Project 5: Make a Garden from Recycled Materials

Recycled Garden Project – Illustration ©2021 Margie King, All rights reserved

Primary Focus: Science, Conservation

Duration: One month

Timing: Spring (start seedlings early, in the classroom)

• Students collect and clean plastic beverage bottles to use as germination pots.
• Students paint old tires to use as garden beds.
• Students plan and prepare a school or community space for the garden.
• Students plant and grow flower, vegetable and herb plants from seeds.
• Possible sponsors: LOWE’S, Home Depot, Walmart.
• Parents, local builders, farmers, landscapers and Master Gardeners could provide planning and planting support. Extra dirt and mulch will help.
• Stack old tires to build walls and places to sit.
• If plastic bottles have lids, fill similar-sized plastic bottles with sand, rocks or dirt and stack them to form walls.
• Bury filled bottles close together, side-by-side and upside down, halfway in the dirt, to edge flower beds.
• If necessary, plastic zip ties are convenient and economical ways to tie bottles together, and they’re available in bulk from most hardware stores.

MAKE IT EPIC:

Gardens can be assembled and disassembled easily on school grounds, but securing a public place is even more exciting for students. Possible venues include local libraries, retirement centers, and hospitals. Even if public places aren’t available, invite the hospital or retirement center’s landscaper or gardener to talk to the class about their jobs and what grows best in the region.

Students can apply for endorsement as a “Certified Wildlife Habitat” from the National Wildlife Federation. Follow the steps online at http://www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife/Create-a-Habitat.aspx, and receive a plaque.

Check out a creative recycled public garden attached to a wall at: http://www.recyclart.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/vertical-garden-bottles-sao-paulo-1.jpg

See a greenhouse made of plastic bottles at: https://dengarden.com/landscaping/How-to-Build-a-Greenhouse-Made-From-Plastic-Bottles

Project 4: Plan and Budget for a Nutritious Picnic

Picnic Project – Illustration ©2021 Margie King, All rights reserved

Primary Focus: Math and Nutrition

Duration: One week to one month

Timing: End of the year

• Students will plan and shop for a class picnic.
• They will decide on the most nutritious and economical food by consulting parents and a Guest Nutritionist.
• Students will count crowds, multiply food ingredients, and develop a budget.
• For example, they will decide: How many sandwiches? How many apples? How much juice?
• Students will shop for groceries, prepare, and conduct the picnic.
• Possible sponsor: Wegman’s, Gerrity’s, Giant, COSTCO or Walmart.
• Meteorology: students monitor the weather and decide what day and time would be best for the picnic.
• Arts & Crafts: Students create invitations and posters to announce the event.

MAKE IT EPIC:

Incorporate variety in the menu. Prior to the picnic, explore a specific food like tomatoes or peanuts and all the different ways it can be prepared. Or explore different types of foods by having parents or local restaurant owners speak to the class about specific cuisines  like Indian, Italian, vegetarian, Mexican, diabetic, Japanese or Middle Eastern, for example. Talk about breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in different cultures, and if possible, have students sample different foods.

Plan a picnic for an organization like a local retirement facility or rehabilitation center where the number of participants is predictable and students can work with a staff nutritionist or cook. Students could talk to participants about their favorite foods, then help plan the menu and prepare the food.

Or plan a picnic for the community by partnering with a local Lion’s Club or Rotary Club. Require tickets so the number of participants is predictable. Selling tickets will provide additional practical math experience for students. Depending on merchandise and funding partnerships with grocery stores or local agencies, determine ticket prices to reimburse costs. In the case of a community picnic, display students’ posters at local businesses. Choose a venue like a public park or community library parking lot. Local banks often support public schools and will allow the picnic to take place in the bank parking lot.