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.   

Scroll down to reach our section on Grant Opportunities to see current opportunities for your school garden programs. The Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant and Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grants we suggest applying for as those deadlines end in early-March.

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.

The application to be part of the 2nd Annual Newark Grows School Gardens Tour is now open! Apply to be part of this educational experience and to show off your school garden space. We will choose 3 – 4 schools to be included in the bus tour this year.

The tour is planned for June 13th (rain date June 20th) and we plan to invite key stakeholders from the City and Board of Education to see all the amazing work being done across Newark. If chosen, you can expect visitors for about 30 minutes.

Applications are due by April 11th, and we plan to confirm sites by the end of April.

Please feel free to reach out to Sarah O'Leary (soleary@citybloom.org), Bryanna Fogel (bryanna.fogel@tpl.org), or Patrick Evans (pevans@citybloom.org) for more information. 

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, April 12th @ 10:30-12pm

Join us for a whimsical morning where families can craft fairy houses using natural materials. This session encourages creativity and a connection to nature and is perfect for kids and adults.

Why You’ll Love It:
-Creativity Unleashed: Build a fairy house using natural items adorned with your unique touches.
-Family Bonding: An excellent way to spend quality time together outdoors.
-Engage with Nature: Discover the charm and materials our local environment offers.

Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out!

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

Early Sprouts Workshop

In-Person

Wednesday, April 30th @ 4-5pm

Join Us for Early Sprouts! Ready to watch curiosity grow? Celebrate Month of the Young Child and learn about working with gardeners and eaters ages 3 to 6. Learn tips and tricks from intrepid early educators.

REGISTER HERE

Organic Gardening Course

In-Person (Greater Newark Conservancy)

Saturday, April 5th @ 9:00am-3:00pm

Whether you are a gardening newbie or a veteran, NOFA NJ’s Organic Gardening Course for Food Production will provide you with time-tested information as well as opportunities to discuss specific questions about your garden. Learn how to improve your soil and how to plan, prepare, and plant your own plot. Where there are gardens, there are weeds, diseases, pests, and hungry critters and you will discover methods to manage these challenges. Instructor Al Johnson has farmed and gardened Organically for over 50 years.

REGISTER 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

Interested in receiving a FREE hydroponic Tower Garden? These Tower Garden kits come with everything you need to begin your journey with hydroponics.

The unit stands at just under 5 feet tall. If you are interested, you will need to pick up the box at 32 Prince Street, Newark NJ 07103 (Greater Newark Conservancy).

The box is about 2ft x 2ft and weighs roughly 20-25lbs. 

Please fill out the form below. We will reach out to approved schools once the application period closes.

DEADLINE: Wednesday, April 30th 

Click Here to Register

This month's Jersey Fresh Harvest of the Month is Spinach! Spinach likes to be directly seeded into the ground, and it grows into a leafy green, which is the part of the plant we
eat. Spinach loves the cooler weather and if it lives through a frost the legend is that it actually becomes sweeter!  Check out recipes and fun activities around Spinach here!

School meals are an essential resource in feeding 30 million children every day. Making school meals free for all students ensures that every kid is nourished and ready to learn, regardless of their family’s income.

FoodCorps and our coalition partners are advocating for the continuation of school meals for all. With the end of pandemic-era waivers, districts in many states have needed to return to charging families for school meals. But no child should go hungry because of financial or bureaucratic burdens. Lawmakers must do more to make school meals for all permanent.

Learn more about school meals for all below and take action by urging your senators to prioritize children’s well-being.

Interested in filling out postcards? Stop by Greater Newark Conservancy at 32 Prince Street, Newark NJ to pick-up or drop-off your School Meals for All postcard. We have postcards in English and Spanish. 

What is a dancer’s favorite salad?

SPIN-ach!

Source: Wisconsin School Garden Network

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!

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.