At the Atlanta Local Food Initiative Fruit Tree, Vine, and Berry Bush Sale, we got four muscadine vines, two blueberry bushes, and a raspberry plant for our rooftop garden!
Author Archives: Jenna Shea
Garden Update: January 17th
Ms. Emerson’s first graders soaking up the morning sun on the rooftop garden!
Lesson: Introduction to Soil – Integrated Centers
This week, we began our unit on soil. To introduce students to the topic, I created four learning centers for them to rotate through. An exploration center, where students collect soil from the garden, explore the soil using a magnifying glass, and record their findings in their journals. A writing center, where students write theirContinue reading “Lesson: Introduction to Soil – Integrated Centers”
A Visit from the National Farm to School Network
We were so thrilled to Erin Croom, the Farm to School Director from Georgia Organics, and Helen Dombalis, Policy and Strategic Partnerships Director from the National Farm to School Network, out to visit our garden! They observed Ms. English’s third grade class completing their integrated soil centers. I’m hoping to stay connected to the National FarmContinue reading “A Visit from the National Farm to School Network”
Trees Atlanta: December Visit
Tasting: Pumpkin!
To celebrate the Halloween season, we read some of our favorite fiction and non-fiction books about pumpkins. Then, we made pumpkin smoothies! Pumpkin has many health benefits! Pumpkins contain about 200% of your daily Vitamin A and keep your eyesight sharp. Pumpkins contain about 20% of your daily Vitamin C which can boost your immuneContinue reading “Tasting: Pumpkin!”
Classroom Connection: Ms. Emerson’s Class Experiment
Ms. Emerson’s first grade class recently did an experiment to discover which plant would grow the fastest – beans, wildflowers, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, or squash. After a few weeks, they found that the bean plant grew the fastest.
Tasting: Lettuce
The kids loved tasting lettuce this week! Before our tasting, we read the book “Lettuce Grows on the Ground” and learned a little bit more about lettuce: Lettuce_Fact Sheet. We also made our Dill Dressing together as a class for us to taste with. Ms. Mailman’s first grade class tried three types of lettuce (iceberg,Continue reading “Tasting: Lettuce”
Healthy Halloween: Sugar Stacks!
This week, we learned how to find the information we need to make informed decisions about our sugar intake. This lesson was inspired by this ad: This ad was a great reminder that we all love sweets and treats – we should just make an effort to enjoy sweets in moderation. First, students examined theContinue reading “Healthy Halloween: Sugar Stacks!”
Literature Lesson: Produce Poems
To complete our unit on leafy greens, students created poems to “show what they know.” This lesson was a part of Georgia Organic‘s “Lettuce Try It” series. You can see the lesson plans here. We started by reviewing what we had learned – We read “Lettuce Grows on the Ground” and gathered information from lettuceContinue reading “Literature Lesson: Produce Poems”
Tending Our Common Ground 