Green Thumbs in Action
Posted by Stephanie SatonickSecond grade had a great time with Gardener Amie before the earliest frost hit. First, they learned about square-foot gardening and took some time to design their own gardens. Their gardens included carrots, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and more! Next, it was time to head out to Unquowa’s garden! They learned that each bed was covered with a white “blanket” that helped protect the vegetables from frost. They learned that it was crucial for the plants to stay protected in order to thrive in cold weather conditions. They even got to harvest some of the vegetables that were ready. After we made a basket of fresh vegetables and herbs, we hand-delivered them to the chefs to prepare for lunch!
Welcome to the Garden!
Posted by Faith BarbutoThis week the PreK got meet our new garden expert, Amie Hall! I was expecting a tour of the garden but this was much more. First, we learned some magic numbers for square gardening. Things got hands on with students getting to “plant” felt fruits and vegetables on a brown felt garden. Then we headed over to the real garden where Ms. Amie showed us some of things growing. We harvested peppers and brought them back to the kitchen where they became Sloppy Joe’s for lunch! The sun was strong that day so we helped the garden by watering the plants. We can not wait to go back again!
Caring about Composting!
Posted by Joshua BartosiewiczThis year, every Monday Unquowa 8th graders are fortunate enough to learn and take part in the schools composting program. As of 2022, Unquowa has teamed up with Park City Composting, which is a composting organization based out of Bridgeport, CT. The school is working hand-in-hand with Tommy (the composting Master from Park City Composting) to educate our students on composting, sustainable waste practices, and gardening methods. In these weekly environmentally themed classes, students are able to have a hands-on experience in which they’ll gain an understanding on how to properly compost as well as learn about its benefits; not only is it important for people but the environment too! In our first visit, the students learned about the different materials thats make up a compost pile (food waste, woodchips, leaves, wood shavings) and they were able to check out some soil samples of mature compost from last year’s compost pile. Unquowa and the students are very eager to explore deeper into the realm of composting this year! ROT ON!
Park City Composting: WORMS!!!
Posted by Joshua BartosiewiczThe past couple of weeks Park City Composting has been introducing various styles of composting to our 8th grade class. Students have learned about Thermophilic composting, Mesophilic composting, how to make a traditional compost pile, how to use a tumbler composter and most recently, how to vermicompost which is composting with WORMS!
Vermicomposting is a style of composting that utilizes earthworms or red wigglers to help aid in the breakdown process of organic material. The worms will eat the nitrogen sources (food scraps), digest the material and reintroduce it into the environment through their nutrient rich waste which are referred to as ‘worm castings’. The students learned about the benefits of this style of composting as well as the anatomy of an earthworm!
In the most recent visit with Park City Composting, students were able to help construct worm bins which are being stored in the science lab and monitored weekly. It is really incredible to see the breakdown process first hand; we are able to watch the food scraps in the pile be converted into organic-rich soil thanks to our wiggly friends!
Park City Composting: Mesophilic vs. Thermophilic
Posted by Joshua BartosiewiczLately with Park City Composting, the 8th graders have been learning how to measure and record different properties of the compost pile such as temperature, porosity, weight, bulk density. The students compared their results from past weeks and were asked to analyze the causes that may have played a role in these changes. Some examples included; the high activity of the actinobacteria caused more of the compost material to breakdown and released more heat into the pile, the breakdown of the material caused the pile to condense more thus reducing the porosity and much more. After data was recorded from the initial compost pile (also referred to as the Thermophilic pile) students were then introduced to the tumbler (also known as the Mesophilic pile). Students were asked to try to identify the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of having each type of pile. They concluded that the tumbler is great for people who don’t have a lot of space for a traditional compost pile such as on an apartment balcony or small backyard. The traditional compost pile is ideal for those with the available space. In addition, the tumbler stays at lower temperatures than the traditional compost pile. Therefore, both types of composting methods are suitable for different situations and utilize different types of bacteria. We are excited to see the quality of compost these two different methods will produce, which will be used to help mend the school garden.
Park City Composting Visit #3 (Temperature, Weight, Porosity, & Bulk Density)
Posted by Joshua Bartosiewicz