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Garden Update: April 26

4/26/2020

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So much to be done in the garden! I sure miss my garden helpers and am really noticing HOW. MUCH. WORK you all do! Seriously. You all dig, and plant, and wheelbarrow, and weed, and giggle, and dig, and water and giggle some more! Garden isn't quite the same without you but I'm plugging away with the help of Mr. Victor, and things are looking pretty good.
This little guy was hanging out in the greenhouse! I was so happy to discover this friend- frogs are voracious eaters and I have no doubt this amphibian was helping keep the greenhouse pest free. So much gratitude to the garden helpers!
Ahhh roses are blooming.
So many strawberries!
The sage is blooming right next to a happy artichoke- one of the most exciting edible flowers!
The garlic is sending up a little flower head- do you see it in this picture? I'll be cutting them this week so that the plant sends its energy back down to making a big bulb that we can eat. If I didn't cut it the plant would send it's energy to the flower and our bulb would be puny. ;)
Potatoes are up! Yes!

And a little moment of zen:
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Week 6: Garden Mandala

4/26/2020

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Before you start the garden mandala, I'd like for you to check on your kitchen scrap planting and note observations in your journal for week 3! How's it looking? See any green yet? Roots growing longer? What's the color of the water? This should only take you a moment to complete before you begin this week's activity:

Garden Mandalas!

This is one of my favorite activities to do with kiddos because every single one comes out so beautiful! To to this you need very few materials but take your time and really design your masterpiece!

Please note, we will be pressing these in your journals so be sure to collect only thin items that won't be bumpy and bulky. Flat items work best.

Also, because we use glue and will be pressing these you will need to be sure not to use too much glue. Only the minimum amount to keep the glue from seeping over the edges of the materials and gluing the pages shut. We used some wax paper to start out with first (as you'll see in pictures) and then took it out later to finish off the pressing.

Have fun and enjoy the beauty all around you!

Hugs and slugs,

Ms. Anne

Materials Needed
  • Your journal
  • A pencil
  • Glue
  • A basket for collecting
  • Petals and leaves etc from nature!
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1) Open your journal to a blank page. You will be dividing your mandala page into four sections. You can choose to do your mandala on one page or over two pages next to each other. Either way, title your page "Spring Mandala" and then draw a large cross on your page dividing it into four equal sections.

2) Time to collect your materials! You will be designing a mandala that is symmetrical so you will need multiple of each type of material. Remember that flat objects are best!

3) Now you design your mandala. All four sections should be identical so lay out your materials as you like. If you find that you need more- go grab more! This is the creative process using the colors and shapes of nature...enjoy!

4) Once you've finished your design, take small amounts of glue and stick your materials to your page. We used toothpicks to ensure we wouldn't use too much and that was a good strategy!

5) Time to press them! If you have wax paper at home then cut a piece of it and put it over your mandala so that if there is any glue it will remove easier from the wax paper. After a couple of hours you can check on it, remove the wax paper, and then press for the week!
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Week 5: Treasure Hunt

4/19/2020

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It's hard to believe we are on our 5th week of learning from home! This week will have two sections in our activity. First, you will check on your kitchen scrap starts to see how they're growing. Then you will collect treasures according to ten categories listed below. After you have collected the treasures then you will build either an art sculpture, or the beginnings of a fairy home...up to you! Have fun hunting and creating!

Materials Needed:
  • Your nature journal
  • A pencil and colored pencils
  • Your kitchen scrap plantings
  • A basket
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1) Open your journal to your kitchen scrap planting diagram. Find the second line that you have created for week 2 observations. Look at your plantings and then describe in both words and pictures how it has changed over the course of the week. Be sure to note the date, week and number of days that has passed!
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2) Next, you will turn to the following page in your journal and set up a diagram like the picture that follows. You will have two columns: one for a category type, and the other for the object you find that fits into your category. There are 10 categories: hard, soft, purple, multi-color, old, new, big, tiny, orange and shiny. You are welcome to add additional category types, like round, square, symmetrical, oblong, whatever it may be!
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3) The next part is the hunt! Find something that falls into each category that is a treasure to you...something that you like and that speaks to you. Put it in your basket and as you collect your treasure, be sure to add what you have found to your list in your journal. You may find more than one and add categories as you go! The point is to collect all types of treasures.

4) Finally, and most importantly, create some art. Build an artistic sculpture out of your treasures or start a fairy house. Take your time, be creative and have fun! Please be sure to take a picture of your final product and send it to me! Happy hunting!
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Garden Update: April 19

4/19/2020

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It is time to put in the summer garden! I've spent the past several weeks pulling weeds, harvesting compost, pulling out the winter garden and prepping the beds for the next season! Now it's here! April 15th marks the last frost date according to our climate zone and so it is "game on". This week I pulled out a lot of very large kale plants and got to work planting tomatoes! I will keep planting the coming weeks and will let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, be sure to check out our plant "sale" page on this website. I have lots of beautiful tomato starts, among other things, and they're all free to you. Pick-up date is this Friday, April 24th. Send me an email to let me know what you want and I'd love to catch a glimpse of you as we hand off your plants!

Hugs and slugs,

Ms. Anne
A cheery day in the garden!
I found this little carrot when I was pulling out the broccoli- such a warm embrace- made me miss my AVS gardeners! Sending carrot hugs to all...
SO. MUCH. KALE.
It's heating up in the greenhouse!
Beautiful native penstemon flowering in the native garden!
Flowering arch..
The wisteria is looking so beautiful!
Spring onion...
Perfect little fairy mushrooms!
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Week 4: Growing Kitchen Scraps

4/14/2020

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Hello and welcome to week four of home garden class!

The past three weeks we've focused on observing nature and using our journals to record our observations. This week we will be starting a project where we use common kitchen scraps to grow our own food at home! This will be an exciting experiment for all of us. I have long heard that you can do this but have never tried! I'm thrilled to see how we can reuse our scraps to continue to feed our families.

I will be asking that you start the project today, but that you then check in once a week for the next 6 weeks to note the changes in your plant over time as well as continue to add water! Follow the step-by-step instructions below and please reach out if you have any questions!

To do this project you will need to check in with an adult in your home to try and figure out what kitchen scrap you can use. Any of the following are commonly found kitchen scraps that should work but feel free to experiment and try different types!

Lettuce
Leek
Green Onion
Celery
Carrots
Beets

Here we go!

Materials Needed:
  • Your nature journal, pencil and ruler
  • One of the above mentioned vegetables
  • Knife and Cutting board
  • Clear container
  • Water
  • Toothpicks
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1) Cut your scrap. Take good care of your fingers and please ask an adult for supervision if you aren't comfortable handling a knife. You will need to cut the bottom part of your vegetable off leaving about a half inch to a full inch above the root.

2) Insert 4 toothpicks around the vegetable scrap, but ABOVE the root section so that the root will submerge and suspend in the water.

3) Fill up your container with water- nearly to the top! Then suspend your kitchen scrap in the water making sure that the root section of your scrap is submerged.

4) Now you are going to set up your journal page for today's, and future, observations. First you will open to two blank pages. We will be doing six weeks of observations. Please draw in a table with labels and in the first week's section you will draw a picture of your kitchen scrap and write an explanation of what you did. See example below:
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5) Put your scrap on a windowsill where you can check on it regularly. You will want to be sure that you add water as it evaporates so that the roots stay submerged.
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This is an example of a leek I did about 10 days ago to see how this experiment would go. It has changed quite a bit in that time with a lot longer roots and the top is starting to show some growth as well. I'm excited to see how it continues to change!
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Garden Update: April 13

4/14/2020

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The spring garden is really unfurling! I spent quite a bit of time last week weeding and transferring compost from our bins to the beds.

I also had to pull the fava plants (sorry Pierce!) as they were absolutely covered in aphids which were spreading to other plants. I chopped up and then left the nitrogen fixing roots in the beds and moved all of the rest of the plant matter to the compost bins and covered it with a bunch of decomposing matter to try to keep the aphids from fleeing to nearby plants. I also covered the bed with a solid five inches of compost to try to suppress the aphid population. Will see how it goes! One thing is for sure, our future compost will benefit from the fava plant which is full of nitrogen! Such a partner plant for us organic gardeners...

As always, there is no such thing as gardening in our AVS garden without plenty of interaction with critters and wildlife! It's one of the reasons our garden is so ALIVE and beautiful. :)

Miss you all soooo much!

Ms. Anne
Wisteria is in bloom and so welcoming above our garden entrance!
Our friend Mr. Toad wants to say hello! Is it time for us to name him? :) Always a pleasure to see him as he is a slug gourmet! Have at it, my friend!
The carrots that I planted a couple weeks ago have sprouted! They sure have liked this weather.
So much beautiful compost harvested this week! I pulled 5 heaping wheelbarrows full of loamy compost to add to our beds this week. In the process I witnessed SO MANY decomposing critters! It was both fascinating and a bit creepy crawly....
Hello little artichoke! I see you there...
Our rue is looking so happy and healthy in the herb garden. Mr. Victor told me that it is a very common herb used in Mexico both for the sweet smell to be rubbed on the body, as well as a welcoming plant for outside houses. So glad it is happy in our garden!
This chard plant had an epic battle with some aphids, but was victorious only due to an assist from this Milkweed Bug (remember them? They always cover our milkweed plants in the Fall!) who came in with pals to munch on the aphids...a beneficial insect to the rescue!
Tomatoes awaiting their homes for the summer! I'll be announcing the sale this week!
Tomato!

Your moment of zen:
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Week 3: Sound Map

4/5/2020

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Hello students and parents,

It's hard to believe that we are on week 3 of learning from home. I sure miss all of you and hope you are doing well, finding the time to take care of your spirit and body, and enjoying the beauty of this season.

This week we are going to be drawing a sound map in our nature journals. It is a simple activity, but the goal is to spend time really listening to your surroundings and hearing its language. Can you hear birds? Airplanes? People chatting? What about the wind? Bugs crawling? Lizards scurrying? Take your time and enjoy your moment with nature. The more time you put into it, the more rich of an experience it will be. And if you're anything like I am, time spent paying attention to nature is very therapeutic!

I hope you enjoy this activity and please send me an email or message with a picture of your journal entry to show me your map!

Hugs and slugs,

Ms. Anne

Materials Needed:
  • Your Nature Journal
  • Colored Pencils
  • Pencils
  • A special "sit spot"!
Picture

1) Grab your materials and head outside. Find a cozy "sit spot", like the spots that we have found in garden class, and settle in. Remember, a "sit spot" is a place that really speaks to you; is special to you in some way and where you enjoy being. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a place to make your own!
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2) Spent a few minutes listening to your surroundings. Listen hard and pay attention! You may hear things you wouldn't expect!
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3) Draw your map. Be sure to mark yourself as the center of your map, and then draw in the sounds and surrounding around you. Use details and colors and make it beautiful!

4) You're done! Please take a picture of your drawing and share it with me!
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Garden Update: April 5

4/5/2020

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The spring garden continues to bloom and grow and I keep popping in to keep everything in order! Please know I will be making veggie and herb starts available at the end of the month and will let you know how to "put in your order"!

In the meantime, I'll keep you updated on how things are growing! Hover on the picture for the caption :).

Miss you little gardeners so much!!!

Ms. Anne
The garden beckons!
Milkweed is popping up! Thinking about the monarchs and hoping to see some this year!
Hello strawberries! YUM
Missing my composters!
Your messages all around the garden are good reminders and keep the garden full of love!
Mr. Frog is missing his buddies. But his hair remains fierce ;).
The Native Garden is showing off it's first blooms! Very exciting.
This ceonothus is such a show-off...
Monkey Flowers! Do you think its flower looks like a little monkey face?
Lots of starts are happy in the cozy greenhouse!
Pepper, tomatoes, broccoli raab, herbs and so much more!
These rays of sunshine make me so happy!
Your moment of zen:

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    Get outdoors!

    I'm excited to provide you with weekly assignments for getting outdoors, deepening your relationship with nature, and offering some home organic gardening tips.

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