Whatever else is going on in the world, Spring is here!! In our area green has already started appearing everywhere, and fruit trees are in full bloom. Regular gardeners have started preparing soil and have seedlings sprouting in every available corner indoors, while others are using their time at home to get new gardens planned and built. This is definitely one activity in which the whole family can...get their hands dirty! (#sorrynotsorry)
Books
9781442412613
I dig in the dirt...and find a seed.
Seed waits.
I dig in the dirt...and find a spider.
Spider runs.
Explore all of the creepy, crawly, dirty, muddy, green, and growing things that can be found outside in the garden. From pill bugs to worms to leafy green sprouts, young readers will love discovering the muddy garden habitat within the pages of this book—and outside in their own backyards!
Just exploring the dirt and all its treasures and textures is great fun. This book is great way to talk about the five senses - how does the dirt feel? Smell? What can you see? Hear? Taste? Well, maybe we'll save that sense until after we have grown things! (Although, Miss Ami did eat both an earthworm AND a spider when she was little, and she turned out JUST FINE...right?)
In Science we will talk about what a garden needs, but perhaps the hardest thing to supply is patience. This classic, simple story shows the payoff, though:
9780060233501
When a little boy plants a carrot seed, everyone tells him it won't grow. But when you are very young, there are some things that you just know, and the little boy knows that one day a carrot will come up. So he waters his seed, and pulls the weeds, and he waits...
Gardens don't have to be all planned in neat little rows, by the way:
978-006-056-4810
Caroline lives on Meadowview Street. But where's the meadow? Where's the view? There's nothing growing in her front yard except grass. Then she spots a flower and a butterfly and a bird and Caroline realizes that with her help, maybe Meadowview Street can have a meadow after all.
Come to think of it, gardens don't even have to be real:
9780061715174
The girl in this book grows chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color, and seashells in her garden.
How does your garden grow?
Science
What does a garden need?
Soil - what is yours made of? Is it too alkaline or acidic? Lots of sand? Clay? Here is a great link explaining what "soil quality" means to get you started. Check your county or state extension office online to see what you need to do to get your soil tested, or order a kit to do it yourself and really get your chemistry on!
Water - what is in yours? At first you might think water is water, but around here, high amounts of caliche can destroy a drip system pretty quickly. Decide how you are going to get water to your garden regularly. Research how people groups from the Native Americans in your area to the Ancient Greeks moved water from one area to another, and see what you can replicate!
Sun - but not too much! Many a garden in the Southwest has started off well and then fried in the sun over a day. Choose a spot for your garden that will get sun perhaps in the morning, but then move into the shade of a tree or wall in the hotter afternoons. We use a mesh sun shade over parts of ours, so light filters through but does not burn the leaves.
Math
If you have decided to write off your soil (or 'pre-rock', as a local friend once called the New Mexico terra), a raised bed might be the best choice for you. There are hundreds of do-it-yourself plans available online, as well as descriptions of pallet and straw bale gardening. Take a look at a few and then draw up your own plans. Kids may be amazed to learn that a 2x4 is not actually 2 inches by 4 inches, but that sure makes a difference when you are putting things together! Look at you guys, adding fractions now! Price the materials online and figure out how much the project will cost you. Don't forget the cost of screws and sealant!
Use graph paper to lay out your plants. How much space do you need to navigate between rows or mounds? Lay it out with yarn or masking tape on the floor and see if that looks reasonable. Back to science, which plants do best next to each other? What can you plant around the edges to keep pests away?
Art and Writing
In My Garden, the little girl imagines a wonderful garden where the rabbits are chocolate, and anything she plants grows. It reminds me of one of my favorite series growing up:
I often dreamed of what I could grow in such a garden! And then there's Doctor Dolittle's garden of plants and animals from all over the world. A feast for the imagination!
Put your imaginations to work in picture and story to describe your dream garden. If drawing or painting aren't your thing, cut pictures form magazines and create that way. Would any plants have magical properties? What animals would live there? How would you take care of it?
Community
What can you do to attract beneficial plants and animals to your neighborhood? You might not be able to create an entire meadow in your yard, but can you make things a little greener, a little more colorful? Is there a vacant lot that could be weeded or cleaned up? (Check with the owners first, of course!)
Is there an elderly neighbor who could use some help with yard work? Would they enjoy a home made bird house or bird feeder outside their windows? Some colorful flowers in a pot or window box? Take a walk around your neighborhood and look for ideas. If your area has a neighborhood group, enlist neighbors to help. Remember, social distancing does not mean we have to stay inside. A spread-out block party where everyone stays in their own yards and waves can give a much-needed lift to the spirits!
If you are a local to the Alamogordo area, get in touch with With Many Hands Public Land for Food Campaign and see how you can help with one of the community gardens going up!
Web Sites to Explore
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