Our next school spotlight is North Kansas City High School in KCMO just north of the river. It’s been a pleasure working with Industrial Tech teacher Stephen Wagner since July 2021. Mr. Wagner started the high school’s garden club “Growing Northtown” which consists of about 30 students and 10 teachers. Students designed and built the […]
This year I’ve been wildly impressed with and grateful for the dedication of our school garden coordinators. Despite pandemic times, we had 131 schools plant a garden during the 2020-2021 school year. Those gardens were planted abundantly with 10,836 plants and 1,986 packs of seeds at schools throughout Kansas City. We also packed and distributed […]
The saying, “The days are long, and the years are short” rings true to me. It’s hard to believe we are approaching one full year of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Schoolyard Gardens team misses working one-on-one with our schools, but we are looking forward to brighter days in the garden. Throughout the growing […]
This week, the Schoolyard Gardens team is excited to invite you on a virtual tour of the Leanna Flandermeyer Beanstalk Children’s Garden! Yup, it’s time to adjust your sun hat because the Beanstalk tour guides are nothing short of a star-studded (and, sun-kissed!) cast that will guide you and your senses through their favorite […]
As this unusual school year comes to an end, encourage students and their families to continue to explore the nature around them with these fun online activities from our partner KidsGardening. Since 1982, the KidsGardening organization has inspired children to play, learn and grow through gardening and offers educators and families garden grants and education […]
Summary: Today’s lesson, Using Your Senses to Experience Nature, encourages students to take a walk in their neighborhood, explore their backyard or a nearby park, or even just sit outside and experience their surroundings, but all of it in a unique way. Touching the rough bumpy texture of a tree’s bark, smelling a peony in […]
What a crazy time to start up a schoolyard garden! Everyone has been adapting and making lifestyle changes during the coronavirus outbreak. Right before all of this, one of our schools, Grant Elementary, had just started up their schoolyard garden after a two year hiatus due to school construction and transition. In early March the […]
Summary: Today’s lesson, Researching Vegetables to Grow, is a great way to get students excited about the next upcoming gardening season. It’s also a good opportunity for those students who are learning from home to stay connected to their schoolyard garden and if you as a teacher are trying to decide what to order for […]
Summary: Today’s lesson, An Ant’s Perspective is appropriate for students of any age. Younger children will enjoy pretending to be an ant and exploring the garden, while older students will be able to think more critically about the complexity of taking on a different creature’s perspective. This activity encourages movement and is accessible for students […]
