PROCEDURE

Articles:

• Mapping Out the Schoolyard — Designing Gardens and Habitats
• Starting With A Design
• Soil Sleuths — Exploration Activities
• Making Weather — Tracking Tools — Measuring Changes, Sleuthing Seasons, Testing Lore

Mapping Out the Schoolyard — Designing Gardens and Habitats
Excerpted from: National Gardening Association
Author: Eve Pranis

When it comes to transforming a schoolyard, the possibilities are endless. Before getting into grids and plans, tools and beds, take some time to dream and let your imaginations run wild.

Here are some strategies you might use to find inspiration for your design:

• Visit school garden websites or other garden-related web pages. (You can take "virtual" field trips online through some public gardens.)
• Take a class fieldtrip to a local botanic garden or series of neighborhood gardens. — After visiting other sites, have students draw or write about features that captured their imaginations.
• Invite local experts, including landscape architects, county Cooperative Extension agents, Master Gardeners, or garden club members to brainstorm with your group.

Consider your goals and curriculum. How you intend to use your garden will certainly affect your design. Ask yourselves what your broad goals are: to beautify the school grounds and neighborhood? to grow food for the school or community? to create a therapeutic environment? and so on. You'll also want to consider how you can use the garden project to reach your curriculum goals. Which concepts, skills, and attitudes have been identified for your grade level by local or national standards? Which objectives might dovetail with garden-based experiences? Are there lessons you already teach that might be extended into or enhanced by a garden?

Engage your students as planners and decision makers. Teachers across the country have discovered that when students are involved in all stages of the process, they are more invested in the project's success and inspired to care for and respect their schoolyard oases. By valuing students' opinions and encouraging them to make decisions, these educators have begun to cultivate motivated, confident, and collaborative learners. How and how extensively you involve your students in planning and decision making will depend on your goals and comfort with letting go, and on their abilities. It might mean that they select which plants to include, or you might give them the reins throughout the entire process.

Involve the school and community. Thriving schoolyard garden projects often involve much, if not all, of the school community, including administrators, who can make or break a garden project, and custodians, who can be your greatest allies. Some or all of the teachers and classes may want to be involved in the design process, or simply take responsibility for specific planting beds or garden areas.

Among the most successful gardening programs are those in which educators and students have also reached out to cultivate partnerships in the broader community. These kinds of connections are important for obtaining materials and funds, but can be equally rewarding in nonmaterial ways. They help schools build bridges to the community and help local people better understand educational goals. What's more, involving a broad range of people can decrease the likelihood of vandalism, provide connections to potential volunteers and donors of labor, money, and products; and encourage cross-generational mentoring and friendships. Here are some ways of reaching out:

• Survey students, teachers, staff, and/or neighbors to find out who currently uses different areas of the schoolyard, what they would like to see in the space, and what questions and concerns they have about the proposed project.
• Have a curriculum meeting devoted to schoolyard design. How might different teachers use the schoolyard and specific elements (e.g., pollinator garden) to address curriculum goals? How could your design accommodate multiple classes?
• Conduct a brainstorming session with potential supporters including students, teachers, administrators, staff, parents, school board members, farmers, landscape architects, and other interested community members.

Set priorities. Once you have crafted a vision for the schoolyard garden or habitat, it's time to get to work. It's important to start small and set short- and long-term goals so you can stage the process. Ask, What is reasonable to accomplish this year given our funds, equipment, time, and people power? In five years? Try to prioritize your goals and then write down what you hope to accomplish each year so you'll have targets to shoot for.

Assess your site. Before putting your vision to paper and then into action, you'll want to find the best location and assess it in relation to your plan and the basic needs of plants. Use these questions to guide your thinking and then plan accordingly.

• Can the site be reached easily from classrooms?
• Is there access to a reliable water source?
• Is the site well drained?
• Does the site receive at least 6 hours of sunlight per day?
• How healthy is the soil? Do we have at least 6 inches of loose, rich soil? If not, what needs to be done to prepare or enhance it?
• Is the soil free of heavy metals such as lead?
• Is the site big enough for our draft design? Is there room for future growth?
• How long are we likely to be able to use the site?

Design/map the site. Your school garden might be small enough to require a simple planting map or it may entail many different types of features. If you are mapping a large site, you might want to consider a two-step process in which students first map out the "big" picture by identifying buildings, fences, trees, shrubs, play areas, and major pathways, and then create detailed plant maps of smaller areas, such as a rainbow garden.

In either case, students can measure the actual size of the proposed site and features and then use grid or graph paper and an appropriate scale to sketch the garden layout. (Make sure they add the four main compass directions.) You can give younger students the scale, 1 block = 1 foot or 10 feet, for instance. Challenge older students to figure out an appropriate scale.

Consider having each student or small group submit a "dream garden" design. Students might draw their visions or cut out images of garden plants from seed catalogs and paste them on paper. The class can then choose the best—and most practical—elements of each to incorporate into a final design. The concept of representing a three-dimensional garden space in one dimension can be difficult for students to grasp, especially young ones. Think about an intermediate step, like having students create a 3-D model using cardboard, natural materials, and/or a pliable medium, such as polymer clay.

Students can figure out planting schemes for different sections of the garden by consulting seed catalogs and packets, neighborhood gardeners, gardening books, and Internet sites. Such resources provide details on plant colors, heights, spacing needs, and so on. Imagine the possibilities for practicing teamwork and honing math and art skills as students puzzle out design details. How much space does a bean tepee take up? How many square feet of wood chips will we need if we want them 4 inches deep on our paths? How can we split a circular bed into six even sections?

these might fit into your design and budget, then plan accordingly. For instance, will you have garden beds? Will they be for individual students or classes, or both? What shape(s) will they be? Will they be simple mounds or permanent raised beds made from wood or recycled plastic wood? Many school gardens also feature components such as the following: wide pathways (for wheelchair access), gathering places, living "rooms" or hideaways (such as sunflower houses), compost area, signs, ponds, and weather stations.

If you have a large project, consider finding a local landscaper or similar professional who is willing to donate time. He or she can make sure you've considered all available options and potential problem areas, and help you move the design forward. Try to find someone who will engage students in the planning and design process.

Starting With A Design
Excerpted from National Gardening Association
Author Cheryl Dorschner

When it comes to making a kids-only garden, half the fun is in the designing. Here's where your schoolyard reflects your classes' own style, your garden's conditions, and your region's climate. There are plenty of resources to advise you on the last two, but you're the expert when it comes to creating a garden that matches your classes' personalities.

The best words of advice for a first garden are to start small (and add on or up). Even beloved children's book character, Mary Lennox, stuck flowers in little beds before she boldly asked her uncle, "Might I have a bit of earth?" Then she revived "The Secret Garden."

One easy design is to divide one-foot-squares with paths, adding as many as you'd like in whatever pattern suits your spot. The paths can be made of stones, bark mulch, newspaper covered with straw, or even boards. Kids plant something different in each square. The design is tidy and manageable. Circular gardens are fun, too. Slice them, pie-fashion, with the paths.

Once you have your basic shape, sketch it out on graph paper with one square equaling one foot. First add paths, and next draw any structures you're dreaming of. Perhaps a theme will dictate your design. Choose the plants last. But before you do, here are some practical landscape considerations to think about as you fill that bit of earth:

• As you choose your location, think inside out. Place the garden area where you can see it from your classroom window or other rooms you spend a lot of time in.
• Look up and down. Before you dig, be aware of any power lines, pipes, septic systems, or other existing limitations.
• Create your space. A fence or wall adds privacy and sets boundaries for students and gear.
• Choose your materials wisely. They should resist rust, rot, and roughhousing. Surfaces should be comfortable and safe for bare feet but not too slippery when wet.
• Give yourself room. Make paths that are at least 2 feet wide.
• Create a garden place for class gatherings. No space? At least make room for students' outdoor lunches.
• Make the garden adaptable as the kids grow.

Question: How can we design our school garden for success?
Answer: There is no set formula, but here are some rules of thumb from other growing schools and classrooms.

• Start SMALL! Plan for a big garden in choosing your space but start very small. It is critical to be beautiful and successful early on. Don't exhaust the enthusiasm of your students and volunteers by preparing soil and removing weeds on a large area. Let them get excited about the joy of a bountiful, FUN, small garden. Then expand as your confidence and experience increases.
  
  
• Include plenty of wide pathways. If you design your garden with 3-foot-wide beds, separated by 3- or 4-foot-wide paths, it will be possible to work the entire garden while always staying on a path. This will prevent soil compaction in the beds, reduce the amount of soil amendments and water you will need (no need to amend the pathway), and allow plenty of room for wheelbarrows, and small group discussions in the garden. In order for children to reach to the center, beds should be no wider than 3 feet.
  
  
• Review information on raised beds, "French Intensive" gardening, or "square-foot" gardening. Many schools have found these strategies successful tools in classroom management in the garden.
  
  
• If you choose to use rows, orient them north to south and locate the tallest plants in the center rows.
  
  
• Include interactive areas for sunflower houses, sweet pea tepees, and corn or pumpkin patches.
  
  
• Create a perennial bed for plants that live several years like artichokes, asparagus, and many herbs.
  
  
• Construct a compost area to recycle garden scraps.
  
  
• Reserve space for wood chips and mulch to be delivered.
  
  
• A shady area nearby will provide a great place for discussions, writing, art work, observation and reflection.
  
  
• Picnic tables, benches, logs, and straw bales all make great places to sit and relax.
  
  
• Build a bench or work area for potting, cleaning, and preparing the harvest, and making crafts.
  
  
• Make a tool shed.
  
  
• Install an irrigation system.
  
  
• Incorporate existing fencing or barriers when possible.

Soil Sleuths — Exploration Activities
Excerpted from: National Gardening Association
Author: Eve Pranis

The following time-honored activities can provide springboards for engaging students in exploring soils and how they "act."

If It Feels Good
Invite students to examine the texture of moist soils as scientists do. Set up stations with soil samples with very different textures: a sandy soil, a clay soil, and one with a lot of organic matter, for instance. Have students visit each station in small groups. Allow them to use a mister or squeeze bottle to moisten each sample until it is putty-like, then challenge them to try to form a ball with the soil. Next, ask them to press the samples between their index fingers and thumbs and try to form ribbons. Ask: How did the soils differ? Which soil would you want to grow a plant in and why? After discussing and sharing information on different types of soil particles, ask: Which seems to contain more clay? more sand? (The firmer and stickier the ball or longer the ribbon you can form, the more clay a soil contains. If a soil feels rough or gritty, and easily breaks apart or won't hold together in a ball, it contains sand. A loam will hold together at first when squeezed in your fist, but crumble apart when lightly touched.)

Cultivating Compost
No exploration of soils would be complete without examining how once-living materials decay and become part of the soil, releasing nutrients that other organisms need to survive. Consider creating small compost bags that students can observe in the classroom over time: Punch air holes into resealable plastic bags, then add moist soil and organic materials such as vegetable scraps (or other materials students want to test) before resealing each bag. Be sure to leave the soil out of one bag for comparison! (The National Gardening Association activity Fungus Amongus suggests a variation on this setup.)

Projects that inspire kids to explore decomposition can range in size from small indoor "decomposiums" to a classroom worm bin or school-wide compost pile. Outdoor gardens present abundant opportunities to experiment with different ways of increasing organic matter and testing its effects on plant growth.

Once students have explored decomposition up close, they may want to compare qualities of soils from an area with lots of available organic matter, such as the woods, with soils in an area with little organic matter, such as a building site. They might also set up indoor or outdoor experiments to test the effects of worm- or human-made compost on soils and, ultimately, on plants.

Shake It Up
Invite students to further explore different soil components by creating "mudshakes" and watching components settle out. For each soil sample, have students fill a clear container about two-thirds full of water, then add enough soil to nearly fill the jar. Also add a pinch of alum (found at pharmacies) to help the soil components separate more markedly. Shake the jar vigorously, then observe the next couple of days as the particles begin to settle into layers. The larger particles (gravel and sand) will settle at the bottom, with progressively smaller particles above. The clay may stay suspended and cloud the water for a long time. Organic matter will float on or just below the water surface.

Have students describe the different layers. Ask: Are they consistent with your touch tests? Mark each jar or make a soil chart representing the width of each layer. Students can use their math skills to measure, then calculate the percentage of each particle size by measuring the height of each layer and dividing it into the height of the whole sample. Ideal garden soil contains 40 percent sand, 40 percent silt, and 20 percent clay. Ask students which sample is closest to that ideal. Ask: Where did it come from? Which sample has the most organic matter? Does there seem to be a connection between the proportions of different-sized particles and where soils originated? How can you test your inferences?

Consider having students compare "mystery" soil samples. After revealing where samples came from, ask students to match the samples in the jars with locations on the list and then defend their choices (e.g., "this soil must be from the woods because it has a bigger layer of organic matter").

Making Weather — Tracking Tools — Measuring Changes, Sleuthing Seasons, Testing Lore
Excerpted from: National Gardening Association

Weather: sometimes we don't like it, but we certainly can't live without it. The general climate and more immediate weather affect how we live and what we eat. But that's not the half of it. These factors also influence the livelihoods of all the players, plant and animal, in the web of life.

Since weather is ever-present in schoolyards and gardens, why not learn to observe and make sense of it? School gardeners have good reason to be in tune with the weather. They need to know when conditions are right for seeds and transplants, when to protect tender transplants from frost, and when to provide "rain" when Mother Nature doesn't. What's more, by observing, measuring, and describing weather, they can think and act like scientists, looking for patterns, making sense of data, and predicting what the future will bring, meteorologically speaking!

Your weather sleuths might test some conventional (and more far-out) weather wisdom: that dandelion blossoms close before a rain, for instance. Or they might explore seasonal changes that are influenced by climate and weather. When do different birds migrate? Do tulips open at the same time in Arizona as in Kansas?

If you want to cultivate keen observers who use data to forecast weather changes and apply what they learn to better understand gardening and natural cycles, consider having them create some of the measurement tools described below. Also review the Curriculum Connections for more suggestions on how to integrate weather and seasonal investigations into your classroom and curriculum.

Materials

• Rain gauge: container (coffee can, clear glass jar, or clear plastic bottle); homemade or standard ruler or straw.
• Barometer: coffee can or large glass jar, balloon material or plastic wrap, rubber band; 1 or 2 clear straws, glue or tape, piece of paper or index card.
• Hair hygrometer: 9" x 12" piece of heavy cardboard, one piece of human hair about 9 inches long, 2 thumbtacks, 1 piece of poster board or thin plastic, scissors, ruler.

Making Weather — Tracking Tools
Consider creating a schoolyard weather station that houses a variety of weather measurement tools. You can protect them with a wooden or plastic weatherproof box. Here are a few suggestions for simple devices your students can make. Visit the Resources section for links to more tool-making instructions and commercial products.

Gauge the Rain
Since water is vital to plant growth (the rule of thumb is an inch a week for garden plants), your young growers should be able to keep tabs on rainfall. Here's how:

1. Challenge your students to come up with suggestions for building a rain gauge to track the amount of precipitation in a given time period. First, they'll need a container for collecting rainwater, such as a coffee can, clear glass jar, or flat-bottomed clear plastic bottle. (On the latter, they should cut the top off and invert in to form a funnel.)
   
   
2. Container in hand, your young scientists will need way to measure collected rain. One method is to mark a clear plastic straw with inches or centimeters (and fractions), and insert it to the bottom of the container once a week. By putting a finger on top of the straw and withdrawing it, students will be able to read the rainfall depth. Students might also make a poster board ruler, cover it with clear cellophane, and tape it upright inside your glass jar, or simply attach a plastic ruler. Attach your rain gauge to a post or outside or your weather station. (It is, after all, the one tool you don't want to keep under cover!)

Explore!
Although a set amount of rain may fall in your garden or schoolyard in a given period, not all plant roots will have the same access to it. For instance, water drains more quickly through sandier soils than through loamy or clay soils. Also, in a heavy downpour, much of the water that falls can run off the soil surface before soaking in. Rain that falls on planting beds that receive full sun may evaporate more quickly than water that falls on a shady spot. Encourage your investigators to observe the relationships among plants, water, and other environmental factors, and conduct tests or research to answer questions that arise.

Create a Barometer (feel the pressure)
If your classroom scientists want to predict when their gardens and habitats might see some rain, they should tune in to air pressure. In general, high pressure means that clearing or fair weather is in store. Decreasing air pressure often indicates that clouds and precipitation are looming. Here's how to make a simple barometer:

1. Stretch a layer of balloon material or plastic wrap over the top of your jar or coffee can to form a membrane. Secure it with a rubber band, ensuring that there is a good seal so the can is airtight.
   
   
2. Place a straw horizontally across the top of the container with about two-thirds of it on the container. Glue or tape the straw to the stretched membrane. (To observe more exaggerated movement of the straw as air pressure changes, tape another straw to the end of the first one.)
   
   
3. Next, challenge students to figure out how to record the straw's movement. They might tape an index card to the can and record the location of the straw daily, place the barometer near a sheet of paper on a wall and record the straw's movement on the paper, or create a setup like the one pictured above, which was designed by elementary students in California.

Explore!
What's happening? High pressure makes the balloon or plastic wrap cave in so the end of the straw will go up. Low pressure causes the membrane to puff out so the end of the straw will lower. Challenge students to track changes in air pressure over time and look for related patterns of changes in weather or in living things (including themselves!) How accurately can they predict storms using their barometer?

Build a Hair Hygrometer
Did you ever notice that humidity and "bad hair days" sometimes go hand-in-hand? When humidity increases, the length of hair strands also increases. (Typically, straight hair goes limp and curly hair frizzes!) Scientists in 1783 used that concept to create a cool tool — a "hair hygrometer" — for measuring changes in humidity. Here's how your students can make one:

1. From the piece of oak tag or thin plastic, cut a triangular pointer about 6 inches long (see illustration). Cut two slits at the bottom of the pointer about 1 inch from the left edge. Tape or hot glue a dime onto the triangle about 2 inches from the pointer's left edge.
   
   
2. Cut two slits on the cardboard's top edge about 1/4 inch apart and 1 inch from the left side.
   
   
3. Attach the pointer to the cardboard with a pushpin. Place it about 1/2 inch from the left edge and about 3/4 of the way down the side.
   
   
4. Attach the hair strand by sliding it through the 2 slits at the top of the cardboard and those at the bottom of the triangle. Use tape or hot glue in both sets of slits to keep the hair in place.
   
   
5. Push the pin through the pointer hole so the hair is slightly stretched when the pointer is horizontal. Wiggle the pointer up and down to make sure it can move freely. (The hair should hang vertically and the pointer should be horizontal.)
   
   
6. The pointer on your hygrometer is now set to show changes in humidity. When there is a lot of moisture in the air (high humidity), the hair gets just a little bit longer. That makes the pointer droop lower. When the air gets drier (low humidity), the hair gets a little bit shorter and the pointer goes higher.

Explore!
Consider having students check relative humidity on the computer or radio for several days. Each time, they can draw a line at the tip of the arrow on their hair tool and write down the actual humidity.

Here are some questions your weather sleuths might investigate: Does the air feel different when the humidity changes? Do we notice any related changes in plants? Is there a relationship between shifts in humidity and the general weather? How do nighttime air temperatures, humidity, and the occurrence of dew or frost relate to one another? How do classmates' hairstyles vary with changes in the humidity?

More Weather — Related Tools
Compass — If students want to track wind direction or plant certain things on the south side of the garden, they may want to create their own compass.

Anemometer (wind speed indicator) — These wind speed tools are great fun to make and use. Your young wind watchers may also enjoy using the Beaufort wind scale to determine approximate wind speeds, or create their own schoolyard measure.

Sun Clock — It's not exactly a weather tool, but it can help students learn about compass directions, sun movements, and shadows as they prepare to design and plant a garden. (By learning compass directions, for instance, students will be able to plant tall crops on the north side of the garden so they won't shade shorter ones.)

Maximum/Minimum Thermometer — Your kids can use this tool to keep track of nighttime lows and daily highs. It's particularly useful for those who garden in greenhouses and other structures where temperatures can reach extremes. (Another device that every gardener should have is a soil thermometer.)

What does humidity have to dew with it?
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. Warmer air can hold more water vapor than cold air. The more vapor, the higher the humidity. (The amount of water vapor in the air compared with the maximum amount of water vapor that the air could hold at a one temperature is called the relative humidity.)

Why should your school gardeners care? When humidity is low, plants tend to dry out faster. More important, low humidity and frost can go hand in hand. When night skies are clear (with no clouds to act as a blanket), the earth loses heat. When the air cools to the point where it can no longer hold water vapor, the vapor condenses and forms dew. If the air temperature is below this "dew point" and below freezing, frost occurs. (Invite students to find the dew point from the weather forecast, and then predict when frost is likely to bite their precious plants.)