Garden is going to need some Care!

If it is sunny and dry it will need watering every two- four days.

It works best if two people work together, and the time it takes is about 1 hour.

The work includes watering the following...



1~The K-2 Garden.
2~The compost and worms.
3~The Passion Vines in the Kinder Area
4~The Strawberry and Pea Planter Boxes next to the Kindergarden Room.
5~The 5 Planter boxes outside the Fourth and First Grade Classrooms.
6~The Raised Beds in the 3-8 Garden
7~The Lemon Tree.
8~Remove Leaves from around all the plants in each Garden and Planter Boxes, especially Eucalyptus leaves.

If we have lots of rain...which we would love, then there may not be a need to come at all.

Please let us know if you would like to get some extra volunteer hours in by tending the Garden. We would like to get a schedule organized soon! As of now, we need about 6 volunteers, and you may only come one day during the whole break. Once we know who will be helping, we can go over all the details with you just before the break.

See you in the Garden !

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Wish List ?!!!...

The Water Saver Rain Barrel
After all this beautiful rain, boy do
we wish we had one of these...
(Santa, are you listening?)

Actually, there are ways to make a barrel
like this with a spigot attachment for a hose and a good old fashion garbage can.

This may be one of the projects on the horizon!