e-news

Dec 6, 2021

Weather Stations

Weather is something that affects our lives in a big way, from what we wear and where we choose to live, work and play, to the kinds and availability of the food we grow and eat. Adding a weather station to your school garden can be an engaging way to study weather by collecting data… 

Dec 6, 2021

Fall-themed Nature Mandalas

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year with cool crisp mornings and sunny warm afternoons. It is also a time when the garden is winding down for the season and it can be difficult to plan outdoor activities during the colder months. Nature mandalas are one way to connect with nature year-round… 

Oct 18, 2021

Arts Integration

The 5th graders at A.T. Allen Elementary School have a school tradition of working on a legacy project. Some past projects include a recycled bottle cap mural for the cafeteria titled, “Garden Fresh is Best” and a ceramic tile mural titled, “Tree of Learning.” Last year, the “Connect” team of teachers (art, music, PE, library… 

Oct 14, 2021

Go and See (SEL)

Go and See is a great activity for using observational skills and moving from place to place. One person volunteers to move ahead while the rest of the group counts down from 10; when the group gets to 0, the volunteer stops, looks around, and finds something special or interesting to share with the rest… 

Sep 23, 2021

Social Emotional Learning Primer

Doug and I spent the month of June delivering workshops on Social Emotional Learning in the Garden.  The more I prepared for these workshops the more I realized how beneficial the garden can be to social and emotional development.  I started by spending some time just figuring out what is meant by SEL. According to… 

Sep 22, 2021

3 No-Fail Fall Crops

Fall is often overlooked as a gardening season since there’s more “buzz” around spring planting. But here’s some great news: you can grow a beautiful and bountiful garden starting in September, and enjoy your harvest until Thanksgiving or longer. Whether you’re a fall garden newbie or veteran, here are three crops that are sure to… 

Aug 26, 2021

Borrow STEM Supplies

Shopping for “school supplies” is a late summer rite of passage into the new school year. We want to save you some money and help you out with some STEM classroom supplies that you can borrow. These items directly support lessons in the STEM curriculum developed by PHHI. These resources are restricted to use within… 

Aug 26, 2021

Schedule a Workshop

We’ve revamped our ProfessionalDevelopment offerings and invite you to review the topics below. We frequently hear workshop participants say, “I wish my entire grade level could have been here today.” As former teachers, we understand the compression of workdays and often try to offer our events in the summer. However, we know that school systems… 

May 13, 2021

Teacher Spotlight: Lenora Barron

Lenora Barron has been a physical education teacher for 34 years and will be hanging up her whistle this year. After starting her career in Virginia, she came to Weddington Hills Elementary in Concord, NC, the year it opened, now 25 years ago. While she has coordinated many field days, as you might expect, her…