congradulations are in order for

audra (noobiegardener) who just passed her master gardener exam with a wopping socre of 95. let's hear it for her.

Outstanding, Audra!!!

thanks, big brother for your kind words....(oh, and I got a 90). :o) Potagere, thanks so much!

congrats! good work.

You did good girl!

Congrats for sure. I know it could not have been an easy course.

You have to change your name now! Mastergardener!

Gymgirl has it right!
Unfortunately, 'Mastergardener' is taken, but 'MastergardenerMD' is not!
Go for it!

i remember when this "newbie" firwt came to daves garden and was asking all kinds of questons about gardening. i think i even sent her some seeds and now here she is at the top of the gardening heap.

you did good sis.

Awwww.....you guys are bringing tears to my eyes! I may change my name, but not until I am an official master gardener. I don't want to jinx myself. This time next year I will be one. I can't wait to get started doing my volunteer hours!

Thanks again, guys!

What do you have in mind for your volunteer hours? If you have something special in mind, please tell us about it.

Melody,

the way it works are there are various projects already established and we cycle through each project month by month for one year. The two that I am most excited about working on are the Ask a Master Gardener program and the Afterschool Program.

I would like to come up with a program of my own to submit for next year. I work at a school for kids with learning disabilities, and a few of our children also suffer from abuse.

I was thinking of starting some sort of program specifically for these children.

How old are the kids? The age ranges might help us figure out something fantastic for them...and you.

clapping loudy... Way to go. Ya did good and I know you will do even more good in the future!11

i would think that a seed starting class would do wonders for those kids. would give them a sense of accomplishment.

whatever you plan to do i know you will be successful at.

Melody:

I am the vice principal at my school, so I work with all the ages....we have grades 1-12. So if I did something, I would separate by lower school (1-3), intermediates (4-6), uppers (7,8) and high school (9-12)

Noobie:
How many kids in this school? Do you have any "land" or access to any? I should think that, at different levels and with different "objectives", you could involve the entire school in planning and growing a garden that could offer vegetables to a local food bank, homeless shelter or 'mission' or/AND flowers to brighten a local nursing home, homeless shelter or the homes of neighbourhood shut-ins.

Kids could plan the garden around nutrition and beauty; they could learn about planning, seeding, transplanting, cultivating and harvesting; they could learn and experience community and personal involvement and responsibility; they could gain first-hand experience of success (and of failure that they can learn to live with); they could get some welcome slaps on the back, handshakes and other recognition that they have something to contribute that others value and that they are worthwhile; and they might make some useful contacts and unforgettable friends.

Just an idea.

I agree with all of the above. As an educator you are more aware than most that new attempts at anything are positively reinforced with success and quick gratification. Radishes and mesclun are very fast growing and very edible without a lot of fuss or space. They could make a salad to enjoy in class. Also those items do well in containers for the apartment dwellers. Kids with learning disabilities really need a success story in their lives and gardening can easily fill that need.

we have plenty of land around us to work with with plenty of sunlight for the plants. I was thinking lettuce as well and herbs. You guys are so wonderful to give me so many ideas.

Many schools are utilizing fruit and vegetable gardens to supplement the cafeteria food. The kids are part of the process and they learn how far the average forkful of food has to travel just to get to you. (here in the US it is 1500 miles...eeek!)

In an effort to combat childhood obesity and diabetes many schools are using their own gardens and local Farmer's Markets to help provide more nutritious foods. If these children have shaky home life, they most likely see lots of corndogs and mac and cheese. Fresh veggies would be novel.

It would be an ambitious project, but if you have plenty of land, the kids could grow some of their own produce. Cherry tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, squash, cukes, beans and peas...lots of things. Excess could be sold farm stand style (depending on local laws)

Our high school has a small greenhouse and they have a plant sale every spring, and a mum sale every fall. In the spring they sell flats of annuals and veggie starts. In the fall they have pots of mums and ornamental kale. They use the money for their annual trip to a botanical garden or arboretum.

It is just a thought, but it would give these children options...and a sense of self accomplishment to make a direct contribution to their diets...and the community.

Noobiem

Yes, some lettuces are fast and easy (and others, unfortunately, are not). Most of the leaf lettuces are easy to germinate and produce quickly. Something else that is very to start and that grows quickly are most Asian greens: pak choy, tat-soi, mizuna, and Ed Hume Seeds' wonderful 'Tendergreen' mustard.

In Spring, squash, cukes and tomatoes germinate quickly. The various "summer" squash will also give a quick return. If you've enough space, they could grow their own Hallowe'en pumpkins, plus one to sell or give away. Lemon cukes germinate quickly and, once they start to produce, they give really big yields; plus they are something the kids will probably never have seen.

these are all wonderful suggestions!!!

noobie- congratulations!
should be lots of fun working with the kids!

noobie - i can kick myself because i saw an article in the paper about exactly what you ant to do. in the article they talked about a teacher in a school for "special education" children.

she started things out by bringing her class to a local market which sold herbs and vegetables. after abouta month of these visits they got to kinow the owner who would tell them about his products.

back in school she taught them all abut howto start herbs from seed. through her contacts she was able to sell these herbs to local resturants.

records indicate that as a result of these clases the students felt better about themselves, their attendence improved greatly and they we injoying themselves more.

just thought you might be interested.

thanks, big bro! I will be using yours and other suggestions!

Newbie,
As you do so, please create a thread to tell about what you are doing, how it is going, and what seeds or other stuff you may need to help it along. I'm sure that plenty of us will be interested.

will do, Jim!

Great! We will be keen to follow your progress and to help if needed.

I will be very interested to see how this goes. Good luck!

Might I suggest a GardenPal club for the young growers in your school? Sort of like a Pen Pals for gardeners. There are DGers who may be open to corresponding with a young gardener via email, to help mentor them along. Swapping pics, tips, tricks, info, and most importantly -- SEEDS!

just a thought....Way to go MsMasterG! Hey, that's a pretty neat "handle." You may use it as your new name if you like (tee hee hee)

Gymgirl
Linda

Linda has a great idea! But you could take it a step further and have a 'class garden pal.'

Each class would have a gardener from another part of the country...or world... (how cool would that be!) That would correspond with them on a regular basis. The kids could actually write real letters (not email) and practice penmanship and composition..among other things.

that would get more classes involved with a limited number of participants, and everyone would feel included.

It would give them a window to other lives that they might not have any way of knowing about.....just a thought...

Excellent, Melody! I know a few European gardeners who are not DGers who would do this!

Ok, another revision to a great idea. I like the idea of a Class pen pal, only I think the mentor might ideally be a gardener in the class's growing zone for optimum teaching/learning. It was hard enough for me to identify what grows when, where and best in the Houston Zone 9a until I was picked up by a GODSENT guru in Zone 9a who is mentoring me along...just a thought...international is good, perhaps after the kids learn a thing or two about growing something successfully in their own zone...

just a consideration...

Good point.

And, having a DGer in proximity to the school, might facilitate a trip or two there so the GardenPals could make their acquaintance. Also, since these are special needs kids, there may be DGers in the area with a heart for the kids, as well as for the garden...especially those kids who have been through traumatic experiences.

Sometimes, caring for another living thing will bring them out, and having someone care for them as a person of value will bring them out even more...our DGers are FULL of love!

This message was edited Nov 14, 2008 2:30 PM

A blend of all of these ideas may be a very impressive (and ambitious) project. And give these kids a sense of accomplishment and self-worth.

hey sis - you didn't thank that when i started this thread you were only going to get a few congrats and that was it did you??

wow such wonderful ideas!

Well, I will be going to our extension coordinator to with quite a few ideas in hand. But don't be discouraged if you don't see anything for a while. I have to get approval.

I am so excited about this!

How wonderful, noobie! Good going!