October Wellness~ Walk to School and Garden Updates

We are embracing the month of October at FES with outdoor wellness activities. Students from Grades 1-5 walked to school on the first Tuesday in October. We believe that students are more attentive when they start the day with some physical activity.  An Eagle Scout Project was completed by Falmouth high school student  Peter Morrisette. He  built and installed a new handicapped accessible garden bed along with 2 hoop house covers that will allow us to extend the garden season. We appreciate and recognize Peter for his excellent workmanship and lasting gift to the Learning Garden.  Check out the pictures of our outdoor October activities.

A morning walk to School

The new handicapped accessible raised garden bed

Hoop house Covers

Bullfrog sighted by Mrs. Merrifield's class

2nd Grade Dahlias are still blooming

Bree Bianchi and the miniature carrot 

Good morning, morning glories

Beautiful Veggies

Showing off the garden produce!

Who Has Been Seen In The Garden?

Many teachers are taking advantage of beautiful fall weather to use the garden as their classroom. The entire first grade shucked hundreds of ears of corn during Maine Harvest Lunch Week. Other classes have used the Garden for observations that have led to writings and drawings. 

Our school wide pumpkin contest began on Oct. 1. There are two large pumpkins in the garden, named Nick and Penny. The challenge is on for each class to estimate the weight and number of seeds in each pumpkin. Math and science lessons will lead to their conclusions. The winners will be announced later in October. Our photos tell us WHO HAS BEEN SEEN IN THE GARDEN.

Ms. Conley harvesting purple beans

The Cutest Carrot ever!

Hardworking 1st graders with Mrs. Goldman,Mrs. Meserve& Mrs. Edwards

Superintendent Bruno and Mrs. Walker

Mrs. Poliquin & first grade 

Mrs. Farmer and Kindergarten students drawing in the garden

Mrs. Arsenault and the Pumpkin Contest

Estimating the weight of the pumpkin

Pumpkin vines donated by Mrs. Penrod

Mrs. Clay with garden flowers

Mrs. Daigle's class

Cafeteria decorations from the garden

Integrating the Garden into School, Fall 2014

The first three weeks of school have been beautiful in the garden. Students have harvested tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, delicata squash and carrots from the raised beds. Next week many of these vegetables will be used in our school cafeteria for MAINE HARVEST LUNCH WEEK. Teachers are integrating the garden into their curriculum in many ways. The pictures below tell the story of the FES Learning Garden, September 2014.

1st grade Pizza Garden

Produce transported to the cafeteria

K/5 Rainbow Garden

Garden Flowers Decorate the Front Lobby

Math Studies in the Garden

3rd Grade Garden Poetry

Rainbow Carrots!

Carrot Harvesting

First Grade gets an unexpected insect lesson- a tomato hornworm!

WELCOME BACK TO OUR FALL GARDEN 2014

It has been a great summer for gardening. The FES Learning Garden is ready for students to return to school. This summer we donated tomatoes, beans and cucumbers to the Falmouth Food Pantry. The recipients at the Food Pantry were very appreciative to receive these lovely vegetables. Soon students will be harvesting vegetables for their school lunch. Enjoy the pictures of our late summer garden.

The entrance to the butterfly garden 

Sensory Garden is flourishing

Indigo blue tomatoes

K/5 Rainbow Garden

Where is this big pumpkin?

Special Ed. students planted this bed

Beautiful dahlias in the 2nd grade bed

Welcome Back to Fall!

The Garden is Prepped and Planted

May has been a busy month at the elementary learning garden. An irrigation system was installed thanks to a grant from FEF and other earnings from the Garden Club and Seed Sale.  Fifth grade Girl Scouts helped spread compost (from Garbage to Garden) and erosion mulch on the lower garden slope. Other 5th grade students spent a recess period spreading mulch in the butterfly garden. All of the raised beds were planted this week by students, teachers and our master gardener, Alora Carrier.
A special thanks is extended to Tom Raatikainen, for handcrafting and installing our twig trellises. 

The raised bed themes are:

• K/5 = Rainbow Garden
• 1st grade= Pizza Garden
• 2nd grade= Dahlia Garden
• 3rd grade= Climbing Garden
• 4th grade = Stew Garden

The pictures below tell the story of our fun and fruitful May prep and planting. Please join us on Sat., May 31 for our Plant Sale which begins at 9 am and our Wellness Festival at 10:30. Funds raised from these events will benefit our school gardens and the elementary playground.

Girl Scouts spreading compost

Master Gardener helps us plant the Rainbow Garden

Planting the Stew Garden

Hard working Girl Scouts

Aerial view of the Learning Garden

5th grade help

5th graders spreading mulch

Trellis Installation 

2nd grade dahlia planting

1st grade plants the pizza garden

A sign of healthy soil!

The Garden is Waking Up

Spring has finally come to Falmouth and our garden is waking up. The daffodils that we planted last fall blossomed beautifully this week. Our first Spring Community Programs After School Garden Club met. Club Kids  cleaned out hay from the Raised Beds and began the design for the permanent garden sign. 

I would like to recognize two people outside of school who are donating generous time and energy to the learning garden. Our master gardener, Alora Carrier helped us develop ideas and plantings for the grade level raised beds. She will be guiding us as we plant each raised bed this spring.  Garden Plans were designed and painted by Deb Train of Coastal Earth and Arts, Culinary Garden Installation. See Deb's beautiful water color garden plans in the photos below. For more information on Coastal Earth and Arts contact Deb at CEAGardens@yahoo.com, 207-214-8500.

Daffodils planted by students last fall

Clean Up Crew

Working hard

Seed starters

Designing the Garden Sign

Garden Plan Drawings by Deb Train of Coastal Earth and Arts

The Falmouth School Gardens are sponsoring a Plant Sale on Sat. May 31 from 9-11 am at the Elementary School Garden. Come support us and purchase plants at the same time. We will have annual flowers,vegetables,herbs,perennials, lilacs and forsythia. Please bring cash or checks. All proceeds benefit your school gardens.

Prior to the sale we are asking for donations of perennials from the following list:
Astilbe, Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susan, Bleeding Heart, Catmint, Coneflower,Coral bells, Coreopsis, Creeping Phlox, Dianthus, Garden Phlox, Hosta, Irises, Lady's Mantle, Lilies, Day-Lilies, Mayapple, Sedum, Shasta Daisy and Roses. These plants should be brought to the elementary school garden before Friday, May 30. Please contact Sue Raatikainen (sraatikainen@falmouthschools.org) or Alora Carrier, Master Gardener (alora.carrier@gmail.com) if you are able to donate plants for our sale.

The Wellness Team and the PTO are also sponsoring a Wellness Festival on Sat. May 31 form 10:30 to 2:30. This event will include a Fun Run, Wellness Village, Rainbow Stew Storywalk, Kids Fitness and Crafts, live music and food trucks. Proceeds will be used to build a natural playspace on the FES playground. Watch for more information on the upcoming facebook page (www.facebook.com/FalmouthWellness).

Mark your calendar for this fun-filled day at FES to promote school grounds and gardening! Check our blog regularly to watch our garden and playground grow.