Community Gardening
Supplementary Activities

Discussion: Invite your kids to discuss the origins of the food they eat. What things are connected in nature? Do they rely on plants? How about animals? How do plants and animals rely on them?

Web of Life: Have kids stand in a circle and pass a ball of yarn throughout the circle until a web is created. Have them pass the string again, pretending that they are a part in the food chain—plants, animals, farmer, market, etc. This activity emphasizes our interdependence upon one another.

Planting Bunch Beans:
1. Cut the 2-liter plastic container into two parts—a top and a bottom.
2. Drill three small drain holes into the bottom of the plastic container for drainage.
3. Add soil and compost to the plastic container bottom.
4. Gently move the bean plant from the small container where it is growing to the larger container.
5. The soil currently surrounding the plant should line up with the new soil being added to the larger container. Do not put any new soil onto the top of the bean seedling.
6. Water lightly.
7. Save the top of the bottle as a lid to keep your plant warm and in a greenhouse like setting. This is called a terrarium.
8. Find a nice sunny place at home where your plant can sit to grow—either inside in a window or outside.
9. Remember to water your plant a little bit every day.
10. Watch as it grows little bean pods you can pick and eat.

If you want to transplant your beans outside, wait until any threat of a frost has passed; beans prefer to grow in warm weather. Dig a hole twice the size of your current pot—twice as wide, slightly deeper than the plastic container. Place the entire contents of the plastic container in your new hole, being careful not to disturb the root system. Water into the new hole, and then gently cover the remainder of the hole with dirt. Water regularly and enjoy watching your beans grow!

Flowerpots for Mom:
Materials: Used yogurt cups, markers, crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, cardboard patterns for labels, tape/glue, scissors, power drill**
1. **Drill three small holes in the bottom of each yogurt container so that the plants can drain after being watered. (If possible, several of these should be ready before the children arrive.) 2. Trace the cardboard pattern onto desired color of construction paper.
3. Cut out traced label. (If possible, several of these should be ready before the children arrive.)
4. Have children decorate a message for mom on their pot label using crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
5. Tape both the beginning and the end of the label as you wrap it around the yogurt container.
6. Fold the yellow paper with the seed packet printed on it into a card for mom.

** Adults only! Please keep power tools away from children.

Painting with Soils:
Soils are one of our most important natural resources. They also are important for the beauty their many colors add to our landscapes. Most of us overlook this natural beauty because we see it every day. Often these colors blend with vegetation, sky, water, etc. Soil colors serve as pigments in bricks and pottery. If you look at the works of many of the great artists, you will notice that "earth colors" are dominant. The color and texture of soil painting is fascinating and a creative opportunity for all ages of students.

Materials: Soil (dried in air), hammer or mallet, small cups, pencils, ink pens (black, different sizes), paint brushes (different sizes),  artist acrylic (clear gloss), sponges and rags, water color paper, masking tape

Directions:
1. Place dried soil samples of a variety of colors on a piece of paper and crush into pieces with hammer or mallet.
2. Place some of the crushed soil into a mortar. Use a rubber-tipped pestle to crush the soil into a fine powder. Repeat to crush all of the different colored soils.
3. Place the different soils in paper cups—notice the colors and textures.
4. Lightly sketch artwork on watercolor paper with a pencil. When satisfied with composition, use ink for permanent lines.
5. With masking tape, carefully tape paper edges to table or board. (This is done so that the artwork will dry flat.)
6. Pour small amounts of artist acrylic in small paper cups. Add small amounts of soil. Experiment with depth of color and mixing the different soils.
7. Use different sizes of paint brushes, sponges, and rags. Experiment and have fun.
8. Layering colors. When your artwork is dry, you may apply another layer of soil paint.

You may want to use a black ink pen to make finishing touches on your artwork.
 

Additional Resources

Books:
The Big Idea, Ellen Schecter
The Garden of Happiness, Erika Tamar
In the Children’s Garden, Carole Lexa Schaefer
City Green, DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

Local Resources:
Nashville is lucky to have farms nearby, several of which recognize the importance of connecting to urban communities through community-supported agricultural programs. For a fee boxes of fresh, in-season produce can be delivered weekly or every other week. The arrangement most often results in savings for the consumer and a guarantee that a local garden has a consumer base for their vegetables. Some farms in our area:

Delvin Farms, 6290 McDaniel Road, College Grove, TN, 37046
Mamushi Nature Farm, 1358 Coleman Road, Franklin, TN, 37064
Growing Crazy Organics, 2320 Bluebird Road, Lebanon, TN, 37087