Garden Museum @NetZeroLee

I am happy to be back in the garden to work with you all this year! Your and your teachers’ welcoming words and gestures warmed my heart. Remember, even a small act of kindness can make someone’s day brighter. I appreciate the positive atmosphere here at Lee!

For those who are new to Lee, I am Keiko Nishino, also known as Ms. Keiko. I take care of our garden and organize garden activities for classes. I also enjoy working and talking with learners in the garden during recess. In my newsletters, I will share what is happening in our garden and I hope you become familiar with it. I look forward to spending time with you in the garden!

Red 5 learners planted carrot seeds in the garden. Although the seeds were tiny and difficult to handle, the learners did an excellent job carefully scattering them into the shallow lines in the soil. It was great to see them sharing tips with each other and working well together. They also enjoyed misting the soil with water and gathering cool items for the garden museum. The seeds sprouted within a week. Great job, R5! 🧑🏻‍🌾

Blue 4 learners were thrilled as they pulled out carrots to clear the bed, discovering crickets and spiders along the way. They also harvested squashes. The exclamation "The real-life cricket!" was a moment of genuine excitement. Some thought they were cockroaches 😨Ms. Kazebee removed a large, tree-like clammyweed from the bed! Although it is a lot of work to involve the whole class, garden time becomes so much more fun when everyone participates!

Harvesting kale leaves can be somewhat challenging. Pulling them might result in uprooting the entire plant. It is better to press down on the ribs to snap them off or to use scissors for cutting.

Do you think Green K learners could do it? Of course, they successfully harvested them! Sometimes, it didn't work well, but they tried a few times, or I told them what to do, then they learned how to do it. They were very cautious to avoid harming the plants, and I loved seeing their serious faces 😊. Thank you to the Green K learners for gently handling and harvesting the plants!

G1 learners tried new self-watering pots for growing seedlings. Previously, we made them from water bottles, but I used cups, strings, and a salad green container to create a more stable and child-friendly design this time.

Do you know how it works? One end of the string sits in the soil-filled cup, while the other dips in the water in the container. The string soaks water into the soil when it is dry, making it constantly moist.

The learners planted six kinds of vegetable seeds to grow seedlings, and they will transplant them in the garden a few weeks later. They also named their plants and made a label. They did a great job adding soil and planting seeds following the instructions! Some seeds already sprouted after three days. Their plants are now on display at the Garden Museum!

Child Nutrition provided us with various transplants, such as green & red cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, Swiss chard, and cauliflower, to grow in our garden.

The young seedlings are delicate, yet both YK and PA learners could successfully transplant them, properly spacing and gently covering the soil around the plants. This real-world experience made them realize that if they don't treat the plants appropriately, they will damage them, so they take their job seriously.

YK learners also enjoyed finding items for the Garden Museum. Some asked me if they could pick peppers to display. Since they were a little damaged, I said yes. Then they were so excited and proud to pick them. They kept saying thank you to me for saving the peppers and displaying them at the museum. They were so cute! 💛 I never thought just picking peppers would impact them so much!

One of the learners in PA harvested squashes as well, patiently waiting while others planted the second transplants. He was skilled at twisting them to detach from the plant and looked proud.

Even simple tasks make learners feel accomplished when they successfully complete their work in the garden, which builds their confidence.

The whole class can't work at once, so we have rotating small groups in the garden time. While one group works on activities like planting and harvesting, other groups engage in different garden activities. These include playing "I SPY Garden" Scavenger Hunt using iPads, taking a Seed-Plant Matching quiz, drawing plants and creatures, and collecting interesting items in the garden for the Garden Museum display. I also offer the "I SPY Garden" activity as a 10-minute garden brain break for classes to use at their convenience on a weekly basis. Have you ever tried it?

During recess, when I work in the garden, some learners come by and offer their assistance. They helped clear the beds, prepare the soil, harvest the crops, and water the plants. Thank you for helping our garden!

In the garden, learners openly talk about gardening and various other topics. One of the learners suggested a sign for the cafeteria salad bar to indicate that the salads include vegetables from our garden, as she wasn't aware of it. Others shared stories about life in India, their grandma's garden, the bugs they found, etc.

These interactions provide a wonderful chance for me to understand your thoughts on the garden and get to know about you. I enjoy these conversations. Please remember to speak one person at a time; otherwise, I will become too exhausted to visit the garden😉

I envision schools combined with museums allowing children to participate actively in creating and learning. Since garden time is limited to a few classes each week, I also want to share our garden activities with the whole school. We currently have terrarium plants, nature collections, a self-watering pot experiment, and drawings on display. In the future, I plan to involve learners in creating an exhibit and adding more informational panels about plants. Do you have any ideas about what you want to see in the Garden Museum?

Thank you to the teachers for collaborating and bringing your learners to the outdoor learning!