Welcome everyone to our monthly E-Newsletter, supporting a network of school garden advocates! We will keep you updated on the latest news and work being done across school gardens programs here in Newark, New Jersey, and the best resources from across the country.   

Looking for a specific resource? Interested in having your own resources published? Reach out to us to discuss more at pevans@citybloom.org and we will be more than happy to help.

This past fall, in collaboration and partnership with New Jersey Audobon, we began an after-school program connecting students to nature through National Wildlife Foundation "Garden for Wildlife"-certified native plant gardens at their schools. We started with two schools in November, Louise A. Spencer Elementary School and New Horizons Community Charter and will continue the sessions in March.

Students at these schools are receiving hands-on art and science activities led by Conservancy staff and PSEG Sustainability Ambassador interns (from Montclair State, Essex County Community College, and NYU). These sessions have included lessons on leaves, roots, soil, worms, and garden design. 

All of this was made possible through funding from the PSEG Foundation!

Register your school garden to be a part of our Newark School Garden Support Network and see where other school gardens are located near you!

These Family Programs are great to enjoy with your little ones, but you can join in on your own for an informal professional development session. They are an opportunity to see ways our environmental educators encourage kids to develop wonder, make observations, construct understanding, and engage in science conversations.  You can also learn some cool crafts, healthy recipes, and ways to incorporate more hands-on, engaged learning.

Second Saturday Family Adventures

In-Person

Saturday, January 11th @ 10:30-12pm

Gather your family for a sizzling adventure at our monthly Second Saturday event. This month, we're diving into the ancient skill of making fire safely! Learn the fascinating science behind fire, build your own, and experience the joy of campfire cooking.

Explore the great outdoors and cook up some fun in the garden with us. Don't miss this chance to bond over the warmth of a campfire and tasty treats made with your own hands! Visit our website to sign up today.

This program is free, but registration is required! If we hit capacity, please reach out to pevans@citybloom.org to be placed on the waitlist!

REGISTER HERE

School Garden Event Planning

In-Person

Wednesday, January 22nd @ 4-5pm

Do you have the dream of hosting a school garden festival? Or hosting a family cooking competition centered around a special vegetable? Join us on Wednesday, January 22nd from 4-5pm at the Greater Newark Conservancy as we go over our tips for planning successful garden events at your school garden. We will share out planning documents and pictures/videos that have documented the success of these events over the years.

REGISTER HERE

Bringing Climate Change Education to New Jersey’s K-5 Classrooms

Online

Tuesday, January 14th and 21st @ 4-5pm

Sustainable Jersey for Schools is excited to announce 18 NEW interdisciplinary units, developed through our partnership with SubjectToClimate, to support standards-based instruction for K-5 classrooms, including options for bilingual education. Check it out here!

Join one of their upcoming webinars to learn more about these units. Attendees will explore the Hub, review unit plans, and gain insights from the experts who developed these valuable resources. Enhance your teaching with valuable climate education materials!

LEARN MORE HERE

Celebrating Cultural Inclusion in the Garden

KidsGardening is happy to announce our newest e-course "Celebrating Cultural Inclusion in the School Garden!" This free e-course supports educators as they learn how to center cultural learning in their school garden program with a new curriculum of lesson plans, growing guides, and more. Its creation was supported in part by the USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program.

This is a self-paced with unlimited access to the course materials.

REGISTER HERE

ANJEE 40th Annual Winter Conference

In-Person

Thursday, January 16th-Friday, January 17th, 2025

The Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) is seeking presentations to be held at The College of New Jersey on Thursday, January 16 and Friday January 17, 2025.

Sessions will be scheduled in one-hour blocks. If your workshop is more than one hour long -please request 2 blocks.  

The College of New Jersey is also allowing us to use the campus for outdoor field experience workshops. There will have space for 8-10 outdoor field experience workshops which will follow the same format as classroom presentations. 

LEARN MORE HERE

This month's Jersey Fresh Harvest of the Month is Blueberries! New Jersey's state fruit happens to be the
blueberry and it ranks 5th in the nation in blueberry production. Blueberries are in season during
the summer months June & July. Learn more about Blueberries here!

The Healthy Foods in Newark Schools Coalition held successful Fall Overhaul events at Malcolm X Shabazz High School and 13th Ave Elementary! With the energy and enthusiasm from both students and staff, the event truly became a memorable experience for everyone involved. The beautifully redecorated cafeterias were a big hit, creating a more inviting and vibrant dining space that students thoroughly enjoyed. It was rewarding to see everyone engage so positively with the wellness activities Wellness in the Schools offered—this aspect really seemed to resonate with the school communities.

What did the strawberry say after arguing with the blueberry?

"Let's berry that hatchet"

Source: Wisconsin School Garden Network

Interested in bringing your students to the Outdoor Learning Center at Greater Newark Conservancy to experience the joy of nature-based education during the winter? Fill out this Field Trip Interest Form! We offer a variety of field trip programs that will spark the interest of any youth. Whether they are learning about urban habitats, diving into the world of bugs and insects, or seeing how worms can break down our food into a valuable soil amendment, your students will leave our site with a host of knowledge! Spring dates are currently booked, but we still have winter openings! For more information reach out to soleary@citybloom.org.

The work that we do would not be possible without the generosity of our donors. While we had to put some of our on-site programs temporarily on hold during the COVID-19 crisis, we are back to normal operations and ramping up a number of programs and activities at our Outdoor Learning Center, the Hawthorne Avenue Urban Farm, school partner gardens, as well as various virtual workshops.