Summer Garden Gathering :: 2

At this week's summer garden gathering, we watered the dry soil and drying plants, harvested a few beans, read several books about the seed to plant process, shared some freshly picked local blueberries, and made our own garden observation journals from recycled materials. If you missed making the journals, there are many online resources to help you make one of your own.

www.makingbooks.com has several different journal types that could be used for a garden observation journal. We made a modified Stick and Elastic Book recycling a cereal box for the cover and using a magnolia twig for the stick.

You could also use the instructions on the www.kidsgardening.com website here. This journal is slightly more involved to make, but the helping hands of a parent could make it possible. If you make a journal on your own at home, please bring it to the garden to show the rest of us and to use for your observations!

The books we read and perused were from the Jackson-Hinds Library System. We checked these out from the Willie Morris Branch from the 580's of the children's section. The children at our gathering would have read every book if we had let them! They were so interested in the illustrations and photographs and hungry to learn more about plants. The last book we read was about hungry plants or carnivorous plants. Everyone was fascinated and learned something new. If you have gardening books at home or visit a public library to check some out, bring them to share with our gardening group!

Lastly, here are some ideas for how to use your hand-made field journal:

• Choose a plant and observe it every day or once a week for a period of time. Really look at it closely. Measure it and record its growth. Sketch it. Photograph it. Ask questions about it.
• Write poetry about a plant, gardening, or eating something from the garden.
• Write a short story about a gardening experience.
• Make plans for what you might want to plant next in your garden.
• Collect photos of plants from seed catalogs, newspapers, or magazines.
• Record things you learn about plants from gardening books checked out of the library. A librarian can help you find fiction and nonfiction books about plants or gardening.
• Include a recipe you used to prepare something harvested from the garden.
• Write from a specific perspective (other than your own), such as that of worm tunneling under their green oasis.
• Find a spot outside and sit quietly for 5 minutes. Use your senses to absorb the scene and then record observations, ideas, and feelings. What do you hear, see, smell, taste, feel?
• Doodle, draw, paint, collage, reflect. . .
  
• What ideas do you have?

You can bring your field journal to the garden each week to share with the group and to continue your observations about the progress of the garden. If you keep your field journal all summer, you will have something to share with your new classmates and your new teacher when you start school in August! You can also share it at our Summer's Celebration on August 5th, 2009!

It is not too late to join the work and fun of the Casey Garden! If you are interested, post a comment below. Everyone is welcome. Coming next Wednesday: a field trip to the Tougaloo Sustainable Community Garden!