Dee McKenna

Learning Garden 8: Plant Selection
Choosing what and where to plant takes research and thought. I have compiled a list of things we took into consideration when we selected the plants that will transform the courtyard into a platform for hands-on learning through nature.
Cultivating More Than Soil
As a mom, my happiest moments are when we are working together as a family. That often happens in our little backyard garden. My husband and I work side-by-side showing our three daughters how to nurture the earth for a bountiful harvest. Through this experience, we cultivate much more than soil. Life lessons such as delayed gratification, problem solving, collaboration, hard work, and more.
Learning Garden 6: Building
The educational and environmental impact of an outdoor classroom and learning garden is not easily measured, but it certainly can be measured by a smile when they bite into a freshly picked apple.
Learning Garden 5: Volunteers
Have you heard the joke, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time”? I might add, “with a lot of volunteers!” That’s how this garden project is going; we tackle one step at a time. First the vision, then the fundraising, and now the building: All of this is accomplished with the help of parent volunteers. We can hardly wait to see our kids learning in the outdoor classroom! Until then, we have skid loaders, scaffolding, tools and piles of dirt.
Learning Garden 4: Designing the Garden
As I drive to the grocery store, I pass a school with an outdoor classroom and learning garden. I have often been envious of the space and considered how lucky they are to have it. A few years ago, the school principal contacted the Extension Office asking for help from the Master Gardeners. Despite having an amazing resource, only one (yes, one) teacher uses the space. An incredible resource left fallow and neglected by most of the staff. How can this happen? What went wrong? Why aren’t they using it?
Learning Garden 2: Long-Term Sustainability
After a week of rain, progress on Benton’s Backyard outdoor classroom and learning garden can be seen. Sunburnt and covered in dirt, a few hard working dads framed up the sidewalks, shed floor, pergola floor and mow strips in preparation for concrete to be poured. Our students returned from spring break to witness all of the changes.
Learning Garden 1: Overview
Back in September of 2010, I started a new journey with my local elementary school, and now I would like you to join me on this journey, as I create a series of blogs that describes how a school and its community built an outdoor classroom and learning garden in 2012.
Starting Seeds Part 2: Simple PVC Light Stand
A simple PVC pipe light stand is a relatively inexpensive way to construct an effective plant stand. I bought all of the supplies for $39.15 and it took me about 20 minutes to cut the PVC and assemble the light stand (that with a toddler sitting on my lap).
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