For a time, I lived on a small island in the South Pacific. In the village where I lived, every eight-year-old kid knew how to use a machete better than I did. They opened coconuts, weeded gardens, carved sticks, and, considering both skill and safety, generally ran circles around me. They knew how to use a machete by age eight because they had been holding a knife since age three. Their skills were practical, impressive, and likely, rewarding. For the record: I am not suggesting that we hand machetes to our third graders (unless, of course, you move to a tropical island where machetes are the tool of choice, and probably the only one available). I am suggesting, however, that we continue to consciously create opportunities for our students to learn how to use tools, at every age. Using tools safely and effectively is an engaging experience that teaches responsibility and respect, fine motor skills, physical activity, and of course, gardening techniques!
Since school garden coordinators in the US generally have an abundance of tool choices, the question becomes - where to begin? Which tools are best suited for preschoolers? Or high schoolers? For schools on a tight budget, which tools are really essential for successful gardening, and which are optional? And then - how does one go about teaching tool use to students who have never picked up a shovel in their life?
In this newsletter, we've put together a collection of resources to help you build a tool collection that fits your outdoor classroom, and use them - literally - as teaching tools.
Happy gardening!
-Jennica, WSGI Communications Manager |
After a summer of growing, Marsden and Hetzel visited each of the micro-grant gardens, to see how they had used the money. “It was interesting to see what each facility did with it – every garden was different,” said Marsden.
Marsden is also involved in other projects to support and promote school gardens via her work with Extension. This year, with a simple bucket-and-tomato-cage design, Marsden will co-teach a workshop on container gardens and nutrition for parents and teachers of preschoolers at a training organized by Preschool for Janesville and Rock County’s Headstart. The group will work together to assemble and plant the containers, and take them home.
For those new to WSGI, we couldn't leave out these amazing resources. "Got Dirt?" will walk you through starting a school garden, while "Got Veggies?" will help you implement a garden-based nutrition curriculum. "Cultivating Childhood Wellness through Gardening" is an online training that will help you establish and utilize a school garden. You can watch the entire training or select specific chapters.
