This satellite garden was established on May 23rd, 2013. We love the idea of having a great hands-on educational resource onsite! A parent approached us with the idea and we were very excited to try it. Not only is it an academic tool for our students; it's a community service project and it's beautiful!
Our garden is about 15x15 feet, located next to the field we use for recess and phys ed. We put it in a spot that is easy to get to but a safe enough distance from kids at play, and has adequate shade and wind resistance from some bushes and walls. We are located in a neighborhood and the garden is visible from the sidewalk so passers-by can enjoy it, too. Students, teachers, parents and master gardeners are involved in this project.
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Since the garden was started, we have learned that it loves rain! We are new to this, so I am sure we will learn a lot in the coming months. We had an initial presentation from the Master Gardeners before we planned and created the garden. We are planning a pollinator unit for 5/6 grade in the fall which will include many visits to the garden for observation and lessons, and a visit from master gardeners. We were excited to put in a very small "pond" for the pollinators and other "visitors."
We are very excited to be a part of this program and look forward to utilizing the garden in many ways. We have also inspired people connected with the school (families and teachers) to think about creating gardens at home! We are hoping to fundraise this year to expand our garden's size and put in some tables nearby for classroom and recreational use.