Programming Update:
Farm to School
By Laura Genello, Farm to School Specialist
This spring Great Kids Farm is bringing the Farm to the schools. Instead of our usual spring garden summit during which hundreds of students visit the farm for a day of garden themed activities, this May Farm staff will be visiting twelve participating schools to host in-person workshops in schools’ outdoor classrooms and school gardens.We’ll be packing up the farm supplies to host workshops on planting, pollinators, and composting. We may even bring along an animal or two. Our Dig Into May! Garden Month programming also features a series of virtual workshops on food and garden topics, and an urban farmer Q&A. Each participating school received a $100 mini-garden grant (funded by Friends of Great Kids Farm), and students have been working together to
develop projects that include creating a pollinator habitat, painting pots to take home,
starting an herb growing business, and adding bird houses to the garden space.
We’ve also been focused on kit-based programs that bring the Farm into classrooms. Farm to school Laura Menyuk has been working with 135 high school biology students at Baltimore PolyTechnic Institute to lead a project in which the students learn all about fungus by growing their own mushrooms with individual mushroom grow kits. This pilot program helps us bridge the gap between online classes and hands-on learning, while also providing an opportunity for us to trial programs in which we can bring the Farm to students.
Finally, we’re looking ahead to the summer and booking small-group in-person field trips for summer camps and summer school groups. As warm weather allows us to hold more
outdoor events, we look forward to safely hosting in-person field trips again.
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Above image: The plan Midtown Academy’s students came up with for how they want to use their $100 mini grant as part of the Dig Into May! Program.
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Farmer's Notes
By James Koval, Farm Manager
Cover crops may not be the most exciting plants out there, but they are a behind-the-scenes wonder for our growing spaces. Last fall, I seeded the majority of fields with a cover crop mix that contained rye, clover, peas, and vetch. Each one of these plants has a specific role and function. These began growing in late fall, went dormant in the winter, and then took off in the spring. One main goal of this cover crop mix is to “protect” the soil over the winter. They help with soil erosion throughout winter and weed suppression in spring. Another huge benefit is the nitrogen-fixing ability of legume plants. The clover, peas, and vetch, along with helpful bacteria, will bring nitrogen from the air to the soil. Do you remember the video on social media showing the nodules on the clover roots?
You want to stop the growth of your cover crops when the plants start to flower or go to seed. I wanted to experiment with this process this year and try four different methods. I am curious to see if there will be any differences with future weed growth as well as plant performance. In the photo below, you can see four unique strips of field. This area all had the same cover crop mix, but dealt with in four ways.
From left to right: 1. Cut and dropped with weed whacker, no till. 2. Tilled with tractor. 3. Mowed down to the shortest level on mower deck. All the clippings left on row. No till. 4. Mowed down to shortest level and then tilled with tractor.
I really don’t know why, but I find cover crops so fascinating. This has been a really fun project and experiment!
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Friends' Spring Fundraiser
Friends of Great Kids Farm has launched a spring fundraiser to help to continue to support the Farm and its' programming. Visit our site to see where your dollars could go - like purchasing aquaponics kits, equipment, and paying for interns to come learn on the job! We're also working hard to raise funds to assist with transportation to the Farm as schools start allowing in-person learning again. We've been very proud of what the educators at the Farm have done to keep students engaged with at-home resources and are even more excited about what they can do with our help once the students come back.
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Baltimore Sun Feature
Recently, the Farm had a photo essay feature in the Baltimore Sun. Check it out here!
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(Jeffrey F. Bill/Baltimore Sun Media) |
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Board Member Spotlight
Get to know our board members who help make all the amazing work happening at the Farm possible!
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Jennifer Everett
Senior Manager in Audit Services, Exelon Corporation
Why she supports the farm: I support the Farm because I have a passion around farming and gardening and the education of youth about growing food, nutrition and wellness. I joined the Board during the pandemic but can’t wait to get out there when the Farm is bustling with kids!
Other community involvement: In addition to the Farm, I support a variety of causes around diversity, equity and inclusion, and athletics.
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Hershel Waites
Assistant Vice President of Foreign Exchange Sales, M&T Bank
Why he supports the farm: I support the Farm because I believe in the positive effect of exposing students to environments outside their norm. It’s one thing to see vegetables on a plate. But it’s more effective to see where they come from, how they are grown and learn about the process from farm to table.
Other community involvement: I currently participate in outreach with a couple different organizations with regards to youth development and education equity as well as mentoring students of all ages.
Hershel would also like to share: I just greatly appreciate the opportunity to be part of the Great Kids Farm organization. I truly believe in the mission and I’m excited to make whatever difference I can to drive home the impact.
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Resource Corner for
Parents & Teachers
For more information about educational resources, please reach out to our farm to school specialists at farms@bcps.k12.md.us or visit our website for the most up-to-date information.
NEW & UPCOMING!
Free summer field trips: Great Kids Farm offers free visits for summer programs serving City Schools youth! Request a trip here.
Dig Into May: Great Kids Farm School Garden Month 2021! This year, we’re bringing the farm to schools. 12 schools are signed up for in-person workshops. Follow Friends on social media to see us in action!
School Garden Salad Month: We’re collaborating with Tastewise Kids on a contest for the best recipe using school garden greens! Submit your students’ recipe by May 24 by a) posting recipe + photos on social media and tagging Friends of Great Kids Farm (@FriendsofGreatKidsFarm on Facebook, or @friendsgkf on Instagram), or b) emailing their submission to farms@bcps.k12.md.us. Recipes will be judged for creativity, seasonality and taste, and winners get an exclusive kitchen tour from Chef Zack Mills of True Chesapeake!
FREE MATERIALS
Free Ag-tivity kits for all grades: A limited number of aquaponics kits and vermicompost (worm) kits are ready for distribution (free) as teaching tools! Read about the kits here and request here.
2nd grade GKF educational package: We’ve reached more than 2/3 of 2nd grades with our take-home herb garden kits. If your school’s 2nd graders have not yet gotten kits, sign-up here!
School garden support: We are here to help with your garden! Reach out to your school's specialist to request help or learn more. For the quickest reply, look up your specialist by school in this directory or email farms@bcps.k12.md.us
DIGITAL EXPERIENCES/RESOURCES
FaceTime the Farmer sessions for all grades! Sign up here, and we can customize the visit to your classroom goals.
Digitized version of our classic Great Kids Farm field trip: This experience aligns with the 2nd grade “What Do Plants Need?” science unit, but many elements of the digitized trip could complement learning for many disciplines and grades, and teachers can use at their own pace.
What's Cookin? With free produce boxes available at many school meal sites and other hubs city-wide, we and our partners are sharing some of our favorite simple recipes here. Tips on “making the most of school meals” with MD SNAP-Ed are here – Great Kids Farm carrots have a cameo!
School Garden Toolkit: Tips and links related to all types of school gardening here.
Virtual Resource Toolkit for Green Teams: You can access them here. Find ideas for activities for your garden or green team/club.
Professional development: Virtual, in-person, and professional development experiences related to gardening, greening, and food here. Send us other relevant experiences (farms@bcps.k12.md.us) so we can share them with others.
Produce Box Recipes: Check out a series of recipes inspired by the produce boxes found at meal sites. To see a list of where to get your produce box, you can go here.
GKF YouTube channel: Videos here show students “what’s GROWin’ on” at the farm. If you have ideas for content to align with your curricular needs, please fill out this form.
Social media: Now serving up daily doses of animal videos – plus math challenges and more for your students!
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