• Scientific Investigations use a Variety of Methods
• Scientists use different ways to study the world. 

• Visually (Spatial), seeing how things relate to each other;  
• Aurally (Auditory-Musical), hearing the beat and patterns of life;
• Verbally (Linguistic), learning to connect with words; 
• Physically (Kinesthetic), learning by moving our bodies;
• Logically (Mathematical), learning through the art of figures;
• Socially (Interpersonal), learning through our connection with others;   and by 
• Solitary (Intrapersonal) learning, being able to learn by ourselves.

Available to use:

Seeds, plant and tree parts, soil, scales, and various measurement tools, recycled materials: bottles, plastic containers, wooden blocks, tp rolls, specialty paper, etc. Let us know what you need.   

Send me an email KBeazer@84web.org 

• Keep your eyes and ears open, there are many areas in the garden.  
  
  
• Be Careful around garden tools and supplies, do not touch without permission.
   
• Hiding places in the garden are for the wildlife not students. 
  
  Do not allow students to put your body behind planters, water barrels or cabinets.
   
• Be Safe, Have Fun!

• the names of plants and the varieties we have growing, 
• the difference between edible and ornamental plants, 
• plants that invite touch and smell, 
• plants that benefit pollinators and aerial wildlife, 
• the characteristics of our plants and their needs.

• If you have some time, please help group and label classes, I have hundreds of images over the years. 

• I will upload class garden pics weekly for you to share with their parents. 

• I will only post-lesson highlights here on Padlet to cut down on the scrolling through posts. 

We learned about these large seeds and that they will become beautiful spring flowers.

We also looked at the tools we will use like garden gloves, trowels, and then heard a story about plants grown from bulbs.

We learned that geography is the study of land and features of the earth. We discussed special features of NYC like Central Park and the Empire State Building, our beautiful deciduous forests, Hudson River and the sparkling city skyline, as distinct features in our landscape.

We oriented ourselves in the garden and on our maps, and created a legend/key to explain the features of our garden.

After learning about hibernation habits of these insects, students had the opportunity to create their own insect hibernation habitats for native mason bees, leaf-cutter bees, and ladybugs. These are best put out in early fall or late spring for insects to make homes in!

Upon completion, students were given a wooden, painted ladybug sticker to attach to their habitats, cementing the fact that they created a hospitable environment for our insect friends!

Students were shown plants that were missing each of these resources and taught how to remedy these deficiencies.

By the end of class we had the opportunity to play a "seed needs" game, where most students acted as seeds under a "blanket" of soil and three students were assigned to provide, sun, water, and air to our budding students!

We also sang the sun, soil, water and air song together to end off our lesson with a catchy and educational tune!

"An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows." (Google Definitions)

• PreK-K-1-2 Padlet

• 3-5th grade Padlet

• Afterschool Padlet

• Garden Volunteer Padlet

The garden is divided into three Zones. Each area has seats, shade, and access to whiteboards, maps, magnifying glasses, rulers, a vocabulary wall, and other classroom learning tools. 

There are 17 numbered rectangle planters as our main growing spaces, 8 large round planters with popular plant staples, and a flower border edges around the perimeter of the garden bringing pollinators who help us grow organic veggies year round.

• Zone 1: The Covered Classroom, beds #1-9, and north glass wall planters, rain barrels, and watering cans.

• Zone 2: The Council Ring Area w/benches, display plantings, kiwi plants, beds #10-13, our large rounds, and blueberries.

• Zone 3: The Herb Walkway, Tipi Reading Corner, The Fruit Tree Orchard, Monarch & Pollinator Habitats.

In our North Greenhouse Room, you will find garden tools, classroom supplies, thematic books, worksheets, and artifacts to explore. 

There are also first aid kits and hand sanitizers on both sides of the garden.

We had our first Kindergartener garden tasting of the year! Everyone tried two types of pears, red anjou and green bartlett. Students used the five senses to explore how pears look, smell, taste like and sound like when eaten! Thank you to all the parent volunteers who made this exciting tasting possible!

After our tasting, we talked about where plants grow from, seeds🌱! Just like plants they need water, soil, air and sunlight ☀️☁️💧🪨! Students got to act like seeds in our "seed needs" game. We also sang the sun, soil, water and air song again. Students even led the song! They're truly blooming into super gardeners 🌷 Can't wait to see them again in the Spring 💐

To see more photos from todays class visit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/103vosDQFBBCVNQxODpYakZ_bJecjt3B3?usp=sharing

Thank you to all the parent volunteers who made this exciting tasting possible!

After our tasting, students got to expand on their knowledge of maps and geography by creating their own maps. 🧭📍🗺️ Each student had to create a map of their rout to school that included a compass rose and a legend/key.

To explore pictures from todays class visit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZljCpgpluDpve6upSGOFjxz6gp-V9aD6/view?usp=sharing

Today Ms. B welcomed our 2nd graders back by starting them on a journey exploring seeds 🫛🫘🌾 Today 2nd graders were asked what a seeds function is and what’s inside a it.

Class started with the ROAR and a review of class rules for students to re familiarize themselves with Garden Class.

2nd graders then began their exploration with a seed scavenger hunt comparing seeds from a maple tree, apricot, ironwood tree, bean, black walnut tree and a pine cone! All inedible.

After Ms. B asked the 2nd graders what seeds do we eat? 😋

Students got to try three different vegetables with edible seeds: cucumbers, tomatoes and Snap peas 🥒🍅🫛!

Ask your 2nd grader what’s inside a seed, what’s its job and what seeds can we eat/not eat?

Next week 2nd graders will be planting their own seeds to observe first hand the power it holds!

Students learned about structure by examining the 6 different structures of a plant and their functions. 1st graders observed 👀 their bean plants focusing on their root structure, measuring how much they've grown and discussing their function: to hold the plant in place and to suck up water and nutrients.

1st graders then tasted vegetables that are 6 different structures of a plant

1. roots: carrots

2. stem: celery

3. leaves: lettuce

4. flowers: broccoli

5. fruit: tomatoes

6. seeds: sunflower seeds

One student commented on the function of the roots saying "you have to be really strong to push through the soil 💪"

This is week 2 of 1st graders observing their growing bean plants 🪴🫘 this time we focused on the stem structure measuring the stem with rulers and discussing its function: to hold the plant up and to bring water from the roots to the leaves, flower and fruit!

Students then flexed their drawing skills 💪🖍️utilizing the ABC's of illustration to make their drawings of plants from the classroom accurate ✅, big 🔳 and colorful 🎨

2nd graders observed 🔍 seeds with wings, burrs, floaters, and pods and drew their favorites. ✏️ Ms. B emphasized how different seed coats have different functions allowing for seeds to travel to places away from their mother plants.

Students then tried three different seeds: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and peas. Before eating students were encourage to tear the seeds open looking for their structures: Embryo, nutrients, first leaves and seed coats! 🫛🌻🎃

Students used magnify glasses and fake fur to look for seeds with burrs that help them stick to the fur or clothing of animals, just like velcro, to travel: hitch-hikers! 🐿️🐕🐦‍⬛🐾

Once students identified witch seeds were hitch-hikers they utilized the ABC's of illustration to make their drawings accurate ✅, big 🔳 and colorful 🎨.

We reviewed parts of a plant before taking tables around the garden to plant bulbs that will go dormant during the Winter and show their colors in the Spring

🌷🌷🌷

A big shoutout to all of our parent volunteers! We look forward to welcoming more growing and learning this year in our classroom and beyond 💫🧠💫

Students discussed what is around their neighborhoods before making wonderfully accurate and creative maps of where they live, sharing and comparing our differences and celebrating where we live together 🏙️😊🏙️

We practiced observing a seed's form and how their form affects their function. Such as how pinecones and acorns are deemed "droppers", dropping from their parent tree to disperse themselves 💨🫛🌲🌳☘️

Our garden students sketched their seeds into categories ranging from "seeds that fly on the wind" to "rough and smooth seeds" ✎ᝰ✨✎ᝰ

Grabbers, Droppers, Floaters, Flyers, Tasties, and Poppers - All ways that seeds can move from one place to the other in order to ensure their survival and healthy growing life 🌱🐿️💨

We had the opportunity to get hands-on experience with how these seeds worked, working as a community to observe and question these different seed forms together 🤔💭🤩

Students then had the chance to test how "Hitchhiker Seeds" function during dispersal, sticking to clothes, fur and skin to move from place to place 🌱જ⁀➴⛰️

We ended class with observational drawings and predictions of how these seeds would move within nature and discussed an upcoming lesson - How the lack of different resources could affect seed and plan health ☀️💧💨

☀️◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜☀️

What better day or place to learn about seeds that soar than today out in the sunny, open garden rooftop?

Gardeners used their built upon knowledge of seeds and seed dispersal to first discuss how a seed's form gives us good pointers to its function, particularly Samara Seeds that are our Seeds that Soar 𓆩🌱𓆪

By using a model for a samara seed build, students created their flying seeds and then modified their designs to create seeds that flew farther, twisted more vigorously, and fell to the ground faster among other design modifications

✈️🔄𓇢𓆸