Garden Update: Week 2

It has been two weeks since we planted our seeds in the garden, and our seedlings are really starting to take off! 

We've worked together to make sure the Giraffe Garden Squares are watered and happy :) We are already seeing a big difference since our Week 1 check-in! 

We documented our growth in our Cool Weather Crops Log, and we even found a four leaf clover while we were out there! Here's to hoping our little bit of luck will continue to help our plants grow big and strong :) 

Journey North: Planting The Seed

On Friday, we headed out to the garden to begin the first step in our "Journey North" project. Each fall, people across the Northern Hemisphere plant Red Emperor tulip bulbs in Journey North Test Gardens to help monitor seasonal change in a scientific way. In the spring, when the plants emerge and bloom, test gardeners report their data to the maps. One garden at a time, the relationship between climate, geography and the greening of spring is revealed. We are making our SMS Wolves Green Grower's Lab one of those test gardens by planing our own Red Emperor tulip bulbs around our garden beds. We reported our planting to Journey North so we can begin to track our growth. 

Once winter passes and spring begins, we will begin checking the garden for signs of growth where we planted our tulips. Once they begin to grow, we will report our findings to Journey North. We will also be able to see when other test gardeners begin to see their tulips sprouting! Local climate affects where, when, and how plants grow. Over time, the timing of plant growth can be used as an indicator of climate change. Everyone who participates in this international tulip test garden project contributes valuable information to a long-term database.

When we weren't planting, the giraffes made observations around our gardens and drew diagrams and wrote notes to keep in their science journals

We enjoyed our time out in the garden, and we can't wait to see our tulips bloom in the spring!

Gratitude

This week, the giraffes continued on with celebrating The Global Kind Project by focusing on Gratitude. 

We also showed gratitude for the teachers in our lives for Teacher Appreciation Week! Each of the giraffes made a card for one of the classroom or related arts teachers they've had in the past at SMS and we delivered them to their classrooms for Teacher Appreciation Day on Tuesday. The giraffes also surprised Ms. Riley and Mrs. Zampini with some wonderful pictures and two beautiful mini gardens filled with beautiful painted stones and kind messages <3

Thank you SO much for our incredible gifts and for all of the other kind gestures you've done for us over the last few school days. We are so grateful for YOU!! 

Pant and Harvest in The Garden

On Wednesday, we got to enjoy the beautiful summery weather as we headed outside to do some planting and harvesting in our school garden! 

After months and months of growing, our carrots were finally ready to be harvested, and it was also time to plant our daffodil and tulip bulbs, which will be some of the first flowers to bloom in the spring. As we planted and harvested, we also took pictures of all the things we observed around the garden and looked for insects that help our garden grow, such as caterpillars, worms, bees, and butterflies!

We learned that worms help the earth "breathe" by creating tunnels in the soil, which helps air to circulate through and bring nutrients and water to the plants and trees growing in the soil. 

We also found this awesome caterpillar! Mrs. Corbin thinks it will turn into a Black Swallowtail butterfly :)  We had a great time outside exploring the plants, trees, and flowers around the garden. We can't wait to see our bulbs bloom in the spring! 

Once our iPads are updated, we will also add the many great pictures our giraffes took around the garden :) 

Earth Day 2016: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore, Replenish

This week was filled with all sorts of Earth Day festivities--from growing our seedlings and planting seeds for our school garden to exploring and capturing the great outdoors. 

Our seedlings on Monday

Over the last two weeks, we've been growing our seedlings. They've made lots of growth already!

Our seedlings on Friday!

We've been continuing to write poems in Writer's Workshop, so we took the iPads outside to take some pictures that will inspire some of our poems when we return from vacation

On Friday, we had parent volunteers from the PTO visit our classroom. They helped us pick and plant seeds that will go into our school garden and we also got the chance to vote on the name of our new garden!

We also got a little crafty by using recycled tissue paper to create heart-shaped planets to show our love for our world

Lastly, we made one more ode to Earth Day by taking a quick hike on the trails in Stratham Hill Park. We took the trails all the way back to the pond by the base of the kill, where we got to see some handiwork done by the park's resident beavers! 

Happy Earth Day!