Thank you for taking care of the garden and outdoor learning space!  The plants and animals thank you!  The students thank you!  

The following are some tips and ideas to get the most out of keeping the garden alive and creating positive experiences for students in the garden space.  Here is useful Tip Sheet for Managing Students in a Garden Setting.

~Reach out to Mr. Czarka via text or email with questions or ideas!  Got more ideas for how we can all interact and use the garden space?  

Let me know or fill out the Garden Support Form. Thank you again!

Sayings to Consider :)

“When your bum is numb, your brain is numb”  ~Dr Peter Liljedahl

"Look up, look down, look all around!"  ~Mr. Czarka :)

"Tools; not toys."  ~Mr. Czarka :)

Garden Guidelines

Here is the Garden Rubric.  Use this often to continually reference garden expectations and guidelines for safe fun and learning. 

Garden Keys

• Always keep the keys in the teacher’s pocket.

• Always lock the garden padlock to the gate even when open.  This way the padlock doesn’t disappear.

• Always lock the garden locks.  When in the garden, lock the locks to the gate even though the gate remains open.  

• When you leave, double check the lock is locked.

Garden Spigot (PICTURE)

• Place spigot on the top metal part.  Rotate left to turn on (or increase water pressure).  Rotate right to turn off (or reduce water pressure).

• Make sure water is turned off prior to leaving the garden.

• Remove water spigot when not in use or when leaving the garden.

Watering Plants

• Garden Plants

  • • Use small watering cans and big watering cans.  Go from plant to plant.  Avoid students rushing and running.

    • If it is dry, plant will want more water.  If the leaves look sad, they want water.  Students tend to splash a little bit of water on top of the soil.  But the plants need a lot more.  Teach them to put a finger in the soil.  Is it dry?  Then more water needed.  Err on the side of more water without making a pond or muddy mess!

• Street Trees along the sidewalk

  • • Water 15-20 gallons each week.

    • Use gallon jugs filled at the spigot.  Set up a system.  Perhaps assign two? students for filling up at the spigot.  Other students walk to the tree to water.  Rotate roles.  

    • Create posters so the community knows about the work you are doing.  Here is a Water Street Trees template.

• Tips

  • • Try to water earlier in the morning.  This will prevent more water that will evaporate quickly during the hotter times of the day.

    • Remember to turn off the water spigot before leaving for the day.

    • Try to water all plants THOROUGHLY.  They will not drowned.  

    • Be gentle and (if using a hose) and not to spray too hard as to not cause soil erosion.

Activity Ideas

Science and Observation

• • • Use the garden nature exploration guides to have students observe, draw, write, and wonder about nature.  These natural exploration guides are at the bottom of this page too.

      • • TIP: You do not have to complete everything.  You also can spend multiple sessions introducing parts of the guide instead of all at once, which can be overwhelming.

    • Plant seeds.  

      • • Harvest vegetables (don’t worry if too early or too late).  It’s about the experience for students.  Not about being perfect.  

    • Plant seedlings and plants.

      • Ask me (Mr. Czarka) how.  I'll explain.  Consider only planting perennial plants that come back year to year.  But you can also plant annual plants as well that will die when the freezing weather returns.  It's a learning opportunity for students.

    • Observe closely.  Spark curiosity.

      • • What does a plant leaf look like?  How is it the same or different from other leaves?  What about the tree bark?  Or the soil?

        • Create detailed drawings of what is observed.  Use magnifying lens to look even closer!  Spark a conversation about wonderings and discoveries.

    • Dig in the soil.  Yes, for real.  

      • • Students get a kick out of discovering.  Let them lead.  They may find worms, rocks, historical human artifacts (bottle caps, etc.), decaying plants, and so on.  

        • Give them paper to draw.  Write.  Label.  The garden is always an opportunity to develop literacy skills.

    • Identify Trees in the Garden and Around the School Property

      • • NYC Parks has good information on street tree identification.

          • • Teach about leaf arrangement, size, shape, lobes (margins), and structure (simple vs compound), whether or not the technical language is used.  Get students to start seeing the diversity and wondering about the purpose.

        • Use the NYC Street Tree Guides at the bottom of the Garden Plant ID Guide page.

    • Access the Hunts Point Slave Burial Ground (HPSBG) Project science page for more!

      • • Lessons are available for using a compass and map, leaf pressing, leaf rubbing, and plant identification.

Literacy Ideas

• • • Learn outdoors.  

      • • Read.  Write.  Draw.  Foster oral language development.  Team building.  Connect to what you are teaching.

    • Create Garden Plant Interpretive Sign

      • • Thank you, Ms. Binuya and Ms. Benitez for creating this template that teaches descriptive writing using a variety of plant species adapted to what is currently in the garden.

    • Create a tutorial video, audio, or text directions.  

      • • Garden Tasks

          • • Students become experts.  They teach the next class of students through their knowledge.  Here are some examples and ideas.

        • Science Tools and Nature Exploration Bags (develop for the Garden Website)

          • • Through hands on use of science tools, students become confident, learn English, and then can create a tutorial that teaches how to use the tools.

            • These videos can be placed on the Science Tools and Nature Exploration Bags pages.

    • Create a plant guide digitally and paper based (laminate for garden and water protection).

      • • Even if you don't know the 'right' name for the plants.  Really.  Model for students to create an agreed upon name.  "This is the pointy tipped purple flower.  We will call it 'Purple Tip.'"  Make the experience of learning about plants accessible.

        • Use the (free) app PictureThis to identify plants by photo.  NOTE: Click "cancel" when it asks you to pay.  You don't have to.

        • Here is an example of a plant guide created by PS 48 students in the past.  It can grow more and more extensive as more plants are found.  Don't forget...weeds are plants...

        • Here are some Plant Guide activities to do. 

    • Create a podcast (audio only or video).

      • • Use this Podcast Recording Sheet as a guide to have students use the garden to create topics to create a podcast.

        • Listen to podcasts.  Model creating stories.  

        • Use the iPad "Voice Recorder" app to only record audio.  Use the camera app in video mode to create a video.  Use other apps to put it all together!

        • Topic Ideas: Weather, Observations, Wonderings, Changes, Knowledge

    • Create garden signs.

      • • This can be as an art and literacy project.  Laminate the signs to explain the garden to the neighborhood.  Create allies and green space defenders around the school community.

    • What's Good in My Hood?

      • • Multi lesson unit that helps students think critically and assess aspects of their neighborhoods that are good as well as those that need improvement, through observation and data collection.  Created by NYRP

Math Ideas

• • • Measure the DBH of trees.  

    • Measure the length or perimeter or the area using grid paper) of leaves using objects or rulers.  

    • Identify shapes and patterns.  

    • Count objects or use objects to create math problems.  

    • Weight the mass of objects.  Or volume and capacity using the spigot and watering cans.

Art and Other Ideas

• • • Paint, draw, or create leaf rubbings.  Use the space as inspiration.