The following entry was submitted by Elizabeth Mckinney from the Rainbow School in KCMO, which has been a member of the Schoolyard Program since 2009. Ms Elizabeth is a parent and garden manager of the gardens spends a lot of her time weeding, watering and creating teachable moments in the garden for the students. It’s […]
Back To Schoolyard Gardens
Last week students, throughout the metro returned to schools. Many of our schoolyard gardens are welcoming new and returning students to their growing spaces. Some schoolyard gardens have grown produce throughout the summer, and as students return to school they are being met with fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Other schoolyard gardens took a rest […]
Schoolyard Gardens Welcomes Josh!
Hello to all the friends of Schoolyard Gardens! My name is Josh Ellermann, and I will be serving as the Schoolyard Gardens Assistant for Kansas City Community Gardens from August 2017- July 2018. Having spent just three days on staff, I have been thoroughly inspired by the impact KCCG makes in Kansas City and am […]
One Year Anniversary of the Schoolyard Gardens Blog
The Schoolyard Gardens program is excited to celebrate our blog’s one-year anniversary! The SYG Blog was created with the hopes that it would be a place where our teachers, parents and students could read about garden tips, find lessons and activities that incorporate the gardens, and information about upcoming Schoolyard Gardens events. What we’ve enjoyed […]
Schoolyard Gardens Assistant: A Role of Many Rewards
As most of you know, I will be leaving my post as the Schoolyard Gardens Assistant for Kansas City Community Gardens. I began my time with KCCG as an AmeriCorps volunteer in 2015 and I started by working with just a handful of school gardens. As I stayed on at KCCG as a fulltime staff […]
Hot Work and Lots of Weeding Pay Off!
This summer the YMCA has hosted a summer camp at Indian Creek Elementary in the Center School District. Indian Creek joined our Schoolyard Gardens program last spring, and the YMCA was excited to care for the students’ garden over the summer. The garden club has met each Friday morning to plant, mulch, weed and water […]
Olathe Middle School Builds Four Raised Beds to Grow Vegetables Next School Year
Despite this week’s heat, the Schoolyard Gardens team helped teachers and students build 4 raised garden beds at Olathe’s Santa Fe Trail Middle School. The July 11 construction took about an hour thanks to the help of the school’s football team, which took a break from their practice to come help shovel soil. Karla Laffoon, […]
A Farewell from Brandon, SYG’s AmeriCorps Volunteer
For those of you whom I have not had the opportunity to meet, my name is Brandon and I have been the AmeriCorps volunteer serving with the Schoolyard Gardens team. My one year term of service is coming to a close at the end of July, so I’d like to recap my term with some […]
Summer Pests: The Tomato Hornworm
The warm summer temperatures introduce a new kind of pest to the garden. The Tomato Hornworm starts to show itself mid- to late-summer and for 3 to 4 weeks they feed on your tomato, eggplant and pepper plants. The fruit eventually drops off the plant and burrows itself into the soil to pupate and become […]
Leanna Flandermeyer Beanstalk Children’s Garden Now Open!
Last week Kansas City Community Gardens’ Beanstalk Children’s Garden opened for the season. In the first two weeks alone over 800 children have toured through the garden. Throughout the summer and early fall, over 4,000 children, teachers and parents will visit the garden, allowing children to become inspired to make healthy food choices as they […]