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'Tis the Season...

Thursday, December 23, 2010 | Filed under Firestation Stories , Fine Arts

…to take advantage of okra’s ability to produce prolifically during the Texas summer heat. If you don’t grow it yourself (or have never seen it sans crispy deep-fat-fried batter), you may not know that okra comes in the form of seed pods that are delectable when picked young but woody and inedible when allowed to fully mature on the plant. This southern staple grows so quickly even on the hottest days of the summer that it’s just about inevitable that some of the pods will go un-harvested and uneaten.

That’s okay. Pick them. Save them. And turn them into gifts. This year, REAL School Gardens Educators/extraordinary artisan ...

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A Revved Up Rejuvenation

Friday, December 17, 2010 | Filed under Environmental Stewardship , Sustainability and Funding , School Garden Design , Science , REAL Supporters , Math

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief (L) and Mike Lynch (R), NASCAR Managing
Director of Green Innovation, plant a tree with Rosemont 6th Grade School

Does velocity run in their blood? On Tuesday at Rosemont 6th Grade School in Fort Worth, Texas Motor Speedway shared a group of its employees to help refurbish the school’s outdoor classroom, and we were blown away by the speed and quality of their work. When our Garden Designer, Nancy Payne, arrived at the school at 7:02am, the Texas Motor Speedway volunteers were already there, tools in hand, ready to begin—ladies and gentlemen, start your ...

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Water We To Make Of This

Tuesday, December 14, 2010 | Filed under Environmental Stewardship , Social Studies , Firestation Stories

Make of it what you wish but we at Real School Gardens (RSG) are catching water from the roof of our building through rainwater catchment barrels and water collected from the condensate of the air conditioners to irrigate the vegetable garden and the Texas native plants in our humble garden/outdoor laboratory plot. Our world ancestors also captured water by using cisterns thousands of years ago. The Mescalero Apaches used natural cisterns called tinajas that are found at Hueco Tanks State Park near El Paso, Texas; ten thousand year old spear points have been found at the tinajas/cistern sites.

Texas ...

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Take the 5-A-Day Challenge for Better Health!

Friday, December 10, 2010 | Filed under Health and Nutrition

Well, the holiday season in upon us once again and for many of us, during this time of year, it can be very difficult to maintain a nutritious, healthy diet. As we are surrounded by so many delectably delicious holiday sweets and treats, fighting the temptation to overindulge in sugar is easier said than done. Even the most nutrition-conscious person can find it difficult to resist a sugar cookie or two, or three, or four….dare I say more? Perhaps the secret to maintaining a nutritious, healthy diet this holiday season (as well as throughout the rest of the year) is ...

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The Heat is Here, Up Against the Wall!

Thursday, December 09, 2010 | Filed under Student Behavior , Science

At first glance it would appear that this is what happens to students that refuse to weed and tend their garden but this is not so; giving a second look one would understand that this is science in its purest form. On a cool and windy morning in November at Bowie Elementary school in Grand Prairie, Texas third grade students went outside to explore different forms of energy in the schoolyard. Inquiring minds first wanted to find a warm place to gather their thoughts and begin their studies whereby one ardent student yelled out “the heat is here, let’s get up against the wall” and this mass ...

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A Holiday Gift To Honor Others

Wednesday, December 08, 2010 | Filed under Sustainability and Funding , REAL Supporters

Looking for a meaningful gift that will help inspire young minds and cultivate healthy habits this holiday season? Look no further than a gift to REAL School Gardens in honor of the special people on your shopping list. What better way to remember a teacher or someone passionate about education than by supporting outdoor learning opportunities for at-risk children. REAL School Gardens will send the recipient a beautiful card, illustrated by Leigh Wells, to announce the generous donation made in his/her honor. You’ll also receive a letter thanking you for your tax-deductible donation.

Tax-deductible gift donations can ...

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Using the outdoors to study earth sciences

Friday, December 03, 2010 | Filed under

Right now in classrooms across North Texas, students are learning about rocks, soils, weathering, erosion, and other concepts related to earth sciences. Often, teachers go through elaborate lengths to create indoor models of objects and processes that exist naturally just outside the school's doors. Where better to study erosion than where it already causes problems around the school building? After they've had a chance to explore, students will begin to notice patterns about where and why erosion occurs (look below downspouts and on slopes). Set a rock in front a child and ask him to describe it, and it's just ...

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