school gardens rule

today was my first garden meeting at my new volunteer home, Los Cerritos Elementary Urban Farmyard. i'm a BIG fan of school gardens and didn't realize until recently that one was in my hood. this large garden is spearheaded by a master gardener/teacher and a handful of parents, teachers and me...the only childless volunteer.

i subscribe to a master gardener email which led me to this gem. after going through the standard school volunteer process, i was able to start today. i am now the official compost manager which led me to staying after the garden meeting to listen in on the "green meeting." here they addressed recycling/composting...or lack there of on campus. i'm hoping to help lessen the carbon footprint of this school by implementing a composting area in the cafateria as well as get the kids recycling more than paper. i'm hoping my ties with Whole Foods marketing department can get me some donations to foster the effort since i help implement a compost/recycling program there.

below are some quick photos i snapped before the meeting. i meant to get better ones after but had to leave. more to come for sure!





kids playing/exploring after school








the chicken coop surprised me the most. i'm so excited to see they have this addition to the garden. (i personally think it's a must.) this photo does not capture the many hens and roosters in the pen...and some funny looking chickenheads....but like i said, more pictures to come.

the garden and the volunteers gave me renewed hope in our schools and also gave be a slight twang inside about working with kids. i've toyed with this idea for years- about going back to school for my credential. today brought this idea back to the forefront of my mind.