Posts filed under ‘Park Crossing’
Youth Post: Veggie Adventure – Sprinkles the Cucumber
Sprinkles: Hello! I’m Sprinkles, Cucumber.
Sprinkles: I live on a farm. It looks pretty. If feel hot.
Sprinkles: I like to fly and play because she never did before.
Sprinkles: This is my best veggie friend, Sprinkledinkle.
Sprinkledinkle: Hi! Iam a cucumber.
Sprinkle: When we are together we play together.
Sprinkledinkle: We play because we are friends.
Sprinkle: Sprinkledinkle is a good friend because he is good to people.
By: Sukura
Week 5: Exploring the Blog
As you might have noticed below, this week we added a few youth-generated blog posts! After learning what a blog was and the uses for it, Sacdiya and Fardowsa added their mad-libs story from last week while Khaliifo created something completely new! Everyone was very interested in learning more and adding their own work to our page, so be on the look out for more youth posts, coming soon! 
Tutor Holly helping Sacdiya with her blog post!
Khaliifo and her story
This week we also created vegetable puppets, which the kids loved! Here’s a few shots from the activity:
This one could even talk!
Youth Post: A Sad Fish
Once upon a time there was a fish named Nancy. Nancy had a tummy ache so she ate some healthy food. Then she felt better!
By,
Khaliifo and Amanda
Youth Post: The Adventures of the Very Hungry Dolphin
There once was a dolphin who lived in the Maxfield gardens. Its name was Glitter, and it was silver and heart shaped. It likes to swim during the day and dive with its friends at night. On a bright, sunny morning, Glitter woke up and was very, very hungry and went on a search for food in the garden.
In the garden, she found a lollipop, carrots, strawberries, watermelon, chocolate cake, and lettuce. She went in the ocean to play with her friends after her big breakfast. Her friends Pink, Blue Green, and Silver said, “You look cool.”
“Thanks,” Glitter replied. They went for a swim together. Then they got hungry. They wanted to eat chocolate cake, watermelon, strawberries, and lollipops. Then for a healthy dinner, they had tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots.
The End
By Sacdiya, Fardowsa, and Holly
Week 5: Master Gardeners!
This week we were fortunate enough to be visited by two master gardener volunteers! The ladies were just in time to witness our first harvest as well–the radishes were ready to be picked! Here’s a look at the finished product:
They tasted as good as they looked!
After our harvest and some reading time, the Master Gardeners taught us all about bugs through a fun and interactive presentation! First we learned about the parts of an insects body…
And afterwards, every kid got to try on the bug costume for themselves!
Looking "fly" with our Master Gardeners
We learned that although bugs can sometimes seem scary, they are actually very helpful to us and our garden! Did you know that bees pollinate 1/3 of the foods we eat? Thanks to the Master Gardeners, we do now!
Week 4: Radishes, Caterpillars and Adjectives
Week 4 of Roots ‘n Reading has come and gone, announcing the halfway mark of our program! If only summer would teach winter how to move so quickly! While the kids and tutors were improving their reading skills one book at a time, I took a trek out to the garden to to document how our plants are coming along! Here are a few photos from my trip:
Raquel proving you're never too young to fall in love with reading!
Freshest lettuce around!
Well hey there, little radish!
All in all, the garden is looking great! All these veggie pictures were making me hungry–just like a certain caterpillar we learned about next! Today we did a group reading project, where the children were given the opportunity to interact with the story while they heard it to help improve comprehension. As a group we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Each child was given an illustration of a food item, and when the hungry caterpillar in the story ate their item they could “feed” it to our model caterpillar. The kids were quick to point out that many of the foods the caterpillar was so fond of were the same veggies growing in our garden!
Feeding the very hungry caterpillar!
After we finished the book, the kids were given the chance to create their own hungry creature story! Using a mad-libs type worksheet, the kids worked with their tutors to think of various nouns, verbs and adjectives to complete their own story! The students then identified healthy foods their creature might eat from of list of our garden vegetables. Keep your eyes peeled for a student example of this activity– coming soon!
Paul and Chuy deciding what to name their very hungry creature!
Week 3: Vegetable Grill Out!
Today we were able to enjoy the fruits of our gardening labor with a vegetable grill out! Unfortunately the cool weather we experienced earlier in the season has delayed the growth of our plants, so this week we had to settle for store-bought veggies. The kabobs, salad and fresh fruit were delicious all the same, and made us even more excited to taste our own garden vegetables.
A look at our veggie kabobs
After our healthy snacks, we spent the evening enjoying the steamy summer weather–with water balloons! Here’s a great shot of the action:
Watch out for that water balloon, Paul!
And of course, there was plenty of fun to be had on the playground! Our grill out was a great way to celebrate the hot weather and the hard work we’ve put into our garden. Next week it’s back to the books and the potting soil, so check back soon!
The swings are always a favorite!
Week 3: Field Trip to St. Anthony Park Community Garden!
Today was a very exciting day for everyone! After reading time, the group went on a field trip to the St. Anthony Park Community Garden. Waiting for us was a volunteer who took us on a tour of the garden, pointing out different plants and animals along the way. From behind my camera lens, it was very special to see how the kids’ experiences last week planting their own garden helped them to understand the work that these gardeners put into their crops. The kids were given a scavenger hunt to complete during the tour, identifying plants and answering questions about them. It was interesting to see the excitement that arose from someone spotting a strawberry, or how intently they listened as the volunteer explained how the scent of marigolds kept deer from eating the plants. All in all, the trip was a great success! Check out a few pictures below:
Week 2: Finally, a Day in the Garden!
Things are looking up for the gardens at Park Crossing! After reading time and a few games of Vegetable Memory, the kids and volunteers headed out to the garden to do some planting. Here are some pictures from our gardening!
Planting seeds
De-potting Tomato Plants
That's one way to water the plants...
The kids learned how to plant seeds and live plants, as well as the importance of following directions. Different seeds needed to be planted different ways, and not following the process could harm the plant. The kids also learned how to tend to the plants, including correct water amounts. Next week the group is taking a field trip to the St. Anthony Park Community Gardens! Come back on Tuesday for more photos
