As Urban Gardeners, our students learned about local ecologies, visiting nearby gardens and meeting the gardeners who grow some of the plants in our neighborhood.
Squash Blossom Garden is the community garden behind the Buzz Cafe. The Magical Minds Gardeners planted beans and sunflowers, and even had the chance to pick greens and make their own salads.
At the Oak Park Conservatory our gardeners went on a scavenger hunt, met the parrots and turtles who live there and gardened outside in the Discovery Garden. Across the way at Rehm Park, we took a break and rode the trains, as well as gathering sticks, leaves, pine cones and other materials to make into collages.
While exploring some of the Native Gardens in the area, our gardeners learned about the plants that grow locally in prairie land while visiting Irving School.
Our last garden visits of the week were to the Cheney Mansion and to Austin Gardens. At the Cheney Mansion we helped the staff there with the weeding and harvesting, gathering collard greens, red currants and raspberries. We ended the week exploring the Woodland Wildflower Garden at Austin Gardens and drawing the plants that we saw there.
The last word from our Urban Gardeners is about the special properties found in granite. Enjoy!