Garden Home Study Assignment

March/April Home Lessons from the Garden

“The biodynamic farmer is called to become both student [of Nature] and guide [of Nature], as he learns from and works with nature, gradually achieving within his soul a transformation of knowledge into contemplative devotions.”  Excerpt from Hartmut von Jeete’s speech, The Growing Need for Biodynamic Agriculture.

Assignment List

Scroll down below to find the assignment descriptions.

1. Tell the story of your garden animal (assigned 3/27)
2. Discover nature's garden (assigned 3/27)
3. Plant a home vegetable garden (optional) (assigned 3/27)
4. Make Spring basket (optional) (assigned 4/9)
5. Tell a ninja story (after completing #1 above) (assigned 4/24)

Assignment 1: Tell the story of your garden animal

Each student picked a garden animal at the beginning of the year. These are animals that use our school garden regularly. Throughout the year, they have been learning about their animals through observation.

Farmers need to know what the animals and plants are telling them about their farm to be successful. Biologists call animals or plants that tell us about natural conditions bioindicators. Animals can tell you where water is, or if your soil is healthy, or who has been in your garden.

For this assignment, students will continue to learn from their animal. They will need to find and observe them in nature and create a true life story or narrative based on their observation of them or tell someone else’s story about this animal. The latter should be one they’ve heard from a friend or relative, not one from the internet. Most of these animals can be found in a typical California yard. If you do not have a yard, look for them in an outdoor park. Your child may also already have a story from their experiences in the garden over the course of the year.

Here are questions they may ask when observing:

• Where is my animal found?
• Why is it there? (as opposed to another spot)
• How many are there?
• What is it doing?
• What time of day did I find it? Was it moving or still?
• Were there any other animals near it? What were they? What were they doing?
• What is my animal’s superpower? (hints: flight, elasticity, cooperation, regeneration, concealment, transformation, etc)

Please note and explain to your student that there is a difference between observing and handling. We cannot find out information from an animal if is moved or handled. We also cause it undue stress and harm. Remember there are not “good” or “bad” animals to a farmer. All animals are our helpers and they all have information to guide us to be better farmers. Students should try their best not to disturb and to watch and learn. As I child, as most of us did, I watched ants for hours and learned much from them. This is the attitude we are engendering: scientific observation, questioning and discovery.

Assignment formats for delivery (pick 1):

• Hand written narrative
• Voice to text, computer feature to create a word doc narrative. Voice to text is built into most devices and computer. Siri has this feature. Dragon Dictation is a free app: http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/apps/dragon-dictation.  Also find YouTube videos or your computer search feature to learn about using voice to text.
• Draw a story in a garden journal and submit a picture of the journal page(s).  Below is an example from my nature journal.

• Video your student telling the story and submit the video (please make these short enough for email submission).

If your student does not remember their animal or if you need pointers for finding out about your animal, please email Farmer Ladybug

Assignment 2: Plant a Flower Garden at Home

A little seed for me to sow . . .
(Pretend to hold a tiny seed.)

A little earth to make it grow . . .
(Stoop down and touch the ground.)

A little hole, A little pat . . .
(Pretend to dig a hole; plant seed; pat earth around seed.)

A little wish, and that is that.
(Hands in prayer position)

A little sun, A little shower . . .
(Make sun with hands; use fingers to create rain.)

Another wish, And then --- a flower!
(Hands in prayer position; cup hands together like flower.)

·         Whether you live in a house or apartment, you can always plant a seed, nurture it and watch it grow.  For this assignment you can go as small or as large as you like, the point is to grow something and care for it at home. 

·         There will be seed packets, 1 for each child, of flowers in a basket outside the classroom to pick up along with your packets.  Recognize that there is a field of flowers in each packet that they hold in their hands. Please read the packet directions carefully with your student about the appropriate conditions, soil depth and spacing. 

·         You may plant outside or in a planter/container. If you choose to plant in a container, you will not need to use all of the packet.

·         Make a garden journal to track your flower garden.  You do not need to purchase anything for this if you don’t want to- just fold over several pieces of printer paper to make a book and staple.  You can add a cover from an old drawing, painting or magazine cutout if you like. Have them sketch the seed before planting and any other details they feel are important.  Some tips data to record in their garden journal:

o   Planting date

o   Watering schedule, how much water

o   Germination date (was the packet correct?)

o   Sketches of the plant as it grows

o   If it does not germinate, investigate what went wrong, come up with hypotheses.  Remember that failure is the best teacher.

·         Make easy, free planters (that can compost and be directly planted), using newspaper, toilet paper rolls, or egg cartons. 

·         Use wild soil (dug from outside) or sterile potting soil

·         This assignment may be turned in as a journal or emailed pictures of the journal.

Assignment 3: Discovering Nature’s Garden

·         Dig up soil from outside and tend it just as you do your flowers and watch what wild seeds grow.  It’s not important to know what each plant is but just be able to pick out differences in plants that grow. It’s also important to note that our wild soil contains seeds.

·         Have your student record observations in their garden journal about their wild planter.  Questions to ask:

o   How many different plants are growing?

o   Is there a dominant plant?  If so, why is it outcompeting the others?

o   If you used wild soil for your flower garden, compare what is growing in each.  In this you are using your planter without flower seeds as a control.

·         As above, this assignment may be turned in as a journal or emailed pictures of the journal.

Assignment 4: Plant a home vegetable garden (optional)

·         Building a garden is fun and helps support your family food source.  Most of the materials are easy to come by and freely sourced. 

·         For an easy and free outdoor vegetable garden, choose a sunny location, remove grass and weeds.  Turn to loosen the soil. 

·         You may also create an indoor potted garden for this assignment

·         You can replant many grocery foods that you compost and can re-sprout into a garden, such as:

o   Beet tops: after using the beets replant the top (shoot not root) and get beet (=chard) greens.

o   Onion tops: same as the beet, you can grow another onion using just the shoot, or onion top.

o   Green onions: save the root and plant, also great for a window planter

o   Plant and regrow lettuce from the base after you use the leaves.

o   Mint, oregano and other herbs

o   Many more ideas here YouTube 

o   Plant some beans, lentils, nuts, peanuts from your kitchen supply (beans like overnight soaking)

o   Save fruit seeds to plant: squash, bell pepper, tomatoes etc.

o   You can also share plants with neighbors and your community

·         For this assignment have your student look carefully at each seed and how they are different.  Amazingly, you can tell plants apart just from their seeds!  They can draw a picture of each seed in their garden journal.

Assignment 4: Make a Spring basket (optional)

Find a plastic container that fits into your basket.  You can also use a plastic bag.  Poke holes in the container or bag and fill with potting soil.  Alternatively, you can fill an egg carton with soil in place of your Easter basket.  Seed the soil with a whole grain or grass seed.  Wheat berries are wonderful, but you can also use rice, millet, corn or sprouts, like alfalfa, lentil, mustard seed, chia, or sunflower.  Put in a single thick layer on top of the soil, then dust with a light blanket of soil over top. Set your seeds in a sunny location and water daily.  Mist gently. Do not flood.  You will have a nice green basket in time for Easter.

Assignment 5: Tell a Ninja story

This story is only for those who have completed assignment 1. Using the animal superpowers you discovered in your first story (assignment 1), create a story in which you are a ninja or shaman and use your garden animal power to transfigure or shapeshift. 

Forms of delivery:

1. picture of a hand-written story
2. typed story
3. video
4. voice memo

Please turn in your story on Google classroom.