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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Growing the Garden Space at Holliday Montessori
The students at Holliday Montessori have been gardening for many years in four raised beds in their playground. Over the years, student and teacher interest grew, but there were not enough raised beds for every class to use. After a long period of planning, the teachers and students decided to expand their vegetable garden to […]
Rain, Rain, Go Away
If you’ve looked outside in the last 10 days chances are you’ve only seen grey skies or rain. It was a wet end to March and beginning of April. It’s rained nearly every day of the last two weeks. If you’ve already planted your spring garden you are likely welcoming in the rain. If your […]
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 […]
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 […]
This Winter, Make Garden Signs with Your Students to Prepare for the Growing Season!
Have you ever had trouble identifying plants in your garden, or forgotten what you planted in a bed? Plant markers help students and adults alike with vegetable identification. Rather than using the small plastic markers that can fall out or wash off, consider making larger, more permanent signs to make your schoolyard garden more informative […]