Mohave County School Gardening Program

Funded by

Mohave County Schools Superintendent’s Office

Mr. Michael D. File

University of Arizona

Mohave County Cooperative Extension

4-H Leaders’ Council

School Gardening?• Integrate into any classroom and complimentsubjects including science, math, language arts,social studies and art.

• Teach self-sufficiency and patience.

• Sense of accomplishment, self-esteem andresponsibility.

• Appreciation for our land and nature.

• Improve nutrition, try different fresh produce

from their own garden.

Science: Seed Germination, Plant Growth,Hydroponics system, Composting, & more

Math: Germination, Growth, and Survival Rate

Language: Botanical Name, Reading, Writing…

Social Studies: Agriculture, AZ Farm & Crops

Art:

Mohave County School Gardening• Nov. 2006 – today,• Workshops for Educators/Teachers• School In-Services, Staff/PTO Training• In-Class hands-on presentation• Current workshops, projects and news articles onthe School Gardening Program are available on ourwebsite:

CEU for TeachersAll school teachers participating in the Mohave County School Gardening Program will be able to earn Continuing Education Credits (CEU) as approved by Mr. Mike File, Mohave County School Superintendent.

Wanted: Teachers need 48 CEU in ONE Week?– Arizona Summer Agriculture Institute

– Last week in June

Ag-Classroom Subjects/Lessons• 4-H Youth Development Introduction

• School Gardening 101

• Fundraising/Media Strategies 101

• On-Campus Garden Site Prep 101 (Pending regional site)

• Agricultural Literacy (Aug-Nov)

• Alphabet Flowers

• Alphabet Fruits & Vegetables

• Apple & Pumpkin (Aug-Nov)

• Arbor Day Poster Lesson (Jan-April / 5th Grade in Jan)

• Arbor Day Tree Planting (Pending regional location)

Ag-Classroom Subjects/Lessons• Cactus & Succulents / Desert Plant Adaptation

• Composting and Compost Tea

• Container Gardening

• Cotton Babies Living Necklace (Aug-Nov / March-April)

• Father’s Day Grass Head Pot (April-May)

• Herb Seedling Pot

• Holiday Wreaths/Potpourri (Nov-Jan)

• How to Make Paper (with Seeds, Recycled Craft Paper)

• Mother’s Day Seedling Pot (March-April)

• Narcissus Holiday Pots (Nov-Jan)

Ag-Classroom Subjects/Lessons• Native Trees of Arizona

• Recycling/Earth Day Appreciation

• Seed Germination: Vegetable/Flower/Herb

• Soil Mix and Soil Amendment

• Summer and Fall/Winter Vegetable Garden

• Vegetable Seedling Transplanting

• WET: A Drop In the Bucket (Water Conservation)

• What parts of a plant do we eat?

• What plants need to grow?

• Wildflowers

Agriculture in the ClassroomWhat Plants Need to Grow?• Water

• Air

• Sun

• Soil/Nutrients

• Seed

• Care/Attention/Love

If you provide all those items, what will you get?

• A Plant

Agriculture in the ClassroomCotton Babies / Make A Living Necklace

What does a seed need to germinate?

Answers:• Water, Warmth, Dark

Arizona Farm Bureau 5 Tote Containers to check out from Mohave County School Gardening:

�Apple

� Pumpkin

�Cattle

�Cotton

�Fruits & Vegetables

Arbor Day Foundation

AZ Specialty Crop AZ Nursery Association

WET: A Drop in the Bucket

Senses in the Garden

Paperwhite/Forcing Narcissus

No space?Start small…a garden could be any shape, size, or form.

Calvary Christian AcademyLake Havasu

Principal: Ms. Shannon WilliamsProject: Seeds of LoveEight raised bed build by parents for 16 classrooms and 200+ students, K-8.

Mohave Accelerated Learning CenterBullhead City

Projects: Hydroponics Greenhouse started on March 2007, vegetable garden and fruit orchard added May 2007.

KAOL Int. Special Ed.Kingman

Projects: KAOL Int. Special Ed. Classroom sidewalk garden for SALAD BOWL…

Outdoor Classroom… creating on-campus garden -one shovel at a time …

KUSD Manzanita Elem.Kingman

4-H Youth Development

& School Gardening

-KUSD Manzanita Elm

On-Campus GardensAfter School Clubs

KAOL Int. “Green Team”

KUSD La Senita “Gardeners”

KAOL Int. 3rd & 4th GradeKingman

KAOL Primary (K-2nd)Kingman

KUSD La Senita Elem.Kingman

City of Kingman Clean City CommissionArbor Day Tree Planting

4-H Youth Group Fairground BeautificationBoy Scouts Memorial Day Tree Planting

Kingman Train Depot Landscaping

Community Beautification ChallengeKingman

Seed Germination Lessonwith EVERYDAY HOUSEHOLD ITEMS === >“REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!”

Take Home Projects: Flower Cup or Herbs forMother’s Day… Again, school cafeteria items = >“REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!”

Tasting fresh school-grown Vegetables

4-H Youth Development

& School Gardening

Nov. 2006- today• Outreached to all K-12 Schools• Annually visited over 60 classrooms and

1400++ students, receiving hands-on learningfrom Ag-In-the-Classroom (AIC) lessons.

• Explore plant life cycles, examine plantdiversity, and investigate the interdependenceof plants, humans, and other living andnonliving things…

Mohave CountySchool Gardening

Topock School

Topock School

Topock SchoolTasting fresh school-grown

County FAIR = BLUE Ribbon WATERMELON!

Thank You!Community Sponsors

The Community Challenge Grant ProgramState of Arizona Forestry DivisionUrban & Community Forestry and

the USDA Forest Service.

City of KingmanClean City Commission

Desert De Oro Foods, Inc.Kingman Home Depot Kingman True Value KRMC Foundation Signs of CHAOS

Community VolunteersCerbat Garden Club

Mohave County Master GardenersAll of YOU!

Thank You!Community Sponsors

The Community Challenge Grant ProgramState of Arizona Forestry DivisionUrban & Community Forestry and

the USDA Forest Service.

City of KingmanClean City Commission

Desert De Oro Foods, Inc.Kingman Home Depot Kingman True Value KRMC Foundation Signs of CHAOS

Community VolunteersCerbat Garden Club

Mohave County Master GardenersAll of YOU!

Mohave County School Gardening Program

Funded by

Mohave County Schools Superintendent’s Office

Mr. Michael D. File

University of Arizona

Mohave County Cooperative Extension

4-H Leaders’ Council