Theme: Heard the Bird?

First try this calm and quiet activity. 
You can do this inside or outside:

Make a sound map, ready?

1. Get a piece of paper and a pencil or marker or pen
2. Draw a dot in the center of the paper (that's YOU!)
*You're the dot, so you can put your name
3. Sit somewhere quiet (shhhhhh) and listen for sounds all around you. If you feel comfortable, close your eyes...
4. Whenever you hear a sound, draw another dot on your map from wherever the sound came from
*If the sound is far away, behind you, place it on the edge of your map, behind you
*If the sound is close to you, on your left, place the dot close to you, on your left
5. Sit and listen for 5 minutes (or more!)

...now you have a Sound Map, great job!

Your sound map can help you be more aware of your environment and once you start noticing sounds, you'll start noticing more animals and plants, too. 

Right now, connecting to nature is really important.

*Today, I am reminded that everything in nature is connected to everything else!

Theme: Seed Check

First, a photo of the harvest from yesterday:

In the crates:

- Some onions that I planted too close together (another epic garden fail)

- French sorrel

- Spinach

- Parsley

- Dill

- Curly leaf kale

- Red and green chard

- Cabbage

- Lemons

- Lemon balm for tea

Okay, perhaps you planted some seeds this weekend! 

Let's give them a check. 

It still might be too soon for any of them to sprout, however, after 5 days, I notice some very eager cucumbers:

This is great news because I planted some cucumbers in the school garden and half of them died (maybe too hot?)

...It's good to have backup seeds!

*If you planted seeds and still have some left in the pack, SAVE THEM! You never know when you'll want to plant them again!

*You can build your collection of seeds (sometimes called a "seed library") and save them or share them.

Taking photos is a great way to "journal" your progress and track changes. 

*Everything around us is constantly changing. 

*Scientifically, it has to!

*Just like you can expect your seeds to change, you can expect yourself to change, too! 

*Expect and accept change, instead of getting angry or frustrated at it. 

*Some of the seeds will sprout. Some of them won't.

*We can observe what happens to our seeds like a scientist would.

*That means, without getting angry at the seeds, just accepting whatever happens to them, either way - the reality of the seeds as it is, not as we would like it to be.

Writing and drawing (journaling) is a great way to keep track of changes and in-the-moment observations:

Take 9 minutes and 14 seconds of quiet time each day to journal about your seed changes, what you see outside the window, how you're feeling, or even what sounds you hear from wherever you are (any birds?). 

How many sounds are there? 

From what directions do the sounds come from?

On Friday, we'll make a "sound map" and learn more about birds in the garden.

Until then, take care Everyone, Everywhere!

Theme: For the Birds!

Have you looked out your window or door today...?

...Or maybe you planted a seed this weekend and you're patiently waiting for it to grow? 

(we'll do a journal entry about our seeds on Wednesday!)

*Nature is all around us, all of the time, and we are part of nature, so today we'll focus on our singing neighbors in the sky... BIRDS!

Birds are a great way to connect to the natural world because they thrive in many environments. 

You can see and hear them, if you pay close enough attention.

You can also make observations about birds in the same way you make observations about plants (birds are a bit tougher because they fly and move, unlike our plant friends!).

But, when you notice a bird, look for its "field notes."

Field notes are characteristics that help identify birds such as song, color, size, and shape. 

Scientists who study birds are called "Ornithologists."

The Cornell Lab has set up a number of "live bird cams" all around the world, so you can actually observe different species of birds up close!

You can find all of the bird cams here:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/

*Check out my favorite one - a family of Barred Owls in Indiana:

The chicks are fluffy!

The Barred Owls are exciting because they are active at night, so, if you find yourself a little bored after dinner, the owls are most likely doing something AMAZING when the rest of the birds are asleep!

*I also like the kestrels (a small falcon) because their nest is made of rocks!

California Audubon Society has also set up some cameras featuring California shorebirds:

Protect California Beaches!

By learning about birds, we can help protect their habitats and therefore, help protect our planet! 

*If we walk quietly, listen carefully, and live gently, we can celebrate Earth Day, everyday, everywhere, with everyone!

*We'll learn more about birds and their importance in our garden this week!

Theme: Planting a Seed

Greetings Everyone, Everywhere! 

We're going to plant some seeds today.

(FYI - This is a REALLY LONG post with LOTS of information!)

You'll need a container, some soil, some seeds, some water, some sun, and a LOT of patience!

(If your garden is inside, you might want a cookie tray or towel or plate to set your project on - so it doesn't get water or dirt all over the place...)

"What if I don't have a container?"

Here are two ways to make your own:

1. From newspaper or a paper bag:

2. From a toilet paper tube!

You can also use whatever containers you have around.

Here are some I've been saving:

And here they are, ready to go:

 

I cut it down for a shorter container:

*You can totally use a milk carton, too!

*Gardener Sarah ate all the ice cream and then thought to herself, "This would be an AWESOME place to start some seeds!"

"How do I choose the best container for my seeds?"

Okay, here are all of my seed containers, filled with soil, ready to go:

For even MORE ideas about containers and a video of the toilet paper tube seed starters, check this out:

Okay, ready, set....PLANT! 

*You'll want to follow the instructions super closely on the seed packet...

*If the instructions say to bury the seed 1/4 inch in the soil, then do that!

*You can use a ruler or your pinky to measure 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, or 1 inch.

*When you water your seeds, the soil should be moist and dark.

*NOT A PUDDLE! and not dry!

*Keep the soil moist.

*Place them in a sunny spot, but not too hot!

*If you notice the soil is dry and hard, water it a little more.

*If you notice the soil is wet all the time, water it a little less. 

*Observe the soil like a Scientist - it may take a week or more for your seeds to sprout!

*Finally, be patient! Use your patience tool!

(...don't forget to water yourself!)

Theme: Graphing our Harvest

I love doing math in the garden! 

Today we'll do a graphing activity showing how much produce was harvested from the garden yesterday and donated to the Berkeley Food Pantry.

A bar graph is a great pictorial (like a picture) way to show how much you have of something and of what type. 

*Today we'll sort our vegetables by type and measure how much we have of each.

Think of things you have sorted and counted...

The vertical axis will show the "measuring" part of the graph along the side (going up and down). 

I decided to measure our harvest in "bunches" which is the same amount as a handful (it's not exact, but in this case, it's okay to estimate!).

What are some other ways we could measure what we grow?
...by weight in pounds?
...by each individual leaf?
...by handfuls?

The horizontal axis (along the bottom) will show the type or name of each vegetable.

This is the GIANT bar graph, just the veggies!

What do we have the most of?

What do we have the least of?

This is the bar graph with the axis labels.

Vertical (along the side) = Number of bunches

Horizontal (along the bottom) = Type of produce

It was really fun to make this bar graph out of the actual vegetables! 

...I wonder what else you could make a bar graph out of? 

Could you graph the number of red, green, blue, and yellow legos?

How about the number of different types of shoes? 

You could even graph the number of Plant Parts you have! 

(how many roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds?)

Activity: Lay out your objects in a bar graph!

*I used my computer to turn our vegetable graph into a digital graph:

(it's a little easier to see and tell what kind of produce we have and how many bunches we have of it!)

Great job today Mathematicians, and Happy Earth Day to Everyone, Everywhere! 

Theme: Math in the Garden!

The garden is a great place to do math! 

Counting, sorting, measuring, estimating, weighing, graphing, and comparing are just some of the ways we use our math brains in the garden.
 
So take off your "Gardener" hat and put on your "Mathematician" hat. Here we go!

Today we'll be learning about area and perimeter. 

If you're in 4th or 5th grade, you may have already learned about area and perimeter from your super amazing teacher. It's helpful to actually see what you've learned applied in the real world, so, I hope this garden math lesson will help support what you already know!

*We use area and perimeter all the time in the garden - it helps us build fences and estimate how much soil to add to a garden bed.

It also helps us plan what plants to plant.
(Try saying that 3 times fast! Plan what plants to plant, plan what plants to plant. Plan what plants to plant...)


The area is the "plantable" part of the garden (it's the space with all the soil, the inside of the rectangle). 

*To find it, we multiply the long side (length) by the short side (width). 
Or, length x width:

The length is 8 feet

The width is 2 feet

Soooooo... 

8 feet x 2 feet = 16 square feet

(length x width = area)

*What's the area of our garden beds in inches?

(hint: there are 12 inches in 1 foot!)

The perimeter is the total distance around the edge of the garden bed (the wooden frame part).

*To find it, we add up all the sides together...

(length + length + width + width)

...So
8 + 8 + 2 + 2 = 20 feet

***What's the perimeter of this garden bed in inches???

*Perimeter is really helpful if we want to build a fence around our garden bed.

...If we want to kick this up a notch, we can also measure the height (how tall) because remember, our garden beds aren't flat like a pancake-rectangle. 

They hold soil (like a fish tank holds water!), so knowing the height, helps us figure out the volume:

Volume = Length x Width x Height

*This tells us how much soil our garden beds hold so we can refill them!

Soooooo... 
8ft x 2ft x 1ft = 16 CUBIC FEET

Great job today, Mathematicians!

Where else do we use math in our every day lives?

Theme: A garden song

A Friday sing-a-long for everyone!

If you were a tree, what kind would you be and why?

Theme: One Month Later (things that didn't quite go as planned...)

Before we get to the glorious failures of science, let's pause and be thankful. Every week (for the past month), the gardens have managed to eek out some produce to donate to the Berkeley Food Pantry (which is part of a larger Berkeley Food Network). 

In this week's harvest:

- French sorrel

- Kale (dinosaur and curly leaf)

- Lemon balm

- Parsley

- Cabbage

- Chard

- Oregano

- Spinach

- and lemons 

School gardens all over Berkeley are donating fresh vegetables!

I admit, I was (I am!) completely overwhelmed to transition our garden from an "education garden," where kids do 90% of the work but we don't necessarily grow a lot of food, to a food producing garden where the goal is to feed our community.

In that process (which is only a month in), I have learned a lot and FAILED. A Lot!

Why haven't these nasturtiums sprouted? 

Nasturtiums are abundant, hardy, flexible, opportunistic, resilient, (invasive?) and should be Berkeley's city Mascot!

Why didn't they want to grow in my backyard?

Cue the sad trombones...womp, womp, womp.

For me, as an educator, it's more important that kids get their hands in the soil than it is for them to grow a successful crop (although it's nice when both of those things happen!).

*Even better is when kids understand why their seeds sprouted or why they didn't. 

...or even if they don't understand the full process, they can walk away knowing that sometimes we fail...and it's okay!

*This is a really important process and believe it or not, failure is worth our attention because failure is how we learn. 

*It teaches us to be analytical (that means to ask "why," to wonder, and to be curious) and to accept that something not working out is a totally acceptable outcome.

Activity: Make a "Wonder Wall"

All you need is a piece of paper and a curious mind:

...You can use a mirror with a dry erase marker

...a paper bag

...post-it notes

- Write down every question you have.

- You can categorize your questions around a theme.

- Use your questions to set up a science experiment or do research.

This is how scientists develop experiments to answer their questions. Sometimes they can answer their question and sometimes they can't! 

*Failure builds resilience.

*If we try our best first and then fail anyways, failure encourages us to try again.

*Failure teaches us that something might not work due to something WAY BEYOND our control!

*So, failure teaches us to not take things personally.

I don't know why some of these cucumbers sprouted and some didn't. They all had the same water, same sun, and same growing conditions. It could be something that has nothing to do with what I did - just the seeds or who knows what else?

Here's a great seed-fail. I have no idea why these peppers, tomatoes, and zucchinis didn't sprout. I think it's probably not warm enough yet and I was impatient! 

Oh well, I'll try again!

Some of these basils did okay. Others, not so much. 

One bean sprouted. 

One.

Also look at that lone sugar pie pumpkin. I was going to bring it to school, but I only have one other and I remembered from last year's epic pumpkin fail that you need TWO pumpkin plants for cross-pollination in order to get pumpkin fruits (who knew?)

The failure process = The learning process!

*Seeds growing successfully (or not!) also helps me have a deep appreciation for life. 

Because in order for those seeds to grow, the conditions have to be just right. Some seeds (like people) are good at growing in a range of conditions and other seeds need more time, different light, temperatures, or nutrients. 

But no matter what kind of "seed" you are, all plants have a place in the garden!

This is a challenging time of change, differing conditions, and first-time experiences. Be gentle with yourself and laugh at your failures. 

Finally, I'll leave you with this awesome quote from Doctor Who 

(I am a HUGE fan and season 12 is CRUSHING it):

"Humans are magnificent. They live with their fears, doubts, and guilts. They face them down every day, and they prevail. That's not weakness, that's strength. That's what humanity is." 

-Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker

Theme: One Month Later (Success!)

Good morning, Everyone, Everywhere!

It's been one month exactly since the "science experiments" from our school gardens began in my backyard! 

I want to share with you their progress (or lack thereof!):

Remember the succulents in the cat dish and the coconut milk can? They're still alive and I continue to save containers for future projects:

I notice when I look at these photos side by side, that these succulents don't look like they are thriving. 

They are yellow and shrinking. 

I wonder why?... It could be too much water, too many extreme temperature swings, or, a whole bunch of other factors!

It reminds me of other times I've seen succulents doing well. 

How can I recreate that in my yard?

*For more information on doing science with the "I notice, I wonder,  It reminds me of..." method, visit our friends from Lawrence Hall of Science here: http://beetlesproject.org/resources/for-field-instructors/notice-wonder-reminds/

***This is EXACTLY why we (scientists and gardeners!) keep journals and record our observations! 

This information tells us how to best grow our plants. 

(And don't worry, there will be an entire blog entry on 'failure' on Wednesday!)

------------------------------------

Here are more "one month later" photos:

  

These cucumbers are doing really well! 

Some will stay here in my backyard and some will go back to school!

 

I have already replanted some of the English cucumbers and pickle cucumbers!

These tiny basil seedlings will hopefully continue to grow:

Remember the video on planting things that you might have already in your kitchen?

I tried carrots, celery, ginger, turmeric, and garlic:

Not a whole lot happening with the ginger, but it's only been 1 month!

    

And I had planted 3 small individual cloves of garlic and I now have 3 big heads of garlic!

...And remember the toilet paper tube sunflowers and winter squash???? 

Here they are before and after:

I also planted two of the sunflowers in a large pot. 

I planted the entire toilet paper tube and they're doing very well:

 

This is my favorite science experiment, but unfortunately, I didn't photograph the "before." 

I had eaten a kabocha squash and literally took the smushy inside parts with the seeds and covered the entire thing with soil! 

Amazingly, a LOT of the seeds sprouted!

*We will be eating kabocha squash this fall when we go back to school! 

Alright gardeners and scientists - I hope your home plantings are going well - and even if they're not, keep trying!