The Garden Project

Garden Curriculum

The pre-K to Grade 8 classes use the class beds and the garden as a whole to study plant and life sciences, social studies, math and art... any kind of learning is possible in the learning garden! Check out lifelab.org and click on “curriculum” to get an idea of the amazing curriculum we’re using—developed over many years by a group of educators in California, and recommended by the Smithsonian Institute! These teacher resource books are located in the WM library if you want to take a closer look.

Compost Use

The new compost is working and being used on a daily basis! Once again, thanks to Redwood Class for helping build the compost boxes. We’ll use them for years to come so you should be very proud of yourselves, oh great stewards of the Earth! There are three compost boxes. Please put fresh compost (fruit and veggie waste, paper etc. ) into box #1, which is located furthest away from the garden gate (and closest to the staff road). As that waste breaks down, we’ll move it to box #2 (in several months), then eventually to box #3, where it will be almost ready to use. Please don’t put meat products or garbage (plastics, glass etc) into the compost.

Spring Gardening Work Parties

Every Tues and Wed. morning at 9:15, including through the summer months. Come one, come all! No experience is necessary, and toddlers and babies are more than welcome to join us! We have tons of laughs in this feel-good get together, which is guaranteed to be the bright spot in your week!

Materials Needed

If you have any plant or other materials you might think are useful for the garden, we’d love to hear from you! At the moment we’re in need of carpet, composted manure, bark mulch (not hog fuel), sand, established asparagus (root systems), and about 20 small watering cans for the kids.

Thanks

A super big thank you to past and present West-Mont families and the community at large for your support of the garden since it was first established! And a huge thanks to the following for their recent donations: Roche Cove Llamas (manure), Down to Earth garden centre (pansies), and the William Head Institute (lumber and wooden structures).

Parent/Teacher Helpers Needed

We need people to interface between teachers in each classroom, and the garden. In other words, we need you to discuss with each teacher season-appropriate activities for the class you’re volunteering for, and help arrange to get the classes up to the garden to carry out the activities. The garden committee can assist you with lesson plans to offer and copy for the teacher, as well as seeds, tools, and even an extra hand up at the garden.