“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”

Summer approaches and with it comes the fog and the chills!  Cleveland students have been bearing the nippy weather to come outdoors for their last Outdoor Classroom visits before the end of the year.

We have been having celebrations galore complete with all types of tasty treats!

Kindergarten finished up their unit on Living Organisms with some Edible Insects!

1st Grade tasted wood-fired oven pizza while finishing up their Garden Journals to take home and share with their families.

 

Our 2nd graders made Grouchy Garden Cookies – using their hands to work out some aggression on their homemade cookie dough!

 

We had quite a feast with 3rd and 4th grade, cooking up Fava Bean Pesto Pasta and a Cleveland favorite – Green Garden Smoothies!

 

Finally, 5th graders learned how to roll out dough, added their favorite toppings, and watched as their pizzas cooked within minutes inside our awesome oven – which reaches temperatures of over 700 degrees!!

 

There are mere days left in the school year and as such my time as an Education Outside Corps Member is coming to a close.  It has been delightful celebrating my last moments with my garden explorers and food connoisseurs!

A big thank you to the Cleveland Community, all of the wonderful teachers, the incredibly awesome support staff and of course our fearless leader, principal Mark Sanchez!

Go Peacemakers!!

 

Gourmet Goodness

At the end of class, after eating two different fruit salads – one with a citrus banana coconut topping and the other a honey cinnamon yogurt dressing  – I asked my 5th grade students to describe how it tasted.

“Tart!” one shouted out.

“Juicy!” shouted another.

“Titillating!” yelled a third.

I couldn’t help but laugh.  “What about you, Adrian? Did you like it?”

“It was divine!” He squealed.

That’s right.  Divine.  My 5th graders have become mini gourmet chefs, describing the flavors of food as if they were raised in the kitchen- which many of them have been!

We have created many delicacies over the past few weeks; Stovetop Granola, Fresh Fruit Salad, and our latest veggie delights – Handmade Tortilla’s w/ Mango Radish Dressing and Vegetable Pancakes.

As we cook these tasty treats I am constantly in awe of the adventurous eaters I am surrounded by.  Despite my parents many attempts to refine my palate I loathed all things tomato, mushroom, and onion and pretty much ordered Grilled Cheese at every restaurant we went to as a family – even restaurants that didn’t serve Grilled Cheese!

However, the vegetable pancakes made by my students were filled with sweet potato, green onion, even chopped parsley!  Their favorite salsa’s main ingredient is diced radish!  And these students aren’t just tasting their food- they are devouring it – then asking for more!

I have been so lucky to share these new cooking experiences with such a bold bunch!  To quote one of my 5th graders – it’s been “heavenly”.

 

Baymobile!

Last week our 2nd graders had a visit from the Baymobile – an aquarium on wheels from the Aquarium of the Bay here in San Francisco!

Our students learned about the Greenhouse Effect – an invisible blanket of Carbon Dioxide trapping hot air within our Earth’s atmosphere!  Each student modeled what would happen to our glaciers and sea level as the Earth gets warmer.

Afterwards everyone headed outside to visit with the animals that live in our tide pools!  Because tide pools are right on the edge of where the water meets the land, they are in big danger if we experience any rises in our sea level!  Students got to meet and touch a Leather Star, a Pink Sea Star (a real life Patrick from Spongebob!) and everyone’s favorite gelatinous creature- the Sea Cucumber!

At the end of the day we brainstormed different ways that we could reduce the output of Carbon Dioxide on Planet Earth.  You can try any of these quick tips at home!

1)  Turn off any lights and unplug appliances that aren’t in use!

2) Use public transportation and walk whenever possible.

3) Eat less red meat!

4) Recycle, re-use and avoid making unnecessary purchases!

5)  Buy local produce!

A big thank you to our teachers Alex & Sharon and the Baymobile for bringing the bay right here to our classroom door!

 

Ranunculus in Bloom

I am in awe of our new Ranunculus.  Each morning I head straight to our tiny flower patch and look for new blooms.  The rains we received way back when have finally payed off in frilly pink and yellow petals decorating our garden space.  I have always been such a veggie fanatic that I forgot how much pure beauty a flower can add to a garden – even a school garden where they will last about a week before being picked!

 

To Cleveland student scientists, however, nothing could make more sense than taking these colorful beauties and cutting them up to observe their insides.  It’s time for Flower Dissection!

In order to preserve our spring blooms we dissected other seasonal stems – Daffodils!  Students followed instructions to take apart each flower, bit by bit, and record each part on their Flower Dissection Worksheet.  They had to account for the pistil, stamen, ovary, petals and other various parts necessary for a flower to produce fruit.

 

 

 

After studying the insides of their flowers, students learned about other animals in the garden that love flowers inside & out even more than we do!  3rd graders played a matching game to find out which garden pollinators were attracted to specific flowers.  After finding their match they explored the garden to find an example of their flower and/or pollinator.

 

After pollination, the beautiful flowers in our garden are able to produce fruit – or as garden scientists call them – Seed Suitcases.  Students studied many different types of seed dispersal, or how seeds move from their parent plant to a new home, through real examples of seeds from our very own garden.   Students discovered fliers, droppers, poppers, and everyone’s favorite: poopers!

 

 

Here’s hoping for more spring showers!  Goodness knows California (and our flowers) can use it!

Snails, Salsa, and the Spring Countdown!

It’s official. Our bulbs are in the ground ready to pop up as delightful tulips and daffodils.  The apple trees are beginning to bud.  We had our first Monarch Butterfly sighting.   The countdown to Spring has begun.

As we await the coming season we have had lot’s to keep us occupied in the Outdoor Classroom; theatrical performances, adventurous cooking experiences and mysterious slimy creatures that eat our Rainbow Chard.

Our first grade scientists used their skills of observation to capture the details of slugs and snails as they drew Scientific Drawings of the garden critters.

They made sure to follow the ABCDE’s of Science Drawing so that their snails were Accurate, Big, Colorful, Detailed and Explained!

In celebration of Valentine’s Day and to show our support for Jump Rope for Heart our 2nd grade chef’s diced some heart healthy radishes and strawberries for a delicious Red Heart Healthy Salsa to eat with blue tortilla chips!  See the recipe below!

In order to understand the complexities of adaptations, 3rd graders created Camouflage Creatures to blend into the garden habitat.  After their critters were “hidden” everyone became a vicious predator hungrily searching for their helpless prey.

 

5th graders put their stage presence to the test in a theatrical production of the Photosynthesis Play – Plant Food Magic.  Each student either morphed into an important “actor” in the process of Photosynthesis or helped move the story along with narration.  Bravo 5th Grade!

 

Try our Red Heart Healthy Salsa at home with your family!  It tastes great with a bag of chips or as a topping on some delicious homemade tacos!

Red Heart Healthy Salsa

1 basket Strawberries

1 bunch of Radishes

1/4 cup Cilantro (or be adventurous and try mint!)

1 lemon, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Chop all ingredients into small pieces, mix in bowl and serve!

Making Peace with Lunchroom Trash!

After the return from the Winter Holiday, Cleveland Peacemakers were ready to dive into the compost bin (almost literally…) and increase our Waste Diversion Rates!

We kicked off the new semester with a San Francisco celebrity appearance…

 

San Francisco’s Department of the Environment brought some magic to Cleveland by introducing their mascot- Phoebe the Phoenix!

Phoebe helped to teach the entire school about the importance of composting and recycling in the city of San Francisco, both at home and at school!  She helped students sort their lunches into the proper bins, giving each student the chance to help protect nature every day!

 

SF Environment also brought a team of government employees to train our 3rd and 4th grade students as Compost Monitors.  These students will be the leaders in our Waste Reduction program, helping the younger students to properly sort their waste!

 

 

Another exciting change at Cleveland is the introduction of our Bathroom Composting Program.  Students and staff will help to reduce waste on campus by ensuring that their paper towels end up in the green bin and not in our landfills!

 

At Cleveland we all pledge to do our part to protect Planet Earth by Recyling, Reducing, and Reusing!

Sincerely,

The Cleveland Peacemakers!

We Walk To Protect Nature!

Cleveland families came together today with an awesome show of support for our 2nd Walk & Roll to School Day!

Our first graders helped raise awareness about the event by making Walk to School Day paper crowns.  Many returned this morning wearing their crowns with their parents in tow,  they had earned their Walk to School Day Raffle Ticket and healthy snack!

Over 40 students and their families met at Excelsior Playground to participate in our second Walking School Bus.  Led by Nancy Buffman from the SF Bike Coalition and Jacquie Zapata-Chavez from Safe Routes to School, the students got their morning exercise by trekking many blocks up the very steep streets of the Excelsior!

Once they arrived students ate a healthy breakfast snack, received a raffle ticket for participation (making them eligible to win some fun prizes!) and a Walk to School Day Sticker to show off to their classmates!

This event wouldn’t have been made possible without the awesome help of Safe Routes to School and Cleveland Staff!  I mean, someone had to haul the wheelbarrows down 5 blocks to meet the Walking School Bus!

Here at Cleveland we do our part to protect the environment and lead healthy lifestyles!  Thanks to all who helped make this fun event a success!  

Seasonal Snap Shots!

Here are a few snap shots of what we’ve been up to in the garden this Fall!  Check em’ out!

Kindergarten has begun learning about the six plant parts and explored the many different qualities of seeds through a seed sort!

1st grade was adventurous in exploring the mysterious qualities of ooOOoobleck!  A substance that acts as both a liquid and a solid!

2nd grade is finishing up their unit on Plant Parts and Plant Lifecycles.  First they magically turned a 2nd grade student into a plant and then each student became a cartoonist as they illustrated the life cycle of a plant.

Our 3rd graders learned about various ways to measure weather.  One of their favorite tools was the pinwheels, which they used to find the wind moving around the garden classroom.

Finally, our 5th graders pulled their knowledge together to create short skits about the Water Cycle which they then performed for the entire class!  Bravo!

 

Stay tuned for more snap shots of the Cleveland Outdoor Classroom!

 

 

Back To Our Roots: The Year So Far

We’ve been very busy in the garden this year.  The summer months are over and Fall is upon us, bringing windy days and hearty greens!

Our first garden harvest included a root vegetable that had spent the summer growing to epic proportions.

It was a Monster Carrot!

This year was Cleveland Elementary School’s first ever “Walking School Bus”! On National Walk to School Day over 60 Cleveland students and their families met at Excelsior Playground to participate in the event.  We ate orange slices, flew streamers and enjoyed community exercise! There was over 50% school wide participation of students who walked from their homes or the nearby park.  Congratulations Peacemakers!

In mid-October we had a full week of delicious garden treats!  Kindergarten tasted the rainbow with fruit skewers that represented every color.  1st grade boogied down with the Butter Boogie, turning liquid Heavy Whipping Cream into solid Easy Herb Butter.  2nd grade tasted all 6 plant parts in a delicious spinach tortilla and hummus roll-up.  3rd and 4th grade made Seasonal Salads, including fruits and vegetables found in local farmers markets and a homemade apple cider vinaigrette.  5th grade put their cooking skills to the test with a Brassica Slaw and two homemade dressings- Buttermilk and Ginger Miso!  After all of this cooking and eating many students joined the Cleveland Clean Plate Club!

Our students have also been busy delving into science units about our 5 senses, the water cycle, the life cycle of plants, weather & seasons and ecosystems.  Our garden has come to life as a living and growing laboratory for our student scientists to explore!

 

Looking forward to a fruitful year!

Educate! Graduate! Celebrate!

It’s here!  The end of the year!  The summer is near! I’ve packed up my gear! Let’s crack open a … rootbeer!

Wow! This year has been full of sunshine, fog, garden greens, edible flowers, worm poop, butterfly spottings, camouflage, redwood treks, and lots of hugs on my knees.

To celebrate the end of the year and the graduation of all of our students to a higher grade of learning, here are some compiled photos depicting our end of the year garden parties.

2nd and 3rd graders ate Fresh Garden Spring Rolls filled with garden greens, edible flowers and cucumbers.

 

Kindergarten and 1st grade slurped up Chard Pineapple Smoothies – the first graders patience was tested as they waited for their smoothies to freeze into Green Garden Popsicles!

5th graders worked together to make their own pizza dough and finally used the wood fire oven to bake pizzas complete with fresh garden herbs!

Each student made a Garden Dream Flag.  We put all of our wishes, hopes and dreams for our school garden into the flags and hope the wind will blow them into reality!

What a year it has been!  Looking forward to another year of growth!