Garden Visit and Plant Observation

Students in first grade enrichment will be actively studying plants throughout the year.  We will use a variety of activities to enrich our learning.  One of the objectives of this science study is to become observant, and then to use these observations to create scientific drawings that include details and labels.  I have teamed with. Mrs. Elliott, art teacher, to emphasize the closely connected skills of art and science, and first grade students have been practicing their observational drawings in art class. You can read about  this work here:

http://mrselliottart.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-shoe-game-res.html

This week in enrichment we spent our time in the RES community garden reinforcing these observational skills.  Students had ten plant pictures and had to match them to the correct plant.  Once students agreed as a group that they had a match, they took a picture to prove they had found the correct plant.  I heard great conversations as students debated about leaf shape and size, and discussed how they could be sure they found the right plant.  This was also a great opportunity for us to visit and explore the garden. I look forward to watching these great foundational skills lead to amazing scientific drawings as we continue our plant studies throughout the year! A special thanks to Mrs. Woodruff who went on our garden visits and helped students identify some tricky plants!

Garden Winterizing and Collaboration

I was excited at the beginning of the year to find out that the school garden committee was working with students at the University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources to implement a community based project.  Through their course, these UVM students self selected RES as the recipients of their time and talent to support our garden as well as our first grade plant scientists!  

This week one first grade class had an opportunity to visit the garden and see progress on the winterization of several beds in our garden.  We discussed what plants need to grow.  We also had an opportunity to plant several varieties of spinach which we will watch grow over the next few weeks.  First graders worked in teams of four with UVM students to plant the beds.  This trip to the garden helped to solidify our understanding of what plants need and it was a great example of how the UVM students' work will extend outdoor learning at our school.  We found several worms which were busily helping our garden to grow and the snow swirled around us as we planted our crop.  My favorite moment of the class was when the entire class helped to roll out the new winterization 'tent' on a bed. There was an automatic teamwork as everyone rolled out the newest addition to the community garden.

We look forward to more learning with our community partners in the next few weeks. A special thanks goes to Joanna May, who helped coordinate this great experience!