Garden Based Education » Students http://gardenbasededucation.org Growing the Learning Potential of all Children Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:24:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Gardens are powerful educational tools http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/09/22/good-news-from-the-nation-gardening-association/ http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/09/22/good-news-from-the-nation-gardening-association/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:06:15 +0000 heide http://gardenbasededucation.org/?p=238 childPhotoinsetQuoteGardens are powerful educational tools, providing opportunities for children to experience the natural world as they develop strong academic skills and positive attitudes toward fresh fruits and vegetables, and learn important sociological skills that enhance the quality of their lives. Says one teacher from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Charter Elementary School in California, “Children demonstrated a better understanding of concepts and applied them in more sophisticated ways after having instruction in the garden.” The Sanders amendment funding the program was unanimously approved by the Senate, and it will now go through the conference committee process with the House of Representatives. I encourage you to contact your representatives in Washington to urge them to keep the funding for the program in the final Agriculture Appropriations bill. Please click here to send a letter in support of the funding. As you contact Congress about the bill, I recommend focusing on members of the conference committee, who are listed below. These are the members who will have the most sway over whether the funding is ultimately kept in the bill, and we anticipate that they will make their decision by the end of the September 2009. Thank you again for all of your help!

The National Gardening Association

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONACT:

Office of Senator Bernard Sanders

332 Senate Dirksen Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

(202) 224-5141

]]> http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/09/22/good-news-from-the-nation-gardening-association/feed/ 0 Partner Science with Language Arts http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/06/02/partner-science-with-language-arts/ http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/06/02/partner-science-with-language-arts/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:22:07 +0000 heide http://gardenbasededucation.org/?p=165 All kids are fascinated by bugs and crawling things. Why not add some “bug” poetry to your entymology lessons. Poems can be a fun way to introduce insect anatomy and feeding habits, as well as the role of insects in the garden. Here are two poems to get you started:

 

Yellow-winged Darter

Yellow-winged Darter

THE DRAGONFLY

I am the dragon,

The demon of skies.

Behold my bold

Enormous eyes.

I sweep

I swoop

I terrorize.

For lunch I munch

On flies and bees.

Mosquitoes with

My feet I seize.

I am the dragon:

Down on your knees!

By Douglas Florian, from his book Insectlopedia

 

 

THE GRASSHOPPER

immature grasshopper

immature grasshopper

Green as a leaf.

Fast as a thief

My olive eyes are

OVERSIZED.

My two antennae

Grow and spread

Like tapered threads

Upon my head.

I hatch from eggs

With springs in my legs

And grind on grasses

As

Summer

Passes.

By Douglas Florian from his book beast feast

 

]]> http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/06/02/partner-science-with-language-arts/feed/ 0 August 15-19: School Gardens Workshop http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/05/25/august-15-19-school-gardens-workshop/ http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/05/25/august-15-19-school-gardens-workshop/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 11:25:32 +0000 heide http://gardenbasededucation.org/?p=157 Building the classroom connections from the soil to the table. For teachers, administrators, parents, or volunteers who are wanting to start a school garden or evolve their present garden: We will explore regional support networks, curriculum and essential learning requirements, basics of gardening, food safety, small livestock, and the kitchen connection.

http://quillisascut.com/farm-school/school-gardens/ 
August 15-19th, 2009 
Quillisascut School Garden workshop for school teachers, administrators, parents, or volunteers who are wanting to start a school garden or evolve their present garden: We will explore how planting a garden can feed us healthy foods as well as save the Earth, how composting closes the loop in our farm to table cycle, and how we can learn from ‘Natures Operating System’ and the simple joy of putting ourselves back in the garden circle.

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    • Building Regional Networks that Support School Gardens: Speaker from Puget Sound School Garden Collective will explain how their organization has evolved and some of the highs and lows of garden projects. Examples of challenges that have come up and how they are being resolved.
    • How to get started (planting the seed and breaking ground) Gardens come in all shapes and sizes some are on asphalt, or rooftops and others look more like traditional gardens. (slide show of regional school gardens)
    • How to of basic gardening (composting, direct seeding, transplanting) These will be taught using existing school garden curriculum so participants will get a feel for the process as well as examples on how to teach these topics.
    • Integrating small livestock ( honeybees and chickens)
    • Bringing it into the kitchen: the flip side of growing produce is how to handle it properly, food-safety (food born hazards) and how to prepare it into a nutritious and tasty meal.
    • Examples of Filling Essential Learning requirements with garden curriculum: Health, nutrition, reading, writing, art, social studies, culture, science, and math. Garden journaling filled with images- essays- feathers-artwork.
    • Gardens and food as carriers of culture. Themed gardens with herbs and plants from different cuisines. Asian, Italian, Mexican.

What if everyone could learn the wonders of sowing seeds, nurturing plants, and learning how to cook produce fresh from the garden? What a wonderful world it would be! Here at Quillisascut Farm School we are continuing to build our school gardens and we will show you how to get started; composting, building raised beds, direct seeding, transplanting and more. Join us for this workshop where we will integrate what is happening around the west with the school garden movement. This is a chance to get your hands and your heart aligned with building a delicious future for our children.

Lora Lea Misterly
Quillisascut Farm
2409 Pleasant Valley Road
Rice, WA 99167 509 738-2011
www.quillisascut.com
for a just world where everyone has a seat at the table

]]> http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/05/25/august-15-19-school-gardens-workshop/feed/ 0 Find out your Learning Style http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/05/02/test-your-learning-style/ http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/05/02/test-your-learning-style/#comments Sun, 03 May 2009 06:08:24 +0000 heide http://gardenbasededucation.org/?p=123 Click the link below to read about and complete the Perceptual Modality Preference Survey (PMPS). The PMPS will help you discover how you best learn, and it will give you some ideas about improving the probabilities of learning success.

www.learningstyles.org/pmps.html

]]> http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/05/02/test-your-learning-style/feed/ 0 Activities for Kinesthetic Learners http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/30/activities-for-kinesthetic-learners/ http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/30/activities-for-kinesthetic-learners/#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 05:56:46 +0000 heide http://gardenbasededucation.org/?p=111 Air Writing, build Models, Catch Ball Drills, Field trip, Hands on Experiments,

Have child set up a “shop” to practice math with money, where the child is the cashier.

Dance, jump Rope, Rhythmic Clap and Tap for Spelling and memorization.

Role Playing, Scavenger Hunts, Museum, Science Center visits, Nature Hikes, 

Drama playing, gardening, Board games and flash cards to learn words and geography, 

Walk while listing to music, Science experiments.

]]> http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/30/activities-for-kinesthetic-learners/feed/ 0 Walk in the park http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/30/walk-in-the-park/ http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/30/walk-in-the-park/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:48:48 +0000 heide http://gardenbasededucation.org/?p=103 img_0684Good study on the positive influence of doses of nature on ADHD symptoms:
 
 
]]> http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/30/walk-in-the-park/feed/ 0 How to study http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/27/how-to-study/ http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/27/how-to-study/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:16:02 +0000 heide http://gardenbasededucation.org/?p=96 Study in short blocks of time rather than extended periods.

Take frequent breaks when studying.

Change locations each time you take a break to help stretch your legs and give you a chance to move about when studying.
Have as many experimental learning opportunities as possible, such as lab and studio courses, as opposed to straight lecture classes – if you have a choice.
Consider building models or giving demonstrations to the class as opposed to more traditional written reports or term projects.
When writing, jot down words whose spelling you’re unsure of, to see if it “looks” correct.
Utilize study groups.
Role play/simulation
Engage in field trips.
Use memory techniques requiring movement – hand gestures.
Engage in body demonstrations where a motion means a concept.
Use flash cards.
Make colored strips of paper that represent different concepts – link those papers together.

]]> http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/27/how-to-study/feed/ 0 What is Kinesthetic Learning http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/26/what-is-kinesthetic-learning/ http://gardenbasededucation.org/2009/04/26/what-is-kinesthetic-learning/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:36:03 +0000 heide http://gardenbasededucation.org/?p=85 Kinesthetic learning is a teaching and learning style in which learning takes place by the student actually carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or merely watching a demonstration. Some people are visual learners, some kinesthetic learners, and some are auditory learners. Students associated with this predominant learning style are thought to be natural discovery learners; they have realizations through doing, as opposed to having thought first before initiating action. There is no evidence of the efficacy of kinesthetic learning [1].

Kinesthetic learning is when someone learns things from doing or being part of them. They make up about 40% of the population and struggle to pick things up by reading/ listening to things. Many people mistake themselves for kinesthetic/ tactile learners because they have not used the full variety of learning options, which means they cannot find the right learning state for them. The kinesthetic learner usually does well in things such as chemistry experiments, sporting activities, and acting. They also may listen to music while learning or studying. It is common for kinesthetic learners to focus on two different things at the same time. They will remember things by going back in their minds to what their body was doing. They also have very high hand-eye co-ordination and very quick receptors. They use phrases such as “I can see myself doing that” and “It’s starting to come alive”.

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