In the first few months of school, the children were very busy in the garden. They weeded, added amendments to the soil, and planted seeds in both the veggie bed and greenhouse. However even though the garden slows down in winter, we still have plenty to do! We have been learning about plant life cycles, seed travel, composting, worms and photosynthesis. Second grade, specifically, has embarked on a year long bird unit. With the help of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology curriculum, we learned about crows, house sparrows, robins and red-winged black birds. It has been a lot of fun spotting these common birds around our campus. A huge highlight in gardening for all the grades has been getting outside and creating art together. The children have been so excited about it, that it’s hard to stop sometimes. We are so grateful to have outdoor space to spread out and draw the trees, plants and birds around us. Each classroom has “adopted a tree” to observe in each season. So far, they have painted their classroom trees in watercolors, chalk and oil pastels. We’ve even painted and printed with leaves!