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.

Our FoodCorps members have begun their first round of Fall Festivals at their school gardens! Students at Mt. Vernon Elementary, Harriet Tubman Elementary, and McKinley Elementary School were invited out to their school garden to engage in various Farm to School activities lead by our FoodCorps members!

Students engaged in mindfulness yoga, scavenger hunts in the garden, bug education, pumpkin crafts, and were able to taste test three varieties of apples where they got the opportunity to vote on their favorite apple! We are excited for the rest of our Fall Festivals at Hawthorne Avenue, Lincoln, Avon Avenue, and Thirteenth Avenue!

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, November 9th @ 10:30-12pm

This month, dive into the fascinating world of mammals. Here’s what we have planned:

-Survival Strategies: Learn how mammals survive the winter.

-Urban Habitats: Explore the habitats of urban mammals.

-Fur & Bones: Examine real animal fur and bones.

-Habitat Crafting: Create your own mini habitat for a mammal of your choice.

Perfect for kids and families who love nature and wildlife. Don’t miss this educational and fun-filled morning! 

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! (VERY FEW SPOTS LEFT)

REGISTER HERE

Accessible Gardening for All Workshop

In-Person

Wednesday, November 13th @ 4-5pm

Join us as we ensure our garden spaces are accessible for everyone of all abilities to enjoy your programming! We will go over adaptations for paths, growing areas, tools, and successful lessons and activities.

REGISTER HERE

Foodie Fun Nights

In-Person

Wednesday, November 13th @ 4:00-6:00pm

Join us for a conversation about Newark School Meals, open to all ages at the Newark Public Library North End Branch on Wednesday, November 13th from 4-6pm. Each evening promises to be filled with culinary delights, engaging conversations, and exciting activities. Don’t miss out on these opportunities to learn, taste, and contribute to your community!

REGISTER HERE

KidsGardening Presents: Teaching Social Studies in the Garden

Virtual

Thursday, November 21st @ 7:00pm

Join KidsGardening for a webinar exploring the fusion of social studies education and outdoor learning through the lens of the C3 Framework. This session will guide educators, parents, and garden enthusiasts to harness the power of gardens as vibrant settings for teaching social studies concepts, promoting civic literacy, and nurturing active, informed citizens.

REGISTER HERE

SGSO Network Presents: Real Life Garden Heroes: How Teaching Diverse Voices Improves Literacy and SEL Skills

Virtual

Wednesday, November 20th @ 2:00pm 

Our students must be able to see themselves represented in the stories and people we teach them about. In this workshop, you will learn about "Remarkable People" in the worlds of agriculture, cuisine, science, and environmental activism. And you will learn how to develop a capstone project that allows students to build confidence in themselves as future change-makers and reflect on ways that they are already remarkable.  Attendees will have a chance to discuss with one another which Remarkable People would fit best into their own curricula, as well as explore ways to invite local and regional heroes to interact with their students.

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

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 Squash! You can plant squash in New Jersey around May / June. The heaviest squash weighed 2,164 LB and
was grown by Todd & Donna Skinner. It was authenticated in Dublin, Ohio, USA, on October 10, 2021. Learn more about Squash 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.

One major highlight was the interest from students in joining the Student Nutrition Advisory Council. Their enthusiasm signals an exciting shift toward empowering students to take an active role in shaping their school food offerings. This is a pivotal step toward the council’s goal, and we’re looking forward to seeing this group grow and inspire further student-led changes in the future!

What is a Zucchini's favorite sport?

Squash!

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? 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! 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.