On June 10, two of our PLG schools, 811X and 94M, participated in the Leave it Better Film Festival at the New York Botanical Garden. Their films were shown on the big screen, and they participated in outdoor activity stations including making chlorophyll prints with spinach leaves and learning about seed dispersal with Greg.
On May 6 and 13, Plant-Learn-Grow teachers had a special workshop at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. They visited the Edible Garden, sifted compost, and made indoor worm bins. They also had a great time!
Last week, 811X held a two day Garden Event that included every class in the school. Students planted, watered, sifted compost, constructed hydroponic systems, designed signs, and created paintings and poetry inspired by nature. Outdoor classrooms were set-up for painting and arts, and musical performances had everyone dancing. For two days, the horticulture team turned the school into an interactive and fun outdoor learning space. It was awesome!
As part of Family Day at 754X this past Saturday, teachers and students built chicken coops for their new fine feathered friends that are hatching!
Jeremy K of 721X writes that “We have 300 plus plants started. We’re comparing florescent and LED lighting.”
Congratulations to the 811X Horticulture team for their workshop on “Seed Harvesting in the Classroom” presented at the City Grower’s Education Conference on Saturday, February 27. They led an incredible workshop and represented D75 and Plant Learn Grow to the fullest!
Check out the amazing Stephen Ritz in this NPR segment called How a Great Teacher Cultivates Veggies (And Kids) in the Bronx. Go Steve!!
Last week, PLG visited NYC’s first Net Zero School, PS 62, The Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability at Sandy Ground. It was awesome! We saw bikes that generate power for the building, nearly 2,000 solar panels, and green technology used in lighting and classrooms that we have never seen before . The building even uses geothermal wells for heat and AC. In case you are wondering, “net zero” means that the school will produce as much energy as it uses. Big thanks to Principal Lisa Sarnicola for showing us around.
Plant Learn Grow would like to congratulate Mr. Ketler Louissaint on his new position as Superintendant IA for District 75. Mr. Louissaint has been a strong supporter of our schools’ gardening efforts for a long time. We hope he’s not too busy to plant with us again this spring!
Plant, Learn, Grow is pleased to announce the launch of the Virtual Seed Bank (VSB), which can be accessed from our website’s menu. Here’s how it works:
The VSB is a catalogue that tells you which seeds are available from other D75 schools. At the moment, we are cataloguing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and companion plants.
If your school has seeds to share, please email telling us which seeds you have and any relevant information about the plant. If possible, also include an image of the plant and/or seeds.
Teachers will be able to visit the VSB and contact teachers directly with requests for seeds.
d75plantlearngrow.com 