Amazing Grace

After blogging about the heat earlier this week, Wednesday turned cloudy and much cooler. This morning (Thursday) I stepped outside before sunrise, and I actually felt cool and much revived. I could breath the cool drier air without wanting to rush back in to the A/C. Could we please have an early long fall season?

This last week we started by discussing the needs of living organisms. Air, water, food, and shelter were discussed. I then brought out seedlings of cabbage and broccoli that had been started earlier in small cells of plastic flats. Some cells had one seedling, others had three, four and more. We discussed whether these plants could stay in these small areas and continue to live and thrive. This lead to a discussion of space. How much space do different organisms need? We talked about different plants and animals. Trees need more room than small flowering plants such as cosmos. Bears need more room to hunt that smaller animals such as rats. We talked about humans and how much space we need. Homes, schools, churches, offices, shopping centers, factories, recreation centers, parks, and all the roads, rail lines and airspace that link them. But the most space needed by humans was to grow the food we eat. We concluded that humans needed a lot more space than most animals.

Back to our seedlings. We decided they needed more room to grow. The weather is not quite right to put them in the ground, so we decided to transplant them into larger cells, or pots until we could put them in the garden beds. This would also allow us more time to harvest peas, okra, and peppers.

While collecting our weather data we made observations of life on the vegetables and wildflowers. There were some okra plants covered with aphids and predators eating them. Predators such as ladybeetles and their larva, mealybug destroyer larva, and green lacewing larva were trying their best to eat them all. Of course, we know they can't. Some need to be left for future generations. Leaf-footed bugs were all over the peas and a plant called lizardtailed gaura. They do harm the peas but seem only to hide in the gaura. They and their cousins, the stink bugs are some of the worst pests in the garden. They dine on okra, peas, peppers, tomatoes, and almost any fruit.

While watching wasps hovering around the chard, we found what they were looking for -small, yet unidentified caterpillars. They weren't finding enough of them, because the chard was riddled with holes. We started cutting back the chard, hoping for some new growth. We'll keep a better eye out for the caterpillars on them and on our new cabbage and broccoli. We lost a couple of wasps nests because they were found too close to places where students walk. They were sprayed with a soap and orange oil spray. We will now have to take on more of their role as caterpillar destroyers.

There are plenty of butterflies in the garden - larva and adults of pipevine swallowtails, along with tigerswallowtails, queens, and Gulf fritillaries. At least one Monarch has been observed.

Hummingbirds are fighting for control of the Turk's cap, honeysuckle, and flame acantha.

As the year progresses, we will observe changes that occur to our vegetables and wildflowers as the seasons and weather change. What new life will we find interacting with these plants?
(photo: Barbara Uskovich)

Return

We're back at school and everyone seems happy to be back. We are inside for the most part the next couple of weeks discussing what a scientist is and what scientists study in gardens. It's a good thing, because it is hotter this August than any I can remember. Only one day so far has been under 100 degrees. Life goes on outside even though we who are spoiled by a/c can't imagine living constantly in the heat. We are adapting to the heat technologically, not biologically. Unfortunately we may be making the outside even hotter with our technology.

With the addition of a little water over the summer we have kept wildflowers and vegetables alive and growing. We did have some rain in July which was unusual,then came August with its triple digits. The blackeyed peas and purple hull peas aren't producing too well in this heat, but the okra is thriving. Peppers and tomatoes are hanging on waiting for cooler weather to start setting more fruit.

We have started cabbage, broccoli, and pok choy from seed under shade cloth and now we can get the students out to look after them. They will stay in pots until late September, early October when the weather cools, and the fall rains come.Then we can take out the peas and put the cabbage and broccoli in the ground. Spinach, beets, carrots, and lettuce can all go in also. We will brainstorm with the kids to decide what variables to test in the growing of the fall crops.

I plan to emphasize the concept of home or "ecos" this year. Students should leave Stonewall well aware that there are many other living creatures in the world that need a home. How we humans satisfy our needs affects many others. I have read that extinction of species is proceeding faster now that ever before. Will this dimenish our quality of life? Do we need these lost species for our own survival?

No, we can't answer these questions, but our students can become more sensitive to other life on this planet. Maybe learning empathy toward other organisms will also help us get along with each other. If this is all our students learn, they will be far ahead of the rest.



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Circles

As part of their primary education children learn about geometric shapes. The circle being the easiest because it is easily applied to handwriting, art, and math. It is rather curious that regardless of the activity, people move into this most comfortable shape. A circle can be defined as a group of people bound together by a common interest, activity, or achievement.
Our school garden encompasses this definition. Eventually the students form large or small circles to share their discoveries or joys.
One of this year's achievements in first grade was the hatching of 10 Cayuga ducks. Honestly we could not tell them apart except for Wilbur. He was the runt and became our favorite, yet the students constantly debated the characteristics of the group. We created special journals just to document their activity. Once again journaling became important and individual styles rejoiced.
Such unique activities promote writing, vocabulary, and critical thinking. The children were able to focus for amazing amounts of time just predicting behavior. Innovative education will lead to greater results than just textbook applications. Children that have opportunities to have multi-sensory experiences achieve higher results.
Our experience with nature up close moved this class closer than ever to being stewards of our natural world.
Barbara Uskovich
(photos: Barbara Uskovich)

Journaling/Documenting

When the garden first began, and up until a few years ago, the documenting of data collection was a rote activity. Students from all classes were required to gather ground/air temperature, identification of clouds, plant growth, checking rain gauges, and any insect activity.
Not only have the students evolved with their journals, as well as with the growth of our garden, the educators as well. Student excitement elicits innovations that are curated by their teachers. Over the last few years teachers and their students have promoted individual styles of documentation. Students now have less restrictions on their movements in the garden, but higher expectations with their journals because as a community we are learning and evolving together.
My personal expectations, because of daily visits, have included time of day, personal feelings, illustrations from three different view points, and the willingness of getting dirty to achieve the ultimate observations.
Evolution can be inspiring: we have ripped lids off water boxes to find the largest and slimiest slugs, laid flat on our stomachs to see the petals of legumes up close, and relaxed wearing cowboy hats while lounging on a boulder under a cedar tree to record our personal views.
Students have come to trust their natural instincts and know that they will not be criticized for personal views, but that their journals will be the model. What a proud moment for all naturalist.
Barbara Uskovich
(photos: Barbara Uskovich)

Reproduction and Harvest

For the last few weeks we have been watching flowers bloom and mature. In the process we have come across many creatures in and above ground, mating, laying eggs, incubating eggs, completing life cycles.

The chickens and ducks that were hatched in the classrooms are now in the chicken coop and (in my laundry room) growing and eating all the delectables insects and grasses the students can bring to them. We've found the chickens really love waterbugs(roaches), grubs(larva of beetles), and worms.

Mrs. Uskovich's class hatched ducks. Some of them didn't hatch. After most hatched she waited a little longer and decided the ones remaining weren't going to make it. This presented an opportunity to explore the interior of a developing duck egg. We opened the eggs and found baby ducks in arrested developement. A few were farther developed than others, but something inside them was wrong and they stopped growing, and died. It was sad to see life ended, but it was also interesting to see developmental stages of the growth inside the egg.

We have been beseiged by potato and cucumber beetles. Both are pests, but attack the plants differently. The potato beetle larva seem to be the most aggressive in eating leaves of potatoes. The adults also eat leaves, but seem to spend most of their time mating and laying eggs. The cucumber beetles eat the leaves and spread diseases. The cucumber beetles are hard to catch as they fly the second you go after them. The potato beetles are easier to catch. They move slowly, preferring to drop to the ground and play dead. Some teachers are taking them into their classroom to observe their behavior there. We are catching more everyday.

We have found crab spiders on coreopsis, and a female with an egg case wrapped in a potato leaf. She really didn't like us prying into the leaf to observe her with our USB camera. She is now residing in a plasic container with her eggs. We hope they hatch soon.
(photos: Barbara Uskovich)

Visitors

visitor, noun, 14th century
-a person who pays a visit; caller, guest, tourist, ect.
-one that visits; especially: one that makes visits of inspection
Just spend five minutes in our garden and you will greet many a guest. Our guest may include those that will stay until October (plants), those that say hello for twenty or so minutes (insects), and those visitors (children) that will have memories that remain with them forever with visions that can not be described.
The bluebonnets are just fading, yet their children (seed pods) will revisit us next spring. The larkspur, Indian Blanket, blue flax, echinacea, and too many to mention will stay until it is time to sleep. The Cabbage White, hairstreak, and Admiral pass through with a brief thank you for providing such beauty.
Our posterity depends on the visits of the children of Stonewall. It is they, these visitors, that will reap our gift for generations. As they silently stroll the pathways, their observations are the ones that enlighten the host. I for one, could listen endlessly to their voices of expertise. It is they that notice the number of petals on the Engelmann daisy, it is they that observe a crab spider on the evening primrose, and it is they that will chase roaches from the compost pile to feed the chickens with squeals of delight. These are opportunities that must be enjoyed and then shared. These are the conversations that we share with the adults that come to inspect and replicate our incredible canvas, Stonewall Gardens.
I observe with wonder and excitement at this opportunity for our future. These young visitors have only a healthy fear. They accept the adventures of nature and revel in cognitive enlightenment. It is our home, Stonewall Gardens, that allows any visitor to relish in its wonder. This wonder will hopefully, in time, prove the visions of the elders that said, "Yes, the world is good".
Barbara Uskovich, 1C
(garden provided by: Mark N. Painter)
(photos: Barbara Uskovich)

A Peep At the Coops

Mr. Pittillo has had a dream for many years, or should I say decades? He has been the force behind the poultry craze at Stonewall. His enthusiasm with hatching anything from chickens to quail has extended the Stonewall curriculum beyond the extraordinary. Classrooms count down the days until the babies are born and names are heavily debated/voted for catchy names such as Mrs. Fletcher and Ebenezer. Fortunately the chicken coop craze has hit one and many, including Stonewall. Thankfully our past PTA president, Bob Richie had already discovered the chicken craze and introduced us to his neighbor Chere Hickock. Well, the rest is history. Chere Hickock came to visit Stonewall Gardens and knew immediately our interest in nature and the support team available to manage this endeavour. Chere graciously donated an amazing chicken coop to our school and her gift will be remembered years from now by children who will come to understand that eggs do not magically appear in your kitchen's refrigerator. They will become educated about the cycle of life, and the implications of human involvement, and will be able to decide for themselves which route to take as a citizen of this planet. So the chicken coop was planned, built, and completed with the help of many, including Mr. Painter, who suggested that we install a "green" roof to keep the heat down during the summer months. His wisdom is always appreciated. A Peep At the Coops tour was an instant hit. Children at Stonewall were allowed to hold, pet, and talk to our current renters: Mrs. Honey, Rusty, Mrs. Fletcher, Miss Speckles, Brownie, and Ebenezer. To witness the adult, and especially the children's enjoyment, proves that People Love Poultry. The biggest cluck ever goes out to Chere Hickock! Thank you! Stonewall Jackson Elementary, Barbara Uskovich (photos: Sarah Jane Rust & Barbara Uskovich) (Thank you Kate Cromwell for all you do for Stonewall Gardens!) (Thank you to all the volunteers who help our school, especiall those in cute rainboots.)