In the Summer of 2016, Foothill Community Members restarted our Gardens!
For 2017-2018, we have big plans:
- raised beds and weed-abatement in the Library Garden,
- two garden projects for each grade,
- improved signage.
The Foothill Gardens are a rich source of learning for our children, providing inspiration for Art, experimentation for Science, hands-on motor-building activities, and a way to connect with our communities.
We have two garden sites at Foothill: six small raised beds near the Kindergarten classrooms, and a large (almost 40′ by 15′) raised bed near the Foothill Library!
In 2016-2017, the Garden themes were:
Butterflies and Other Pollinators: (Both the Kindergarten and Library sites) Thank you to Yamagami‘s for all of their help getting our gardens started, and for providing us with such beautiful pollinator plants to get started! We are growing plants that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
Shapes in the Garden: (Kindergarten) Inspired by the book, Pick a Circle, Gather Squares. Students can identify healthy shapes in the garden! http://captainplanetfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Fall-Into-Healthy-Shapes.pdf
Water in California: (Library) We have drought-tolerant plants in one area of the bed. We introduce the water cycle and ask students to consider how we water our gardens. We’ll also connect this to a watering and weather-station project in the new Foothill Maker Space.
What Parts of Plants do We Eat: (Library) We’ve planted a variety of edible plants in the garden. We introduce the different parts of plants and ask students to identify the parts of plants that we eat.
Native California Plants: (Library) We introduce the Three Sisters pattern of farming. Native people in the U.S. used the Three Sisters to yield better crops. We also plant Chia and Amaranth, two plants that were core to Native Californian peoples’ diets.
Let it Rot: (Library) We use a worm bin to show how organic matter becomes compost. We also introduce worm biology.
The Garden Committee works year-round to maintain and update our gardens. We also will try to have one Community Garden Day each month!
Want to help us build the next version of the garden? Fill out our form here!