One Small Square in the Outdoor Classroom

Ms Rascoe’s fourth grade science classes come out to the Jamestown Courtyard "outdoor classroom" to work collaboratively in teams of four students and to practice scientific method while observing a “one-meter square plot”: a One Small Square.

• We frame our inquiry in terms of “health”.
• How can we begin to assess the health of the small square?
• What is the health of the one small square plot?
• What would we do to improve the health of this plot?
• The lesson guides students experientially to an understanding of improving health of an ecosystem through increasing biodiversity. 

Click for lesson plan details.

Also note: although students mark out a meter square area, we will consider what is underground and also in the air above the soil surface.

See Donald Silver's book One Small Square - Backyard for inspiration.

Each team of four students builds a one-meter square with ½ inch plastic pipes.

Each student team locates their meter square within a general area of the courtyard garden. Here are the 6 areas identified on a googlemap

The students observe their plots using senses: look closely, listen, smell and feel too...(We're not tasting things in the garden today though!)

• Can you draw a bird's eye view of your one-meter plot?
• What would a cross-section look like?
• What do you consider to be factors influencing the "health" of your plot?
• Factors include: sun, light, soil, rock, water, air, human interactions, wildlife, plants (abiotic and biotic factors)
• Can you find and identify the plants in the plot?
• Are there any insects and wildlife in your plot today?
• Can you name them?
• Observe the insects and wildlife and describe what they are doing.
• Can you make a hypothesis or an inference about what might be under the soil surface using some of the information on the surface or by exploring carefully?

The students discuss together and diagram and write notes in their science journals, using pencil and colors.

After making observations, students begin to formulate a "health assessment" of the plot and propose design improvements.

• What do we mean by “health” of the garden? We discuss ecosystems, biodiversity, wellness...
• What would you do to measure and improve the health your plot? Consider potential signs of health.
• The students begin to think about introducing plants or other ways they could increase the biodiversity and improve the health of their plot.

Here are some results and ideas for improvement: Plot Name of Plot Observations of Plot Ideas for Improvement of "Health" of Plot 1 Sensory Garden Not much growing yet Daffodils are out Sage (smells) silvery leaves Thyme (smells) Strawberries Sign saying second grade are going to be planting a garden here with a QR Code links to a planting list Could add many more plants with different textures, feel and smell to appeal to the senses and for students to study Needs pathway 2 End Wall Name of this area is not very poetic! Smells of drains from toilet inside Looks like a plant died and left a big “gap” After rain hear rainwater in the downpipe Crocuses in flower but behind big shrubs so you can’t see them Need to report potential drain leak to Principal and Custodians - it smells unhealthy in this area Need to select and plant a shrub to fill the “gap” Can anyone think of better name for this area? Could dig up and replant crocuses in front of the big bushes so they are visible and we can enjoy them in the spring 3 Weather Station Christmas Rose, Hellebore in flower just outside the plot The weather station has a thermometer that might work, a rain gauge and an anemometer to measure wind speed. The anemometer is broken. There is a birdhouse Some plants here are Coneflowers, Echinacea that have seeds that provide food for birds such as goldfinches A weather station is an asset to the student’s use of the courtyard. But this one is broken. Perhaps it’s time to think about getting a new one? There is also room to plant more plants here 3 Pyramidal Frame Decide the frame is for a climbing plant there’s a label but no plant in sight There might be a plant waiting to come up? Plant a climbing plant here if one doesn’t regrow in the spring? 4 K Tulip/Milkweed Garden Several students remember planting tulips here when they were in Kindergarten and see lots of tulip leaves In addition to tulips there are crocuses and lots of other plants identified as wild garlic, mugwort, chickweed It might be a good idea to weed this bed of wild garlic and mugwort so that the plants intended to be here such as the tulips and milkweed can thrive more. Also the milkweed likely will overcome some of the smaller plants here. If milkweed is to be here - it might be more healthy for the plot to move the other plants to where they can more easily thrive? 5 Second Grade Garden This garden lacks a poetic name! Last week it was called the bed of the “decomposing pumpkin” There are a lot of plants here that look interesting including lambs ear, asters, honeysuckle, buddleia and boxwoods We discuss relative impacts of the various plants. Buddleia although a nectar provider for insects can now be invasive in this area, perhaps it should be taken out and replaced with native plant? The students like the lambs ears - it could also be divided to plant in the Sensory Garden. It needs to be managed to not overgrow its plot. 6 3 B’s Bird, Bees and Butterflies, Pollinators and Milkweed Garden This garden has a name - although it is long. Students find a rhizome of milkweed There are a lot of hairy bittercress in flower, mugwort and other plants such as mint and lavender growing here May need to move lavender out of this bed as it will be overcome by mint Could weed out Could plant other plants to increase biodiversity and increase flowers from spring to summer for pollinators

This lesson was 45 minutes long and gave students a quick overview and idea of what they could do for stewardship projects to help create a more healthy environment in the courtyard: to increase biodiversity. The students are excited today by observing their selected small square plots, and feel empowered by suggesting ways they could contribute to the overall well-being of the courtyard. Students offer to be included in the stewardship and maintenance process of the courtyard, and I note proposals include: to plant seeds and plants, and to weed and water. Students begin to discuss health of the ecosystem in terms of increasing biodiversity.

Credits and Resources

One Small Square is inspired by "Magic Spots" in The Growing Classroom, p. 238.

Donald Silver: One Small Square - Backyard

One Small Square adaptations

The One Small Square lesson can be adapted for working over several class periods, and for elementary, middle school and high school students to assess for example: the health of a tree and an ecosystem, and to form an introduction to more extensive civic engagement stewardship projects.

For example:

• At Gunston Middle School, I developed materials in Spanish and English for 6th grade students to observe tree health, do site assessments and catalyze stewardship projects.
• At Arlington Traditional School, second grade and fifth grade classes observed their Small Squares over a year (Sept/Oct 2011) and implemented design projects.
• The iSchool for the Future blogs One Small Square as a family activity.
• Use the One Small Square lesson as an introduction for more extensive site assessments and audits of your schoolyard and school such as required for the Eco-Schools USA program.

Simple Egg Dye Science - reposting from Science Friday

Just in time for your spring-break egg decorating: the science of dyeing eggs, and why add vinegar? And some ideas for "eggsperiments" too.
Click for LINK to Science Friday's Eggs to Dye For by Steven O'Malley.

Undyed Eggs from Different Kinds of Hen, photo Mary Van Dyke

Technology Outdoors: Using Google and QR Codes for Garden Signs and Labels

Here are FAQs and details to make quick, cheap and easy-to-produce signs and labels with QR Codes for outdoor gardens.

Can we make QR Coded signs with text and images for our Schoolyard or Community Garden?

Kraay Family Farm, QR Code Corn Maze in Canada

• Yes!
  And you might even make your garden or farm as QR Code signs like this one in Canada that the Kraay Family made for their corn maze. Or this one made for Place Stanislas in Nancy France

QR Code Garden in Place Stanislas, Nancy, France

What are potential sign techniques and sizes?

• I describe in detail below how to make large 11 x 7 inch (ie large) signs using Google Presentation and using water resistant Xerox Never Tear Polyester paper 11 x 8.5 letter size.
• Xerox Never Tear Polyester paper does not need laminating and can be run through an ordinary laser printer.
• I also show how to make small 7 x 5 inch signs/labels.
• Both these signs/labels are two standard sizes of readily available "landscape" format galvanized metal sign holders.
• These sizes work well with the 11 x 8.5 inch paper size. You do need to use a rotary trimmer to trim to finished label/sign sizes.
• There are other techniques you can try too to make outdoor labels with school students
• Hot laminating artwork with 10 mm plastic
• Cold laminating artwork
• Printing artwork onto adhesive plastic paper and sticking onto corrugated plastic, and using step-sign holders
• You can send artwork to sign companies

These other techniques are more expensive to produce than using the technique below with Xerox Never Tear paper. You will need to decide what works for your situation.

Do I need to use a computer to set up the label?

• For the technique here I am describing here you do need a computer set up for QR Codes, text and images. But you could do more simply using weatherproof "Sharpie" pens to draw direct on the weather resistant plastic paper.

What program do I use to set up the label?

• You can use Microsoft's Word, Powerpoint and Apple equivalents such as Pages and Keynote. I am going to show the technique with Google Presentation.
• Google Presentation is less sophisticated than the Microsoft and Apple products, but is adequate and much easier for young students to use.

How should students work?

• Students can work either in pairs, small groups or individually.
• This technique described below is simple enough to do with second graders and up (with guidance).
• Decide how you want to work and how many signs you want to produce before you order up the metal sign holders.

Can we print in color? Or should we use black and white for less expense?

• You can produce signs in either black laser toner or color laser printing.
• Black and gray printing is cheaper, color is more expensive but can be more appealing.
  

What kind of sign holders?

• Metal sign holders are standard 11 x 7  and 7 x 5 landscape format and are readily available from Gemplers, Speciality Tag and elsewhere

Here are the details:

First look around your garden and identify plants and themes that you think an audience (you and others) would like to know more about?

Make a list.

What size sign or label would suit your theme or topic best ie large or small?

To make QR Codes you need to link to content.

So what content do you want to link to?

Will it be a picture?

Or a video?
Or some writing?

1. Make a googledocument to link to.

e.g. willow oak information

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/willow_oak.htm

or Students could make their own Googledoc with some information about the willow oak too?

2. Then go to QRstuff.com make a QR Code

• Make QR Code with the link
• Download QR Codes - downloads as PNG
• Need to export the PNG as a JPG to Desktop - e.g. here is my willow oak QR Code uploaded as jpeg to this document

3. Try to ensure your content is  "mobile friendly". That is that your information looks good when scanned by a cell phone or tablet by someone visiting the garden.

For signs

• Think of, and write down your content for the sign and how text and images will work together on the sign
• What is the heading of the sign?  
• about 30 point for the large sign 11 x 7
• about 24 point for the small sign/label 7 x 5
• One or two sentences
• about 24 point for the large sign 11 x 7
• about 18 point for the small sign/label 7 x 5
• The QR coded information in jpeg format
• A photo or picture in jpeg format

Then go to Google Presentation

For Large Sign 11 x 7

• In Google Presentation, go to Set Page, Set Up to 11 x 7 inches
• Note: the large metal sign holders are 11 x 7 inches
  And your sign can be easily printed off using the Xerox never tear paper that is the standard 11 x 8.5 inches letter size (trim down with rotary trimmer after printing).
• Now make your sign on Google Presentation
• Add your heading in large font (ie about 30 point) to be readable from far away
• Add in your one or two sentences that will be in about 24 point
• Add in your QR Code as a jpeg to link to extra information
• Note: it is best if the extra information is "mobile-friendly"
• Add in your photo or image as jpeg
• When you are done print off the sign on the special water-resistant paper

Here’s a sample sign (reduced from actual size of 11 x 7)

For Small Sign 7 x 5

• Go to Google Presentation
• Set Page Set Up set to 7 x 5 inches
• Note: the small metal sign holders are 7 x 5 inches
  And your signs can be easily printed off two to a page as “handout setting” using the Xerox no tear paper that is 11 x 8.5 inches.
• Now make your sign on Google Presentation
• Add your heading in large font (ie about 24 point) to be readable from far away
• Add in your one or two sentences that will be in about 18 point
• Add in your QR Code as a jpeg to link to extra information
• Note: it is best if the extra information is mobile-friendly
• Add in your photo or image as jpeg
• When you are done share and print. Note when printing - I had success printing two labels at a time as a "handout", two labels to a page and setting to 112% size to optimize result for a close to 7 x 5 each label finished size on 11 x 8.5 paper

Here’s a sample sign (reduced from actual size of 7 x 5 inch). I chose to label Common Milkweed and the QR Code link is to some information from Monarch Watch on insects that enjoy milkweed as a host plant.

Resources

Presentation on QR Codes in the Garden

Botanical QR Codes retrieved from http://www.wherecoolthingshappen.com/get-lost-in-the-largest-qr-code-in-the-world/
and http://www.qrcodepress.com/place-stanislas-exhibits-world%E2%80%99s-first-botanical-qr-code/854605/

- Metal sign holders such as from Gemplers.com or others such as SATO Global partners.

- Xerox Never Tear Polyester paper from Staples or others

- Rotary trimmer

Second Graders: Talk About Tools and Spring Clean Up

This afternoon is warm. The sun is shining and spring is in the air.
Second Grade are ready to go outdoors and do a “spring clean up” in the courtyard learning lab.

Talking about Tools

Why use tools in the garden? Tools are extensions of our senses and body. We could dig and trim plants with our hands and feet, but technology and tools such as rakes, trowels, leaf scoops, pruners, paper bags and microscopes can help us extend our capabilities in the same way as a pencil is a useful technology or tool for the task of writing and drawing.

We discuss tool safety.

Spring Clean Up

The students are in four groups assigned to different areas of the courtyard:

• Two groups rake up willow oak leaves and pick up sticks. They have two kinds of rakes, and leaf scoops. It's interesting to take turns with the tools and see how they help us with different tasks. The yellow leaf scoops are like dinosaur paws and the kids love using them!
  
• One group uses small pruners to trim buddleia bush back to 12 inches or so above soil, and to trim seedheads off asters and rosebushes, and to take dead growth off the mint and lambs ears. We "tidy up" the decomposing pumpkin. There's a lot of decisions to take when tidying up.
• Is tidying up necessary or not? 
• How much leaf litter do you leave for the worms? 
• How many seedheads should stay for food for the birds and other wildlife and for the plant to reproduce?
• Where is a good place to trim a plant?

These are all good questions for teaching best management practices and stewardship.

• Another group uses trowels to weed the “Three B’s: Birds, Bees and Butterflies Pollinator Garden”. Try out different kinds of trowel. Which works best? This bed is full of common milkweed that we are cultivating as a food plant for monarch caterpillars and a nectar plant for many insects and butterflies. With the goal of increasing biodiversity and lengthening the flowering season from spring to fall in this sunny bed, we’ll plant additional vigorous native flowering plants such as rudbeckia, coneflower, mountain mint and goldenrod. At the moment the bed is covered in hairy bittercress, speedwell and mugwort. These weeds very successfully reproduce and spread. The hairy bittercress can propel its seeds 10 foot from the mother plant. These “weed” plants occupy space and take light and nutrients from native plants we are choosing to cultivate. So we are deciding to weed some of them out.

Outputs and Reflections

In one hour the second grade students fill 9 large bags full of organic debris.

This is an enormous amount of work done.  25 students at one hour each is 25 person hours. That would be two weeks of my part-time job here.

• The students compare the different kinds of rake. Which one worked best with the fine willow oak leaves?
• The students loved the extended power and aesthetics of the bright yellow “dinosaur paw” leaf scoops
• Students learned to use pruners safely - point down and using safety catches
• Students learned to identify plants and learned some management practices
• Students found and identified worms, ants, and grubs
• Students learned about waste management and composting issues

We cannot compost on site at the moment. So we choose to throw out the waste with the school trash.  We are working towards some on-site demo composting in the courtyard.  But the reality of gardening in this large courtyard is that we will have too much organic debris each year to compost entirely within the courtyard.  My goal over the next few years is to a) demonstrate on-site composting in a small way and to b) do larger scale on-site composting in bin system and c) also to continue to take waste out of the courtyard.  At the same time we need to be careful to manage for replenishing nutrients in the soil and keep a focus on healthy soil and a healthy ecosystem.

In addition of course there was the more extensive and unpredictable experience of discovery and outdoor learning. A hawk has caught and eaten a junco and students found some remaining feathers. Other students found milkweed seedpods and even some willow oak leaves that were sprayed gold!

All good evidence of the rich learning environment in our courtyard and the value of time outdoors.

The second graders made a significant contribution to the well-being of the courtyard with an hour of “service-learning”. At the same time they are fulfilling Standards of Learning (and NGSS) as we learn about scientific method, life systems, and stewardship issues. The students practice collaborative teamwork as we go too.

Thank you to the parents helping facilitate this session with the Ms Payack’s class.

Resources
Leaf scoops by Gardex Pruners Trowels Weed Identification for Schools by Mary Van Dyke, Green STEM Learning, online and downloadable