Today, April 22, 2013 is Earth Day.
How do you plan on celebrating?
‘Be Green’ Category
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Apr222013
Happy Earth Day!!
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Apr112013
Are you going on a bug hunt?
“We’re going on a bug hunt, a bug hunt, a bug hunt. What do you think we’ll find? There’s a spotted dotted ladybug and a buzzing bumble bee. Or look inside the hollow tree—there’s no telling what you’ll see!”
It’s Spring. The flowers and trees are blooming. Perfect time for a bug hunt.
Bug Hunt by Neecy Twinem is an interactive literary adventure, where you never know what you might find just under the rock or between a rose petal.
Click here to bring this adventure to your classroom today.
Want to continue the bug hunting adventure outside in the garden or school yard? Turn kids into expert bug hunters with an Adventure Kids Bug Catcher Set. Kids can safely capture bugs and view them to see what they really look like.
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Mar222012
Nutty about Nature
“Nutty about Nature,” is what the Pekin Park District (Peoria, Illinois) calls its preschool outdoor program that includes instruction in reading, writing and math.
Lesson plans may include reading nature-related books; counting, dissecting and planting seeds; playing educational games relating to plants and animals; cooking; and hiking. The class pets are red wiggler worms in a worm farm that teach the kids about recycling by turning food scraps and other organic garbage into nutrient-rich soil.
“We’re empowering these kids to be leaders and good stewards of the land,” said preschool teacher Beth Wenger.
Last week, the preschoolers planted garlic cloves in one of several gardens Wenger created with camp kids last summer and then hiked a half-mile trail in search of a jar of honey that had mysteriously disappeared from the classroom.
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Mar212012
Make Your Own Seed Tapes
Spring is the busiest time in the garden, and any way you can save time is welcome. It’s easy and fun, and it saves time and money at planting time.
A seed tape is a strip of biodegradable paper with globs of adhesive in which you’ve sown seeds at the recommended spacing. Water dissolves the paper and adhesive, so the seeds germinate exactly where you want them.
Here’s what you need to make seed tapes
plain white paper towels
scissors, a yardstick, a pencil,
white glue
sealable plastic bags
seeds, both flower and vegetable seeds work well with this system
tweezers (optional)
food color if you want to color code your seed tapes (optional)How to make seed tapes
- Thoroughly wash your hands and the counter where you will work. This thwarts “damping off” and other maladies that seeds can get.
- Unroll paper toweling to the length you want your rows. But be aware that if they’re much longer than three feet they seem to develop a mind of their own.
- Cut the toweling lengths into strips one inch or more wide. The wider paper stops other maverick seeds from sprouting and causing competition with the seeds you want to grow.
- With a yardstick and pencil draw a line down the middle of each strip. On your first seed packet find how far apart those seeds should be sown. Make X’s on your line that far apart. Write the name and variety at the top of the strip. Do the same with your other strips.
- Put a drop of glue on each X. For large seeds make it a big drop.
- Place a seed on each drop, using tweezers if this is hard to do. Cover the seed with another drop of glue. Do the same thing with your other seeds.
- Dry the seed tapes thoroughly, then roll them up and seal them in plastic bags. Label each bag with the name and variety of the seeds or, trust me, you’ll find rutabagas growing in your flowerbed and hollyhocks in with your vegetables.
Planting your seed tapes
When the weather has settled and it’s time to plant your seeds, prepare your beds, smoothing the lumps out. Dig shallow furrows and unroll your seed tapes into them. Cover them with about a ¼ inch of fine soil or sand. Water gently and keep the areas moist until your seedlings appear. They’ll be as straight and evenly placed as soldiers on parade. (That was a welcome surprise in my garden.)
This is a fun project you can tackle when you want to garden and the weather is too unsettled to work outside. It is also a good way to introduce children to gardening by letting them help make seed tapes. Children are then eager to see their flowers and veggies appear and to help harvest them.
A fascinating project for older children is to take an opened sheet of newspaper (preferably the want ads) and let them write their name on it very large with magic marker. Make X’s on their name as far apart as the seeds should be placed. Short plants like alyssum, lobelia, dwarf marigolds and zinnias are good choices. Plant the sheets of paper where they want their names to appear in living color and you’ll be surprised at how willing they are to weed those beds!
Originally published on HubPages by Dotnik
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Mar142012
Natural Way to Keep Ants Away
Sprinkle cinnamon wherever ants are outside. Put cinnamon in used applesauce cups and place them in the back of pantries. Puree orange peels in a blender and mix it in soil where ants live. They usually come out after watering flower beds. Plant a citronella geranium. Smells great and keep the ants away. No need for toxic pesticides.
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