The Barstow School has worked with Kansas City Community Gardens for over 8 years. They started with a bang by building 24 raised beds right off the bat! Mrs. Sarah Holmes’s science students have helped plant and maintain the vegetable garden over the years. Earlier this year, I sat down with Mrs. Holmes and Barstow’s […]
Summer School Students are Working Hard to Maintain their Schoolyard Gardens During These Hot Months
Summer school programs throughout Kansas City began last week, and many of these students have been tasked with maintaining their vegetable gardens during these hot months. Many of the 200 plus schoolyard gardens that we work with planted vegetables like peppers, tomatoes and sweet potatoes in May, which are perfect for schools that aren’t in […]
Students at Hillcrest Learn the Importance of Watering their Summer Schoolyard Garden
Students at Hillcrest Christian in Overland Park, KS harvested sweet peas out of the garden. This was their first time tasting anything out of their garden since becoming Schoolyard Garden members last February. There was a lot of excitement from everyone, and one student remarked that he wanted to “eat all of the sweet peas” […]
With the End of the School Year, Students Celebrate #IGrewThis
It’s been a busy spring for Schoolyard Gardens! In March, over 160 schools planted spring crops. While the first day of planting the garden is exciting and full of hope, the real joys—and sometimes frustrations—happens during the following eight weeks. Students, teachers and even our Schoolyards Gardens staff watch as our tending and hard work […]
Students Revive the Schoolyard Garden at Dobbs Elementary
The raised bed vegetable garden at Dobbs Elementary in the Hickman Mills school district was one of the first schoolyard gardens put in by Kansas City Community Gardens 8 years ago. For the past few years, no teacher was willing to take on the garden, so it was left un-planted for several seasons. But this […]
Spring Harvest at Parker Elementary in Kansas City, Kansas
With schoolyard gardens in full swing, many spring vegetables have grown and are ready to harvest. Parker Elementary students, along with the school’s Nurse Anderson, harvested a spring salad mix. They overwintered spinach using a row cover frame, and were able to harvest spinach throughout the winter and spring that they planted last fall! The […]
Learning About Insects in the Garden: Harmful vs. Helpful
Students at Educare Early Learning Center in Kansas City, KS were excited to finally get outside in their gardens after almost six straight days of rain! I met the students for a quick lesson on helpful insects and pests. We started by looking at pictures of praying mantis, bees, wasps and ground beetles, reviewing each […]
Comanche Elementary 2nd Graders: Taking Charge of the Schoolyard Garden
Comanche Elementary in the Shawnee Mission School District has been a Schoolyard Gardens member for over 7 years. This year, the second grade team has taken over the gardening duties. The students were first introduced to the garden last fall when they cleaned out the garden which had grown full of pesky summer weeds. The […]
Planting Summer Crops in Your Schoolyard Garden
Summer is the lushest time of the year for the garden, but it also happens to be when most schools are on break. Even if your school is not in session during the summer months, that doesn’t mean your students have to miss out on garden favorites like tomatoes and peppers! Sweet potatoes are low-maintenance […]
KC Healthy Kids to Offer Free Training for Teachers
\Each year, schools and students around Kansas City participate in KC Healthy Kids’ annual ‘I Am Here’ Youth Advocacy photo contest. The contest encourages students to examine the health, or lack of health, in their own communities and to document their findings in photos. This contest is a great lesson where students learn the importance […]