OCTOBER IN THE GARDEN
By Teacher Contributor Natalie Dhanoolal Rubio,
3rd Grade Teacher, Newton Rayzor Elementary, An International Baccalaureate World School
October is a great time to go into the garden because the temperature is a little cooler now than it was at the beginning of the school year. It is an ideal time to plant some cool weather crops. If you haven't already, arugula, kale, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, chard, radishes, beets among many others will flourish at this time. You can plant seeds or if possible get seedlings at local garden centers.
If you have a native garden at your school, many plants are in bloom or having a fall flush. The Lantanas Lantana urticoides, Maximillian Sunflowers Helianthus maximilianii, salvias, Turks Cap Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii, and roses just to name a few are showing off their brilliance at this time of the year. The cooler weather can bring a riot of color to our school gardens at this time of year. This is also a great time to consider adding pansies, ornamental kale and cabbage, to school gardens that are focused on ornamental rather than food crops. Perennials are great to add at this time of the year because they can have an opportunity to develop a strong root system before the cold weather arrives.
Curriculum Connections
October ushers in the second six weeks of school and learning. Some concepts and topics that students will be exploring this six week period includes Matter, patterns in the sky, seasons, and the overarching Scientific Process skills that include observations, use of science tools, and exploration of topics through the lens of the Scientific Method. How can you utilize the garden to strengthen and provide a different environment for students to interact with these learning experiences? In Math, multiplication, division, and problem solving to name a few concepts are to be covered this six week period. This just screams square foot gardening to me. You can also include Informational Writing-procedural, informative and even persuasive writing within the context of the garden.
Since October is National Farm to School Month, I think this website would be appropriate as the helpful link for the month. The link I've include takes you specifically to a short Tips for Gardening with Students article but the entire website is rich with resources and ideas. http://growing-minds.org/tips-for-gardening-with-students/. Happy Gardening!
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