Our students were fortunate this month! Eating twice! The 3rd and 4th Grade Garden Club members had a nutrition and cooking lesson from Angela Pena and Natalie Price, Nutrition Specialists from NEOP-LACOE, ABC Unified School District. It was a beautiful day in the Nature Center and Garden, as they learned about legumes - their nutritional value, as well as a little botany. I was proud to hear the students tell Ms. Pena and Ms. Price, how they had planted, grown, harvested and shelled beans themselves, as well as made burritos with them. Because of their science classes, many of them knew about protein and why we need it, as well as the parts of the plant. We're usually so interested in the hands-on aspects of our garden, and observing all the changes in the plants and animals that live there, that we seldom sit and have a lesson. After the lesson, the children made a healthy snack with beans and other vegetables. They all went home with a cookbook as well. Thank you Angela and Natalie, for the snacks and the cookbook, and for giving us more helpful and important information. We'll be seeing them again next month for the lucky 5th and 6th Grade Garden Club students.
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There are so many things that our students love about the Nature Center and Garden. But, I think that their favorite would be anything to do with actually eating things. I mean really?! What would YOU rather do? Pull weeds and spread manure, or eat deliciousness that you helped to grow and harvest?! This month we made burritos with the lima and runner beans that we planted, tended and harvested last year. The beans were shelled by our Garden Helpers, then I cooked them with things from the Garden - onion, garlic, and thyme. We ate them with other things growing now - lettuce, cilantro, avocado, and lemon - okay, so we have no fruit yet on the avocado and lemon, they came from the grocery store with the tortillas, but we will someday! Of course after a tasty snack like that, you would be thirsty. Our students harvested Toyon berries from the Nature Center. Simmered and mashed, with sweetener added (a little honey is nice!), they make a wonderful, slightly tart, berry-ish beverage. Eaten raw, they're bland. In between preparing and eating, the Garden Club made Valentines, or did a little garden work. Decorating the Garden is difficult - weather and soil take their toll. Since this is an Environmental Science school, we certainly don't want to use toxic or unsustainable materials! Thus, the Scarecrow Project! Utilizing scrap lumber, old clothing, left over arts and crafts supplies, and fallen leaves as stuffing, our Garden Club members created some fine characters to watch over the winter garden. At the end of the year, we'll unstuff them and send the leaves to our compost pile. The bits not ruined by the sun, rain and wind will be stored until next fall, the rest thrown out, having had a second life entertaining us - I just doubt that any crows will be scared! |
Kathleen IrvineCertified Horticulturist, Artist, Teacher Categories
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