Hello, Garden Friends and Teachers! - Albuquerque Public Schools
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FEBRUARY, 2019
IN THIS ISSUE
COMMUNITY
Hello, Garden Friends and
SPOTLIGHT:
Teachers! EXPLORA
Welcome To February! My Valentine to you comes
from the late, great Mary Oliver:
TEACH THE CHILDREN” by Mary Oliver
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
“Teach the children. We don’t matter so much, but the
children do. Show them daisies and the pale hepatica.
Teach them the taste of sassafras and wintergreen. The
UPCOMING EVENTS
lives of the blue sailors, mallow, sunbursts, the moccasin
flowers. And the frisky ones—inkberry, lamb’s-quarters,
blueberries. And the aromatic ones—rosemary, oregano.
THIS MONTH'S GARDEN
Give them peppermint to put in their pockets as they go to
school. Give them the fields and the woods and the TIPS
possibility of the world salvaged from the lords of profit.
Stand them in the stream, head them upstream, rejoice as
they learn to love this green space they live in, its sticks
and leaves and then the silent, beautiful blossoms.
Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
Take some time to fall in love with nature this February!
Enjoy and have a fantastic month,
-Mallory
FEBRUARY, 2019 Community Spotlight: Explora Allison Brody and Tara Henderson, tell us about the amazing opportunities for STEAM happening at Explora! Can you give us a brief introduction to the work you do at Explora? Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum is a hands-on learning center. Our mission is to “create opportunities for inspirational discovery and the joy of lifelong learning through interactive experiences in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).” Not only do we have interactive exhibits at our home base in Albuquerque, but we offer over 2,700 educational programs for more than 90,000 pre-K-12 students and teachers each year, reaching 95% of the state’s school districts. How are you and/or your work an asset to the APS community? New Mexico’s new STEM-Ready! science standards are based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). As teachers begin to implement these standards, they will find themselves shifting their focus from teaching about science content to helping students discover science for themselves. To accomplish this, NGSS lessons will be designed around “phenomena” – things that students can observe, interact with, figure out and explain. This is where Explora shines: our exhibits and programs are filled with phenomena, which our Educators use to help students experience the joy of discovery as they make observations, record predictions, test hypotheses, give explanations, and create solutions. For example, our “Ecology of the Forest” program for students in 3rd through 8th grade has students digging in the dirt (the phenomenon) to discover evidence and make predictions about forest life. Students test soil samples and develop an understanding of how soil supports the health of the forest. And our “How Does Your Garden Grow?” program has pre-K through 2nd grade students dissect and observe seeds (the phenomenon), answering questions about plants and what they need to grow. These hands-on experiences often rely on common and familiar materials, and students learn science can be part of their everyday environment. Similarly, APS’s commitment to supporting schools as they create garden programs and outdoor classrooms is incredibly helpful to teachers and parents looking for real-world phenomena to explore.
FEBRUARY, 2019
Explora is thrilled to partner with the APS Coordinated School Health
Department to create and teach a series of workshops to help out-of-
school time teachers learn about the STEM Ready! science
standards and strategies for using school gardens and outdoor
spaces to achieve these standards.
We understand that school gardens and outdoor spaces are already
ripe with interesting and compelling learning opportunities – we are
excited to work with teachers to expand the ways gardens and the
outdoors are used to teach science.
What things can we expect from you in the future?
By holding a series of community listening sessions, Explora has
come to understand ways we can enhance our impact and better
serve Pour
HOTcommunity.
O B Y M A R TFor example,
IN R . S M I T H we have learned that STEM is an
essential component of a thriving New Mexico economy, and our
community is asking for better jobs for our youth. So we have created
a new teen and workforce development center designed to create a
network of STEM career pathways and experiences to improve
educational and career opportunities for youth in our community.
Working with partners, such as APS, we provide programs and
experiences that build the character, skills, and mindsets students
need to be successful in our STEM economy.
Any parting knowledge or advice you can leave us with?
Explora believes the new STEM Ready! science standards are a
great approach to learning science. We offer a variety of workshops
that equip educators with knowledge, skills, tools and strategies for
integrating these standards into their classrooms. At the same time,
these approaches can help students develop the 21st Century Skills
students need to be successful in our STEM economy: critical
thinking, cooperative learning, creativity, persistence, communication,
and innovation.
2019 Classes at the Agri-Nature Center
Attached to the newsletter you will find the complete list of dates and
times for the 2019 Agriculture Farm Extension classes. Classes cover a
multitude of subjects and run through December. Every class is hosted at
the Agri-Nature Center located at 4290 Rio Grande Blvd. NW
All listed classes are $5. Please RSVP to John Garlisch at
garlisch@ad.nmsu.edu
FEBRUARY, 2019
Grant Opportunities
Upcoming Event:
$400 Sodexo Stop Hunger Youth Grant (Feb. 15)
$400 grants are available for youth leaders ages 5-25 across the
Amending Desert
U.S. to turn their ideas into action and make an impact on the Garden Soil
issue of childhood hunger on Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) – Saturday, February 9
April 12-14, 2019 – and beyond.
$400 Summer 2019 Sustainability Grants will also be awarded to 1:30pm - 4:00pm.
up to 25 youth grantees to sustain and continue their GYSD Open Space Visitor
projects. We are especially interested in sustainable projects that Center
can use these grant funds to start up or expand and then raise
local funds to continue. https://ysa.org/grant/sodexoyouth/ 6500 Coors Blvd NW
Therapeutic Garden Grant (July 1)
Each year, three therapeutic gardens are selected as recipients
of a grant that will help build or perpetuate a therapeutic garden. Amending desert garden
Those gardens will then compete via social media, for a first,
soil is a continuous effort.
second and third place prize of a financial contribution to their
garden. $5,000 is available and will be divided among the The class will cover the
gardens chosen. Link: https://ngb.org/grant-application/ basics of soil constituents,
soil testing and the
Carton2Garden Grant (April 25)
Show us your students’ creativity by re-purposing milk and juice
benefits of the soil food
cartons from your school cafeteria to either build or enhance your web.
school garden. Educators can engage students in a hands-on The value of humus in
experience creating teachable moments on environmental finished compost will be
stewardship, sustainable packaging and healthy living. The best
use of cartons in a school garden gives your school the chance to prominent in the
win one of 15 prizes with a grand prize valued at $5,000. Learn discussion. Options for
more at http://carton2garden.com/ improving soil fertility and
resiliency in the face of
GreenWorks Grant (Due September 30)
Project Learning Tree offers GreenWorks! grants up to $1,000 to warm temperatures and
schools and youth organizations for environmental service- low precipitation will be
learning projects that link classroom learning to the real world. presented.
Students implement an action project they help design to green
their school or to improve an aspect of their neighborhood’s
Useful take-home
environment. information will allow
The projects provide opportunities for student leadership and participants to plan for
partner students with their whole school, local businesses and and implement soil
community organizations, and natural resource professionals.
The funds can be used by students to implement recycling amending practices right
programs at their school, conserve water and energy, establish away. Prior to the class a
school gardens and outdoor classrooms, improve a forest, useful read, The Soul of
restore a natural habitat, and more.
the Soil by Grace
Link: https://www.plt.org/resources/greenworks-grants/
Gershuny!
February Planting FEBRUARY, 2019
Guide Upcoming Event:
Continue planting seeds indoors; start tomatoes and other frost Growing Great
sensitive plants at the end of the month.
Tomatoes
• Mid to late February is the time to start planting sweet peas and
garden peas, and roots of asparagus and rhubarb in the warmer Saturday, February
areas. If you didn’t plant in the late fall, late February 23rd
is the time to plant lettuce, radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, and 10:30 am
cabbage.
South Broadway Library
TIP: Intersperse onion sets to mark your rows. They’ll come up
quickly. “Top multiplier” heritage onion sets work especially well
for this and will provide green onions for your table in about 4
weeks. As you remove these “scallions” they aerate and loosen
the soil. Salsa, a classic tomato
• This is the ideal time for setting out bare-root trees, shrubs, sauce, sun-dried, roasted,
and vines while they are dormant. Plants may come from catalog with basil pesto, in
orders, local nurseries, Plant Exchange contacts, sandwiches, or with a little
and friends’ yards. Keep the bare roots moist and covered; don’t
salt right off the vine- there
expose them to drying winds and sun. Roses can be moved now,
are endless ways to eat and
but cover with mulch for another month after moving. Start
enjoy tomatoes.
selecting landscape plants for purchase later in the spring.
• In the warmer areas of Albuquerque, you can begin setting out
Learn how to grow your own
bachelor buttons, calendulas, cyclamens, primroses, tomatoes from seed, how to
snapdragons, stock, and wallflowers. keep them healthy as they
Our February Guide comes to you from ABQ Master grow, and how to save their
Gardeners. Check out their online resources seeds.
at abqmastergardeners.org
Lesson Plan Highlight Join Peter Sinanian, Master
Gardener and long-time
Brought to Us Each Month from Luzero Velasquez tomato grower (50 plants
As a way of helping to integrate more lessons
alone in 2018!), for this
involving gardens and nutrition, we will feature a
standards-based lesson plan each month. We are mouth watering event.
taking into account New Mexico's unique culture and
also the time of year to help you plan useful, timely, NM Join in for the season of
based lessons. gardening lectures and
workshops on gardening
This month, our APS Food Corps Service Member,
and seed saving at the
Luzero Velasquez, asks students to rethink their waste
and become more mindful about the way they discard ABQ-Bernco Seed Library!
trash. The outcomes of this lesson are to ensure The program will have new
students will develop a sense of awareness of their topics and presenters every
waste, specifically at their school. Students will also month.
brainstorm ways we can take action to reduce the
amount of waste. The class will also think about ways
we can take responsibility to improve and maintain our
health.
February Shout Out FEBRUARY, 2019
Upcoming Event: Shout Out to Van Buren middle school students who traveled to
the Santa Fe Round house for Food and Farms Day at the
2019 Seed Share! legislature! 58 students gathered to watch honorees accept awards
Sunday, February 24 before visiting their state representatives and sharing their thoughts
11 AM – 2 PM on upcoming bills that are important to them. These students and
their commitment to being educated through civic involvement make
The Source us proud!
1111 Carlisle Blvd SE
First, it’s so easy!
Have seeds? Bring them!
No seeds? No problem!
Come get some!
Avid grower? Come share
your knowledge!
Never even touched dirt? BernCo Extension Update
Fine! We’ll introduce you! Tips and Ideas from Nissa Patterson
This time of year always perks up farmers, gardeners and plant
Food is Free Albuquerque will lovers. We rake the leaves of slumber out of our hair and start
be stocked with plenty of dreaming about planting. A big part of those dreams are seeds. A big
seeds, seed balls (for the part of dreaming about seeds is the seed catalogues. And that involves
ones who like surprises), and getting a big cup of tea, sitting in a sunny corner and exploring the
lots of information! book of life. In between those pages lies individual beauty (or not so
much), family sagas, the certainty of death and the glory of triumph
The Source on Carlisle will be
(drought, wind, critters)- it’s a dramatic novel! The possibilities!
hosting this year! If you’ve
Seed catalogs are something beautiful that you can share with your
never been, please come see students. Maybe you can put on some classical music, make mugs of
the amazing work being done tea or cider, give everyone a catalogue and invite them to cozy up on a
here! They have an amazing spot of the floor to explore the visual delight of life. They can explore
comfortable community space just for the sake of dreaming (a very important brain activity
to share, with an indoor neuroscientist call “seeking,” which happens to be very relaxing and
conference room, an amazing happy for the brain- ie regulating for wired students) or you can have
them:
outdoor space, and don’t
· create collages of vegetables they have never tried or heard of
forget Michael Thomas coffee · circle words that are new to them and look them up
right there in the courtyard! · search for 5 “scientific” terms
· create color collages
If you’d like to participate and · research a particular vegetable and varieties
host your own table or activity · use the catalogs as inspiration to create a seed list you need for
please drop a line detailing your class garden and then come down to County Extension School
Garden Seed Closet and pick out these FREE seeds!
what you’d wish to do. We will
The options for literacy activities are vast! If you need extra seed
need all participants to be catalogues please let me know, we have piles of them at my office.
signed on a week prior to the And when you come pick them up you may just find me in a corner,
event, please. cradling a catalog, reading about the Hungarian rutabaga... ahhhh,
delight! npatters@nmsu.edu. (505) 243-1386
FEBRUARY, 2019
Mobile Food Market Recipe
Sweet potato and spinach quesadillas are the featured recipe from our Upcoming Event:
friends at the Mobile Farmer's Market! Each month's tasty recipe is brought
to us by The Street Food Institute, Kids Cook! and Agricultura Network who
Career Connection
created these recipes as part of the Mobile Farmers’ Market. & Winter Farm
For more information, check out their page on Facebook: Healthy Here Social
Mobile Farmers’ Market.
Friday, February 15
6 PM – 8 PM
Hotel Albuquerque
6-7pm: CAREER
CONNECTION
Regenerative agriculture
job fair.
Job/internship seekers:
bring a
resume! Employers: post
your job and reserve a
table (for free!) at
http://quiviracoalition.org
Send us an Email! /careerconnection
Your APS Garden Newsletter will now be coming to
you from our new email: schoolgardens@aps.edu 7-8pm: WINTER
Feel free to use this email to keep in touch, follow up, FARMER SOCIAL!!
or ask questions! Kick up your heels to live
We love to see your gardens grow so keep us in the
music. Enjoy beer and
loop with pictures, events, and stories you'd like to see
in the newsletter! snacks, raffle prizes, and
conversation with your
favorite fellow farmers!
This event is FREE and
open to everyone,
regardless of whether
you're registered for the
New Mexico Organic
Farming
Conference....but you
don't want to miss it!
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