December/January: Waiting Out the Long Winter

As winter descends, we bid farewell to the 2010 Discovery Garden.  Most of our raised beds now lay fallow until Spring 2011, with the notable exception of the winter wheat crop that 4th graders planted in November.  Wheat has been a staple crop of many societies as far back as Ancient Egypt, where it was grown along the banks of the Nile River.  Our seeds germinated quickly after planting, and their bright green shoots quickly grew to a height of nearly four inches before the garden soil froze in early December.  These shoots now lay dormant until the spring thaw, when they will awaken, rapidly grow taller, and add shockingly vibrant green color to the early spring garden.  By June, they will lose their green color and morph into the "amber waves of grain" for which our "America, the Beautiful" is so famous.  Students will harvest and dry the wheat stalks, and then thresh and winnow the wheat from the chaff. 

"Who Will Help Me Bake the Bread?" asked the Little Red Hen.  This summer, Mrs. Occhuizzo took our 2010 Discovery Garden dried winter wheat kernels to the mill and had them ground into whole wheat flour.  In December and January, Kindergarten used the flour to bake fresh whole wheat bread!  Unlike in the tale of the Little Red Hen, the work of planting, growing, harvesting, threshing, milling, and baking our bread was a cooperative effort.  And of course, so was the process of eating it! YUM.

Sunflower Seed Bird Feeders for Terra Centre's Winter Birds 

To continue the cycle of life in the garden through the cold winter months, Mrs. Occhuizzo also worked with Kindergarten in December to make birdfeeders for the many winter birds that call the Discovery Garden their snowy, winter home.  Students used the dried seeds from our Mammoth Sunflowers that loomed over our summer garden in August.  We are happy to report that the Terra Centre cardinals, chickadees, and robin populations are quite well fed and very happy with their young Kindergarten friends!

Native American Miniature Popcorn--POP!  They planted it.  They grew it. They harvested it. They popped it!  2nd grade enjoyed popping the multi-colored kernels from our miniature Native American Popcorn this winter, which 4th grade harvested this fall in support of their studies on Native American cultures and Virginia History.  Students rubbed the dried ears together to remove the hardened kernels, and watched them pop in a real-life popcorn maker!  It was intersting for many of the students to see that this well-known, tasty treat can be made without a paper bag and a microwave! Who knew?

Virginia History Colonial Fair:  In December, 4th grade participated in the second annual Terra Centre Colonial Fair as part of their social studies unit on Virginia History.  For a 2nd year, Leigh Muto, a Terra Centre parent and active Discovery Gardener, attended the fair armed with her spinning wheel. She demonstrated to the students how to spin natural fibers (like the Monticello cotton we grow in the Discovery Garden) into cloth.  Students also performed the Virginia Reel for parents.

Natural Dyes from Marigolds:  Mrs. Occhuizzo also taught 4th graders how to dye natural cloth using the dried marigold flowers from the summer Discovery Garden.  These marigolds were grown from seed last February as part of the 6th grade gardening elective.  Students then transplanted the seedlings in a perimeter around each of the raised beds in May, where they stood as sentries all summer long to ward off invasive insects, which are detered by the scent of the marigolds--organic pest control! They were then picked and dried to be used in coloring cotton fabric, in the same manner used by the early settlers of Virginia. 

The International Journey North Tulip Project--When will spring arrive at Terra Centre?

1st grade's Journey North tulip bulbs are safely tucked under the frozen ground, and we are anxiously awaiting their emergence as a tool for measuring the arrival of spring.  Did you know that a tulip bulb must be exposed to at least two months of cold temperatures in order to emerge and bloom?  This is why some Journey North tulip gardens in Florida did not report emergence or bloom dates at all last year.  Once the winter snow melts, our 1st grade environmental scientists will need to keep a watchful eye on their tulip garden. When will spring arrive in Burke, VA?  Each 1st grader made a prediction of exactly what day they think their tulips will emerge.  We'll see if anyone guesses the correct date!  Check out the the interactive online Journey North map pattern to discovery patterns for the arrival of spring across North America: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/tulips_spring2011.html.