Join SEEAG for the First Sprouting Minds Webinar!

We sincerely hope you enjoy reading these newsletters as much as we enjoy creating them. Below you will find out about our first Sprouting Minds webinar, fun science experiments, the crop of the week facts and recipes, streamable cooking lessons, and more!

With the help of The Plant Good Seed Company in Ojai, SEEAG was able to send 300 families organic, locally-sourced seeds. Thank you to The Plant Good Seed Company for your generosity – and thank you to all of those who participated and helped spread the word!

If you received seeds, please share your pictures with us by using #letsgrowagarden2020. Click here to learn more about the seeds that were sent away, and their health benefits for you and the environment! We can’t wait to see what, and how, you grow!

This week we would like to specifically highlight SEEAG’s new Sprouting Minds webinar series. As we adapt to working in a virtual world, we want to continue to bring students across Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties (and beyond) quality, engaging, and inspiring education opportunities. This webinar series will feature local agricultural, gardening, food, and wellness experts over the coming months, and will provide uplifting and fun experiences for the whole family. We hope you will join us for our first webinar with Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith, who is one of the foremost experts on Victory Gardens and a Ventura County local!

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SPROUTING MINDS WEBINAR SERIES

EPISODE 1: VICTORY GARDENS

COVID-19 has driven a resurgence in gardening, causing many to ask, “Is this a new Victory Garden movement?” We are excited to announce the first #letsgrowagarden2020 Sprouting Minds webinar! We’ll talk to one of the foremost experts on Victory Gardens, Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith, to learn about the history of Victory Gardens and why the idea has caught the public’s imagination. She’ll also share some examples of World War I and World War II poster art with food and gardening themes, quick tips on how to get started gardening with your kids and family, and a fun hands-on activity.

After the webinar, students will be encouraged to create their own “Victory Garden” posters with whatever message they want to send (grow a garden, reduce food waste, eat healthy, etc.). Make sure your student(s) gather whatever art supplies they want to use in order to come prepared!

TWO DATES TO JOIN: A short pre-recorded Zoom webinar and live Q&A session with Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith will be held on Thursday, April 16th at 2 PM and Thursday April 23rd at 2 PM. Sign up by clicking the button below and we will send you the Zoom link information!

Sign Up for the Victory Garden Webinar Today!

VICTORY GARDEN WEBINAR POSTER CONTEST

In the Victory Garden webinar series your student will learn all about the history of these gardens, and the unique and impactful posters that accompanied them. Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith will help your student identify the patterns, themes, and messaging of these posters, and teach them how to make a Victory Garden poster of their own!

After the webinar, help your student create their own garden poster and share it with us by emailing a picture to [email protected] or submitting it on our website. Submit the poster with the students’ first name and last initial and we will share it on our Facebook and Instagram!

On Monday, April 27th we will randomly select three winners who will each be sent the book of their choice from our suggested reading list!

FIND AT-HOME RESOURCES FROM THESE SEEAG PROGRAMS BELOW!

Time to Plan Your Garden:
Let’s get creative!

Grades: 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Standards: 1.6.P
Description: Before you plant, it’s always good to have a plan! Click the link in the title to download the Plan Your Garden worksheet. Inside, your student will find some helpful questions, a place to map out your garden and a picture journal template. Before your student starts their packet, take a look at this garden diversity document for some unique ways to plant your seeds!

A special thank you to Hannah, a Girl Scout working on her junior gardening badge, for sending us this great garden resource!

How do plants breathe?
Let’s Learn about Photosynthesis!

Grades: 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Standards: 2-LS2-1
Description: In this experiment, your student(s) will create an environment where they can actually SEE photosynthesis taking place. All you will need is an active leaf, a bowl, and water! The experiment takes a few hours, but it is a great way to explain how plants “breathe” in carbon dioxide and “breathe” out oxygen.

Check out this educational video for an in-depth science lesson on photosynthesis (recommended for middle and high school, but feel free to use it as a background on photosynthesis for yourself!).

The Power of Flowers
Why do plants grow flowers?

Grades: 3rd
Standards: 2-LS2-2
Description: From Mystery Science: In this Mystery, students learn how and why flowers are pollinated. In the activity, Make a Flower, students make flower models out of paper and bee models out of pipe cleaners. Students fly their bees from flower to flower and observe what happens to the flower’s pollen during this process. For a reading activity, check out this Mystery Science story about bats!

What’s the buzzzzzzz?
Create a Pollinator Garden

Grades: 3rd
Standards: 2-LS2-2
Description: Did you know that without pollinators, we wouldn’t eat! More than 75% of the world’s plants depend on pollination – including 35% of the crops we eat. In these two activities, students will learn about our most common pollinators, how to identify them in a fun scavenger hunt, and how to make a pollinator garden of their own! Click the link in the bio for steps to create a pollinator garden, and check out this pollinator scavenger hunt and the website it came from for more fun activities!

Harvest of the Week:
Kale!

Fun Facts About Kale:
1. Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet!
2. A cup of raw kale contains more vitamin C than an orange.
3. Kale has been cultivated for food since at least 2000 BC.
4. Ventura County farmers grow over 6,000 tons of kale every year, equally more than $31 million worth of this nutritious veggie! Kale and White Bean Soup Recipe Food Hero: Kale Coloring Sheet (English)
Food Hero: Kale Coloring Sheet (Spanish)

Kale Education Lesson by Vermont Harvest of the Month

Stream Kid-Friendly Yoga Classes!
Fun Themes, Daily, 30-Minute Classes

Jessica Lang is a dancer, Pilates and yoga instructor with a passion for helping others heal through movement and whole body wellness. She has developed these virtual classes to help keep kids active, healthy, and happy at home! All classes are provided through Zoom. Donations via Venmo of any amount are greatly appreciated, but not required. Click the link in the title for the Zoom Meeting I.D. and this week’s schedule!

Certifications: 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification: White Lotus Yoga Foundation (2012), 250 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification: Hollywood Power Yoga (2014), Pilates Certification: Pilates Sports Center (2016)

Nutrition & Wellness
Games and Activities

Download SEEAG’s Farm Fresh Passport!

Visit Oregon State University’s “Food Hero” program website for more fun games and activities!

Lesson Plan: “A Garden’s Food Groups” from the Whole Kids Foundation Lesson Plans

Ventura County Grown Crops Word Search

Live Stream Cooking Classes:
The Captain Planet Foundation

Grades: All Grades
Description: Your young chef is invited to join Chef Asata Reid for a live cooking class! Together, or with your supervision, students work alongside Chef Asata to create a nutritious and delicious dish the whole family can enjoy – learning kitchen tips and nutrition facts as you go. Classes are hosted via Zoom. You will receive access for each class after registering. Click here to register for a free cooking class!

FoodSpan:
High School Food System Lesson Plans

>From the Johns Hopkins University FoodSpan project, this website has 17 standardized lesson plans covering three units: Meet the Food System, Farmers, Factories, and Food Chains, and Consumers and Communities. Check it out!

Start-Up Spotlight:
TRAPVIEW

TRAPVIEW is an automated pest monitoring system that monitors all kinds of insects, which can be lured into insect traps. It works on all continents in any area covered by the GPRS or 3G network. TRAPVIEW provides near real-time indications of pest occurrences. This could be the future of pest control!