The Homeschool Village Garden Challenge we figured this would be a great way for our children to help out with the garden and still be learning along the way!!!!!This is what they have written about the challenge!!!!
We are encouraging our community to garden by joining The HSV Garden Challenge! Even if you have one tomato plant on your back porch, herbs in your window sill, or acres for potatoes … share your plan, planting, cultivating, and harvest photos with us throughout the months of March, April, May & June — and you will be entered to win a $20 visa card to use at your local grocery store!
To participate:
Join us and share once per month March 31st, April 28st, May 26th, and June 30th – sharing your latest garden update. Include: 1 current photo, progress, lessons/resources being used, and homeschooler’s reaction / involvement!
Find out more about the Garden Challenge at the Homeschool Village. They will be hosting a monthly link-up where everyone can share what they are doing, planning and progress on their gardens and/or containers.
That being said our 1st few days looked like this, we are doing a garden preschool unit that I put together by choosing free printables off of some favorite blogs!!!! Thank you to those exceptional moms that allow us to print and teach our little sprouts with the ideas that you have provided!!!!! There are things like practice tracing cards, cutting, matching, vocab and much more. We love them I print, laminate and they both use over and over all week long in their work boxes. With units like this I try to put together baking time, science, and reading!!! So for the 1st week I went and pulled all our garden books out so they can look through and read as they want too.
We got our seeds started in the Dixie cups we planted squash, watermelon, cucumbers, etc. These will be fast growing so it will be easy for the girls to watch!!! I love activities like this as it allows the girls to work on listening and counting. It also allows them to get dirty!!!!! As many of you can see we planted a ton of melons and squash. A close family friend shared with me the idea of FRIED Flower petals from pumpkins and squash! So excited as not all these flowers will become a product. LOL I'll post the how too, when the time comes! Speaking of dirty we started preparing our garden. We burned off the old (which gave us a perfect time to talk about matches LOL and FIRE). We then cleaned out the chicken coop and yes the girls were rt in there with me. "Bugs" always says the nesting boxes are her job. She loves putting the new mulch in, and "June Bug" fills the food and water containers! We then placed this on the garden as fertilizer. We are patiently waiting for everything to be tilled in so we can start planting!!!!!
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| Sunflower seeds, this is the first year we have done these!!! I think the girlz will love watching how tall they get!!! |
Plus we have been taking very good care of our newest little chicks! The girls just do not leave them alone!!!! But maybe this is why our chickens are sooo kid friendly LOL. We have 50 more coming at the end of the month!!!!! Can you say EGG SALES!!!! I love that my children can see that hard work pays off, the chicken lays the egg, they collect, we wash, and they sell!!!! LOVE IT!!!
We also had mulch delivered this week compliments of Daddy and Grammy. We work and spread all over as the Lillies and Hosta are really up!!! The girls and I then put our herbs in and mulched around them!!!! We even planted a bunch of Peonies that were given to us by a generous lady at a garage sale that was going to mow over them!!!! (Thank you to those who give to others) . Our Ruhbarb is really getting big this year. We should have a ton for rhubarb salsa Yum Yum!!!!!
Next Our FUN News came today!!!! We have been looking for a praying mantis egg sack!!!! Now anyone that knows me realizes we do tadpole, catapillers, and much more but this is one we have never tried!!!! Plus what a wonderful way to keep the pest out of the garden!!!!! So THANKYOU to our Grandma, as she found the SCIENCE EXPLORATION part of our unit!!!! I love those small glass aquirums that u find for 5.00 at someones garage sale, they make a learning experience like no other! The girls will be glued to the tank. Soooo make sure you check back to see how the OBSERVATION goes!!!! Until then we will be waiting its arrivial!!!!
We also planted the window boxes around the patio!!!! The girls love to help and I was really amazed at how gently they are with the plants!!!! They do so well. It gives us a great view out the kitchen window, expecially since I hate to do dishes LOL maybe this will help!!!
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| June Bug loves to water, this was a nice project for her!!! |
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| Bugs Did her own planting and really did a wonderful job!!! |
What a fun week!!! To conclude we are doing a mothers day craft!!!! And hopefully finishing up some pictures!!! Hope everyone is enjoying spring!!!God Bless you all during the planting season!!!
