Despite the unpredictable temperatures of the midwest, and the short school calendar, your students could be eating broccoli, cabbage, collards and kale from their schoolyard garden before the end of the school year! But how? Row cover is a friend to the schoolyard garden. It not only insulates your veggies when temperatures drop, but it also keeps […]
Planning Out Your Schoolyard Garden Raised Beds
Now that planting season is upon us, it is time to plan out your schoolyard garden! Once your students have considered how much space they have, how much growing time they have and what they want to do with the produce, they should then decide what vegetables they would like to plant. Refer to our […]
Students Advocate for Healthier Communities at KC Healthy Kids Summit
On March 2, Kansas City Community Gardens’ partner KC Healthy Kids held their first annual Kids Summit. The Kids Summit hosted over 200 students from schools throughout the metro, and was part competition and part conference for 3rd through 8th graders who participated in the KC Healthy Kids I Am Here youth photo contest. For the […]
How to Prevent Cabbage Loopers in Your Schoolyard Garden this Spring
The cabbage looper is a common pest found in schoolyard gardens. The larva is a smooth pale greenish 1-1½ inch caterpillar with thin white stripes on its back and sides. They get their name from the unique way they inch along forming a small loop with their bodies. The adults are a mostly nocturnal gray […]
Starting seeds under lights for your Schoolyard Garden
Growing your own seedlings to transplant to your schoolyard garden is a great way to get your students thinking about their vegetable garden in winter, and can help you get a jump start on spring. By planting transplants instead of seeds in your garden, your vegetables will be ready to harvest sooner. Cool season vegetable seeds can be […]
The Discovery of Photosynthesis: An Indoor Activity for Student Gardeners
While the winter weather is keeping us indoors and away from our gardens, it’s not too early to begin thinking about what makes our plants grow. The following activity and discussion, adapted from Life Lab, can help your students begin to explore how their vegetable plants grow. Objective: To introduce the concept of photosynthesis. Time: […]
Snacks from the Schoolyard Garden – The Best Part of Growing Your Own Food!
The most exciting part of growing vegetables is getting to eat all the yummy veggies. While the Schoolyard Gardens team is partial to eating veggies straight from the garden, it’s fun to try them in a few inventive ways as well. Below are a few of our favorite kid-friendly recipes. All of these recipes require little […]
Why Schoolyard Gardens Need Winter
In the dead of winter, the cold can seem endless for teachers and students alike. Those warm, sunny days, like what we’ll experience this week, are often treasured during the bleak months of January and February, but as gardeners, we should be thankful for the cold, icy and snowy days that the winter brings! But […]
Preschool Gardening Spotlight: New Young Scholars
The New Young Scholars early learning center in Kansas City became a member of our Schoolyard Gardens program in the summer of 2016. With no real gardening experience in their background, the teachers were nervous but willing to learn how to grow a summer vegetable garden. Over the month of May, determined to keep their gardens […]
Great Garden-Themed Books and Activities to Break Out This Winter
Winter is officially here and trips to your schoolyard garden probably won’t be happening until you plant again in March. Keep your students interested and talking about the garden with some easy garden-themed activities you could do in the classroom. Discuss what your students did and did not enjoy about the garden and have the […]