|
|
D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School (ages 4-9)
This program provides weekly workshops for grades K – 3, that ties the garden to the school’s curricular standards and objectives. During these workshops participants enrich their reading, math and science skills as they maintain the gardens and work on grade-appropriate projects. Students work in the CentroNia garden in addition to supplementary classroom workshops from October to June. Class projects include: Life cycles of plants and insects, composting, vegetable gardening and mapping. Also, a recent highlight of the program was the fostering of a relationship between the student gardeners and a local working farm. Several of the teachers in CentroNia have used the garden independently as a tool for their classes and projects, especially the visual art and photography program. The garden also provides a peaceful space for staff and children to explore and even sit and eat lunch!
|
| Summer and After School (ages 4-18)
The youth involved with the garden range from Kindergarteners to teenagers, and each group gains particular knowledge of the plants and their uses through fun, exploratory activities. The purposes of the workshops are to help maintain the gardens while aligning with themes that connect gardening to healthy daily living. Some of the recent themes have been: The Garden Spot: where kids are the gardeners, chefs and diners of their very own restaurant; Gorgeous Gardens: Making functional garden art; and Growing A Business: youth entrepreneurs create organic, herb-based products to sell locally.
|
|
|
Pre-K Incentive Program (ages 3-5)
The garden at 11th and Harvard St., in N.W. Washington is two years old, not much younger than the participants within this CentroNia satellite program housed at the adjacent Carlos Rosario Career Center and Public Charter School. The classes at this location are for 3, 4 and 5 year olds, and use reading, movement, and art to create an early connection to nature and the cycle of growth, as well as classifying and identifying various plants. For such a young garden, there is a surprising amount of variety – a butterfly garden, various fruit and vegetable plots, a 5-senses area, a composting system, and an outdoor classroom. Classes run year-round.
|
|
|
Barbara Chambers Children's Center (Past Project)
During the summers of 2000-2004 there was an incredibly bountiful garden in the play yard of BCCC. At this location there was a rotating group of children who learned how the garden related to the local community by interviewing neighbors, family members and local businesses. This project also included a year-long collaboration with a kindergarten class from the Capital City Charter School.
|
| Special Events:
City Blossoms enthusiastically works with teachers and after-school/summer camp counselors to organize school-wide celebrations and events that promote environmental and community stewardship. Some of our past events have been the Winter Extravaganza: a fair where groups designed and led hands-on activities such as a free-market, bulb sale and photography exhibit; Whole Foods Farmer’s Market Sale: youth entrepreneurs participated in a farmers market, selling their hand-made wares to the local community. To see pictures of the Farmer’s Market, check out cityblossoms.blogspot.com.
|
|
