Project Green Jr @MHK

Project Green Jr. is composed of active students that care about our planet. We advocate & build solutions to support biodiversity, healthy soil, & recycling.

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

@HVArtMcGrath @SJ_Schools @HVRSD Outstanding!

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

A week of labor and leadership. Persistent patches of invasives were pulled and leadership began drafting our plans for this year. Perhaps we host a native seed sowing community event in January? Looking forward to seeing what our leaders choose to do! @EWRSDK12 @mrs_sfelicetta

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

A magical time in the A.J. Collins Memorial Garden this week! So many flowers in bloom, seeds to harvest, and, of course, weeds to pull. Many hands made light & joyful work! Harvested tomatoes, pepper, & basil from the Yes, We Can! Garden as well. @EWRSDK12 @EWEAtweets

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

Hello Kreps Summer Garden Club! Thank you to our student and adult volunteers! Garden talk and play, visiting goldfinch and butterflies, invasives pulled, and a modest harvest completed the trip. @LavertyBob @kjlitvack @EWRSDK12

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

We did it! 1,200 native plants were planted in the A.J. Collins Memorial Garden. Every Kreps student came to put one in. So grateful for our selfless volunteers. Karen Bennett donated swallowtail caterpillars to our fennel & golden Alexander patches. @EWRSDK12 @EWEAtweets

[Katie Minto @MrsKatieMinto]

So impressed with the native plant garden developed by @MHKProjectGreen. All of the MHK students are planting a plant this week and the garden will honor AJ Collins, an 8th grader who we lost earlier this year.

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

The A.J. Collins Memorial Garden is in place! Thank you to our many volunteers, especially Mr. Jeffrey Skinner. Thank you to EWEA for funding this garden. What an amazing day! @EWRSDK12 @EWEAtweets
@mrs_sfelicetta

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

Teamwork makes the dream work! Mr. Charlie with buildings & grounds tilled our space. PG reapplied & resealed the clear plastic. Solar irradiation is cooking those otherwise tenacious weed seeds; setting up a fresh start for AJ Collins’ Garden! We got this! @EWRSDK12 @EWEAtweets

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

@TuranoScience What an awesome crew! Great job!

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

& finally, we began prepping the future site of the A.J. Collins Garden. Buildings and grounds cleared it, & Mr. Skinner returned to lay down clear plastic that will use the power of the sun to irradiate (cook!) the existing grass. Thanks! @EWRSDK12 @EWEAtweets @mrs_sfelicetta

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

May is a happening month for gardening here at Kreps! In the classroom and with Project Green, learning about and supporting our native ecosystem is the center of our attention. This post is coming to you as a series! @EWRSDK12

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

We finished our spreadsheet accounting for all of our seedlings, along with their size and ideal sun light. This info will be used by students planing the layout for A.J. Collins’ garden design contest! 1 square= 1 sq. foot. Can’t wait to see our entries! @EWRSDK12 @EWEAtweets

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

We played a custom game that teaches the native plants in our garden along with the native species they support. The game is extra educational because it teaches invasive plants as well! Some students even made an step-by-step instructional slide show to help others learn it!

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

We planted our first fruits and veggies of the season: tomatoes, peas, peppers, squash, and cucumbers. Can’t wait to pick and eat these all summer! @EWRSDK12 @EWEAtweets

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

Oh, how our garden grows! So many kids & so many hours of hard work adding up to quite an array of native beauty! Today we thinned our plug seedlings & carefullly transplanted extras into the empty plugs. So proud of our many green thumbs & excited for what’s to come!@EWRSDK12

[NJ Keep It Green @NJKeepItGreen]

Looking for a way to support local agriculture but live in a city? Check out Isles, Inc.’s urban farm in Trenton; it’s open to the public!

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

The garden is buzzing with activity this spring! Last year’s native seedlings have returned with mature vigor & their offspring are popping up all around. Students search our golden Alexanders, a key host plant, for caterpillars that require them. Should see some soon! @EWRSDK12

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

School grounds are now cleared of accumulated trash and we are all (students and spouting seedlings!) celebrating this sunny day! Our collection of refrigerated seeds are finally done with “fake winter” away from birds & finally sown. Germinate fast, little friends! @EWRSDK12

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

Teachers were so pleased to see how motivated and focused students were in the garden! The kids keep asking when we can go back. Good thing our next unit is on ecology!

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

6th grade science classes visited our garden this week to determine the warmest spot for seeds to germinate. Our data, communicated through graphs & CERs, were in clear agreement; the cold frame & jugs are the warmest! The cold frame was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit! @EWRSDK12

[Project Green Jr @MHK @MHKProjectGreen]

With rain on the way, we hustled to split apart and transplant our returning perennials. How fun to see how a little attention can make one plant become two! @EWRSDK12