This module has my mind brimming with ideas. I may start the year off with some hands-on activities that I suggest to help students understand the concepts and then follow their lead and see where they take things from there. I may even be able to do some mini-lessons with students attending summer programs in order to test out the ideas, see where their energy lies and put some wheels in motion for the fall.
Some of the ideas that I am thinking of are:
- using olla pots to water our garden with rainwater
- adding greenhouses (even small ones made out of 2 liter soda bottles if we need to start there) to extend our growing season and increase our yield
- addressing the overgrown landscaping (which is on our to-do list for next year already) and introducing plans/structures to improve stormwater management
- doing healthy eating demos with products from the garden during our school food pantry distributions this summer. Perhaps, we can always find ways to provide visitors with supplies, information and encouragement to grow veggies and herbs at home.
- adding a sign to the garden with information about what's growing, the new sustainable gardening practices that we are introducing, how we are mitigating the effects of carbon, growing tips for others to try at home, etc. I could see the garden becoming a hub of information on environmental news/tips for the community.
- including a group of students in the city's upcoming six week initiative to include citizens in urban planning discussions and have those students bring suggestions for how to plan with climate change in mind