Garden Training for Teachers
Carol St. Pierre from PCC compiled resources from existing youth gardening programs such as CATCH Kids Club and Early Sprouts seed-to-table curriculum for the teachers' use in their classrooms throughout the growing season.
In March of 2013, Master Gardener Julia Steed Mawson was brought into Penacook Community Center through the University of New Hampshire and the 4H Program to instruct the teachers of PCC along with five other childcare programs in the area. She also added to the existing curriculum used in the classrooms. Her powerpoint from the workshop can be found below.
Teachers' reflections on the workshop
"I loved the workshop. It was so hands on and interesting. The presenters were so knowledgeable and obviously "Get it"... not just gardening, but the children and their abilities, interests and love of all things nature... We grew seeds on our windowsill, transplanted them into our garden... the children loved watching them grow. We harvested many vegetables, but they rarely made it into the building... the children always ate them raw! We did many of the activities in the curriculum and made up a few songs of our own... Even now, when I water the plants, the children burst into one of our songs (to the tune of shell be coming round the mountain) Oh a seed will need 4 things to make it grow -make it grow... oh a plant will need 4 things to make it grow- make it grow... it needs water, it needs soil, it needs some air, it needs some sun, oh a plant will need 4 things to make it grow! "
“The joy and excitement this unit created was wonderful to experience... I will definitely do it again next year!"
"I really liked the workshop, especially learning about composting and how to teach about gardening... and things like if it does not grow, to try again. I loved planting with the kids... seeds and soil and water and sun, seeing it grow and then getting to eat it!"
Examples of activities
The curriculum in 16 lessons
Below are the Jump and Sprout lessons, one for each week of summer camp at PCC. Click on the lesson to see the outline and plan.
April “Let’s get growing”
1. Starting our seeds.
2. What do Plants needs to live?
May “Dirt made my lunch?”
3. What’s dirt made of?
4. Making Compost
5. Parts of a Plant
6. Time go outside….Transplanting
June “ What makes our garden grow?”
7. Water Water Everywhere.
8. What part of the plant do we eat?
9. What grows in the ground, what grows above the ground?
10. Worms
July “ Where does our Food Come From?”
11. Bees, Butterflies and Birds
12 Plants make food
13. Food Chains: Everything Eats Something
14. What goes into a salad?
August “Harvest and Celebration Time”
15. Vine Fruits
16. Vine Vegetables
17. Harvest and Garden Celebration
18. Putting the Garden to Bed
How to Involve Families?
Ø Communicate with them at drop off and pick up
Ø Post Garden notes on the classroom door
Ø Send container plants home
Ø Recruit volunteers to help
Ø Know info to share
Ø Send home sample recipes
Ø Send home ingredients or invite them to come in and cook with the children
Ø Send garden books home to read
Ø Take a field trip to a garden(June visit the PCC garden)
Ø Make a book about the children gardening include pictures of them planting and caring for their plant
Ø Post Pictures on face book about your class gardening
Ø Documentation: pictures of kids in progress
Ø Invite parents to share gardening idea’s
Garden Training for Teachers
To the right is the Powerpoint given to the teachers at PCC by Julia Steed Mawson as a training for the classroom gardens of Jump and Sprout. The link (here) is a better version visually.