4-H PROJECT GREEN TEACHER

Welcome to the first issue of the 4-H Project Green Teacher newsletter, brought to you by 4-H personnel at Ohio State University Extension in Franklin County. The goal of this newsletter is to bring you information about school/afterschool gardening events, workshops, and more, as well as specific information about educational gardening. If you would like to subscribe, please click on the "Follow Susan Hogan" tab in this newsletter.

A school/afterschool garden bus tour is slated for Friday, September 8th in the Columbus area and an adjoining county. Morning stops on the tour will include the school garden complex at Granville High School managed by teacher Jim Reding, and a second stop at Columbus Jewish Day School in New Albany, managed by Gina Freeman. At the latter location participants will learn about the ways students have combined the garden with service learning. An afternoon lunch will be held at Franklin Park Conservatory, followed by a hard-hat tour of the emerging ScottsMiracle-Gro Foundation Children's Garden.

Afternoon stops will include OSU's Howlett Hall rooftop garden. Although not a children's garden, participants will see that the sky can be the limit when it comes to gardening. The tour will conclude at the acclaimed Highland Youth Garden, a community garden which is used as an educational tool by a number of surrounding schools.

The tour will board at 7 a.m. in front of the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center at 2201 Fred Taylor Drive on the OSU Campus, and return to that location at 5 p.m. Cost for the tour, which includes lunch, is $75. Snacks and drinks will also be provided. To register, go to: http://go.osu.edu/sgbustrip . Registration is limited.

4-H Project Green Teacher is a program facilitated by Ohio State University 4-H personnel in Franklin County, in collaboration with School Gardens of Ohio comprised of area partners. This ten week fall series features an option to go to two additional events at a discounted rate, and is open to educators, afterschool personnel and others in Central Ohio who would like to know more about school gardening. Topic areas can be found at: https://franklin.osu.edu/program-areas/school-enrichment/project-green-teacher.

The program will take place on Wednesdays from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. from September 13 to November 29 at multiple locations on or near the OSU campus. The ten-week program, with two optional events and one make-up session, will culminate with a 4-H Project Green Teacher certification and the potential to earn up to 26 contact hours. The school garden conference and the school garden bus tour have additional fees beyond the $150 program fee. COST: $150, plus additional fees for two optional events. Register at: http://go.osu.edu/pgt2017.

Email: hogan.239@osu.edu
Website: franklin.osu.edu
Location: 530 West Spring Street, Columbus, OH, United States
Phone: 614-866-6900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectgreenteacher/

The topic areas for this year's school garden conference include: steps to starting a school garden, drones in the school garden, good bugs, bad bugs; edible bugs, seed saving in the classroom garden, yoga in the garden, nature weaving, WILD About phenology, farm to school, marketing and your school garden, horticulture in the classroom, school gardening in Grandview, Ohio; soils, assorted gardening methods, pesticide education for teachers, root vegetables, and more. We hope to see you on October 13th at the fifth annual school garden conference! Register at: http://go.osu.edu/sgc2017.

When we think of school gardens, an image of a child with a juicy tomato or ear of corn often comes to mind. The truth of the matter is, often schools are not in session when these crops are growing. For this reason it might be a good idea to look at those late summer crops that can be harvested in the fall and used as an educational tool. These include beets, carrots, lettuces, cauliflower and more. Planting dates vary so be sure to check the days it takes to harvest the product before planting. On average, the frost free period in the Columbus area is May 15-October 15. Season Extension techniques can extend the growing period increasing the opportunity to use these items in your curriculum. For further information about fall vegetable gardening, go to: https://franklin.osu.edu/sites/franklin/files/imce/Program_Pages/ANR/Fall%20Gardening.pdf

For seasonal lesson plans check out: http://schools.growpittsburgh.org/teach/lesson-plans/

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