October 25, 2010

By: sudha s. from Bryn Mawr, PA
Comments: 25

Posted By: sudha singh
On: 6/6/2007 9:30:41 PM

Designing a community garden in reality was fraught with difficulties from the very inception of the plan. The initial task was comparatively easy when the schhol Administrator,one community member, and an experienced New york community garden person , and myself sat face to face and did a long talk out on what we wanted to accomplish by this design. The next step was getting the land where this design could be implemented. This is where the hurdles started. Days after the site was provided I realized we did not have a written consent from the donor. Two days later someone was shot in front of the spot we had chosen. The debacles came in multitudes of unreturnedd phone calls etc. But , this week events took an upturn. I could personally see and get another piece of land , flowers and plants from the Philadelphia Horticulture Society, have the groung prepared by them, and also get mulch for the plants. Some community members saw us doing the work and asked if we needed water for our plants and offered to keep them alive when school was closed and the learners were away on a summer break. This was another big step forward and made us feel great. We plan on designing a vegetable/herb garden and get some benches put in this triangular space to which we have limited access, but it is enough to get us startes on a community improvement design. We plan on keeping it going and extending the areas where we can contribute to revitalize our community vacant/ darty grounds into flowering green gardens. The learners loved the idea of designing and color coordinating the flowers they planted.

Posted By: kathy murphy
On: 6/14/2007 9:07:34 PM

We put in a garden at my school last year and we put in a peace pole. They aren't too expensive and the website for them is: https://www.peacepoles.com/order.asp I made stepping stones with the students that are beautiful for walking on. We planted many perennials and roses around the area and put in a nice bench. It has been so wonderful to see the children enjoying this Peace Garden

Posted By: sudha singh
On: 6/17/2007 8:59:06 PM

Thank you Kathy for your suggestion . I shall definitely look into it.

Posted By: George Latos
On: 6/18/2007 7:53:44 AM

Thanks for the ideas. We have a few places around our building that were intended for plants. This has inspired me to try to start something sustainable.

Posted By: Kelley Oxley
On: 10/26/2007 11:37:08 PM

It's very interesting that I came across this discussion stem. Right after I returned from SDI in New York, a dear friend of mine lost her battle with breast cancer. She worked at the same school as me and was loved by many. Several months ago, I received an e-mail from the PTA asking if I would be interested in creating a garden in her name. I thought it was a great idea, but, like her, I wanted it to be unconventional, never-before-seen in a way. Because of my experiences at SDI and after finishing up my Masters in Design-Based Learning, I was able to offer more than just a "typical" idea...and as the summer continued, I realized that this garden could offer so many lessons in so many contents (beyond my language arts focus) that it can become a larger symbol of growth, learning, and respect. Just how I think Michele would want it to be.

Posted By: Kelley Oxley
On: 10/26/2007 11:41:04 PM

I also feel that because a garden offers so much more than aesthetic value, I really feel we need to encourage our districts to offer grants for gardens. I just found out that in Pasadena Unified, the district in which I teach, offers grants specifically for gardens! Marie Tom, a colleague who attended SDI with me in July, received this grant and is planning to take some of the ideas from our SDI New York colleagues to create eco-friendly gardens.

Posted By: Jeri Schmenk
On: 10/28/2007 6:11:32 PM

If people do not have the resources in their school yard a classroom garden is great to have. We grow all kinds of plants. Students learn that you can't just plant a seed and the next day have something to take home or something to eat. It takes time and effort- everyone can have a job to do and if they do not complete their job then it affects everyone else who was involved. Plus when people see what you are doing some want to help out and offer their resources or connections.

Posted By: Thelma Kastl
On: 11/3/2007 1:32:17 PM

After reading the Sudha's experiences with the garden location I am a bit worried about a project my students have worked on. (I submitted this as a lesson plan- Designing Our 426 Square Miles.) I had each of my students pick out five things they would like to improve in our community. The students then came together in small groups and chose one item to begin designing solutions for. Several of the groups selected a .2 mile stretch of land/road between the two towns. This stretch of road does not have sidewalks and is a blind-type curve. They have designed several solutions. One of the solutions involves re-landscaping the side of the mountain so that there is a sidewalk and a natural wild flower and plant garden. We are in the process of trying to gain permission to follow through. Do you have any suggestions for making the process go smoother?

Posted By: Kristin Shaw
On: 4/25/2008 7:23:18 AM

What a fantastic and courageous undertaking!! Our student group is also facing a lot of challenges, especially since they share the campus with 6 other mini schools. A lot of collaboration will have to happen before we undetake any permanent additions to the campus garden area. It took many conversations to produce the successful progress we have had in securing new plant life and getting the clearance we needed to transfer our plants into the garden...I would like to submit to donorschose.org and see if we can secure art materials for the next stage of our garden...art work created by the students for the garden!! I would appreciate any suggestions anyone may have for the task.

Posted By: Kristin Shaw
On: 4/25/2008 7:26:07 AM

Does anyone know why my conversation is coming out as being posted to someone else? It is being shown at the top of the page as one person and at the bottom by me. Confusing... Please let me know how we can correct the problem. Kristin S.

Posted By: Jill Granberry
On: 4/25/2008 8:25:20 PM

The name of the person who started the conversation goes at the top of the page. The most recent comment shows up underneath the title of the conversation. It doesn't matter who wrote it; the name of the conversation starter still shows up at the top. That's why it has the number of comments posted underneath so that you can see if anyone responded to what you said. Does that help?

Posted By: Amanda Turner
On: 6/9/2008 1:11:09 PM

Sudha, how long did the entire process take? My school has taken on a design project, which involves the creation of various gardens on school property. We have worked an entire school year and it seems as if we are at a stand still. We have tons of ideas, the support of community businesses, as well as assistance from a local landscaper, but we have yet to break ground. I feel a little overwhelmed. Does it sound as if we are heading in the right direction? Can you offer any advice to get the ball rolling...or at least get the ball rolling quicker?

Posted By: Lisa Morein
On: 6/11/2008 12:45:52 PM

Amanda, I put together a garden project in the Frankford section Philadelphia. Besides having excellent teachers, I think designating someone as project coordinator helps to keep the ball rolling. The students I worked with were a part of Philadelphia Futures and besides completion of the project, their incentive was a stipend. Perhaps some sort of compensation or another incentive will move things along. Hope this helps. Lisa

Posted By: Amanda Turner
On: 6/12/2008 10:20:37 AM

A stipend might work. We have a project coordinator who has been making various contacts with community members and organizations. Other teachers in our school have taken on different components of our project. I work daily with our actual Design Team which has amazing ideas that they have presented numerous times, but a stipend just might be the key. We have been given money from some of our contacts. Lisa, thanks for the suggestion. I'll run that idea by our project coordinator to see if our donated money can be used in that way.

Posted By: Frederick Smith
On: 2/19/2009 10:21:14 PM

This is a project that I have wanted to do at my school for a long time. However there is too much traffic that goes unchecked after school hours to even think that I would be able to have something like this. Good luck with your plan I know the students will enjoy the project.

Posted By: Julie Tangeman
On: 2/20/2009 10:49:28 AM

I am wondering if any of you that have been involved in the community gardens have had any experience with labyrinth creation? A parent that was once very involved with my school passed away and the school community wants to do a memorial labyrinth. My classroom has been given this task, which could really incorporate many design concepts, but I don't even know where to start in the planning process! I think we'll plan this spring and construct it next fall. I teach in a multi-age 5th and 6th grade classroom so the project can continue into next school year.

Posted By: Frederick Smith
On: 2/21/2009 8:31:41 PM

I don’t know a whole lot about this type of gardening but you may want to check out this website https://www.labyrinthsociety.org/activities-for-kids . You may be able to find so useful ideas to organize your plan. Hope this helps.

Posted By: Bryan Smith
On: 2/22/2009 11:53:32 AM

As for siting, has anyone thought of a rooftop garden? There is a restaurant here in Portland that was running their own rooftop garden for their fancy french greens and such in plastic wading pools on the roof of the building. Obviously access and kids falling off the roof would be the first issue, but there are probably fewer shootings on the roof of your school. Also, vandalism would be a lot harder.

Posted By: Vincent Goeddeke
On: 2/22/2009 4:47:11 PM

At a school I used to work at in downtown Minneapolis we used some raised planter boxes outside the entrance of the school to plant two gardens, a butterfly garden and a Monarch caterpillar nursery. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum provided the design for the gardens as well as the plants and expertise to plant the garden. The students came out and planted the gardens in teams. In order to get the MN Landscape Arboretum to do all of this, we had to come up with a plan about how we would use the space for educational purposes. It happened to tie in nicely with the Monarch units and insect studies that were happening already at the school in K-3rd grade. Hopefully this might give some of you some more ideas for other resources out there that could help with projects like this.

Posted By: Julie Tangeman
On: 2/23/2009 7:45:40 AM

Bryan, I checked out the site for the Labyrinth society, thanks, it will be a good place to start to get kids to begin thinking about the idea. I know I have many students who don't have any experience with labyrinths. I also like your ideas about rooftop gardens. My school has several rooftop spaces and I love the idea of using wading pools!

Posted By: Joanne Toft
On: 2/26/2009 10:00:30 PM

Wading pools for garden space is a great idea!!!! We were thinking about gardens on a roof top for years and this would be perfect. Simple and inexpensive!!! Would you need to provide drainage for the pools? ( poking a few holes in the bottom??) I was also wondering about watering during hot dry spells in the summer. A few things to think through but what a wonderful idea. I am thinking of several pools - a herb garden, a fresh greens garden and scents garden - the list could go on. thanks for the ideas

Posted By: Bryan Smith
On: 3/1/2009 6:09:10 PM

I expect you would have to poke holes in the wading pools, just like any other pot. Otherwise it would flood. -- Julie, Frederick put in the link for the Labyrinths. -- I would think that watering would be the biggest concern on a rooftop garden. It's constantly getting full sun. Plus, out sight, out of mind. It would be very easy to forget it's up there for a week. The biggest problem I have had intellectually about starting a garden at school is that most of the growing/harvesting/etc would happen in the summer when the kids are gone. I guess some of that could be solved by using early and late blooming varieties that are more likely to be flowering/producing in early June and September.