January 2021
FRESH from the Garden
New Videos
Check out these just-posted videos to get your winter indoor seeding started. Remember, you can check out the STEM To-Go playlist on our YouTube channel to find more videos. If you'd like to suggest a video topic, share your ideas with Amy or Doug.

Virtual Lessons Added
These are interactive presentations, designed in Google Slides for delivery as a virtual lesson. You will be prompted to "Save a copy" to your Google Drive. From that point, you can edit the presentation to customize to your needs, or share it directly with your students. Find these and other resources on the STEM site under Lesson Plans.
A couple years ago, we fell in love with microgreens as an indoor crop choice. First there were the practical reasons:

1) The start to finish is as short as 7 days,
2) It’s easy to offer individual, student-sized containers,
3) They can be grown year round, even in mid-winter, without supplemental light,
4) You can harvest multiple times from one seed sowing.

Additionally, they are packed full of nutrients, mild-flavored, and easy to incorporate in salads, smoothies or as a garnish. You can choose from a variety of crop species, each offering a different nutrient profile, and an opportunity to see remarkable differences in the young plants that may typically be overlooked. Recently, we discovered a great seeding hack for broadcasting the small seeds. Put your seeds in a spice jar that has large holes and sprinkle. It worked great. Ready to try microgreens? Here are some additional resources:
Seven Years and Still Growing
In mid-December, Amy and Doug were presenters for a Cabarrus County Schools webinar. The introductory video (watch here) featured the establishment of the garden program at A.T. Allen Elementary. The school is unique in that it has a dedicated position, GROW Lab and Integrated Garden Facilitator, held by Janet Childress. Janet manages the gardens and delivers lessons in the GROW Lab and in the various garden spaces. One thing that stands out to us is how important support of her administrators, even through transitions, has been in the success of their program.
Continuing Ed Opportunity
WHO: Rooted, Life Lab, and the Wisconsin School Garden Network present Teaching in Nature's Classroom, a FREE online course for educators

WHAT: This self-directed, 30-hour course was developed as a companion to the book Teaching in Nature's Classroom: Principles of Garden-Based Education. It is an opportunity for educators new to outdoor and garden-based learning, as well as educators who are experienced in the field, to consider best practices and reflect on their own teaching practice in outdoor learning environments, with a focus on school and community youth gardens.

WHEN: January 25 - May 10* (15 weeks)
*If you choose to work at a faster pace, you will finish the course earlier than May 10.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Find more School Garden Resources on our website:
Questions? Contact us!
Amy Bowman • [email protected]
Doug Vernon • [email protected]