A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
Henry Brooks Adams
Revolutionizing school lunch by giving food a central place in the academic curriculum.  www.schoollunchinitiative.org
The Center for Ecoliteracy is dedicated to education for sustainable living.  www.ecoliteracy.org
HOME-SCHOOL  PROJECT
Find some pebbles and shells.  Wash them.  Place
them in a shallow, leak-proof container- such as a
sardine can, saucer, or a large shell.  Decorate
them to your liking.   Pour in a little water so that it
nearly reaches the top of the pebbles and shells.
 
Get yourself some Crocus bulbs.  Their "noses"
should be pointing up.  Leave a small space
between each bulb.  Make sure that the water level
is below the bulbs so that they are not sitting in
water.  The bulbs' roots will sense water is near, and
reach toward it.
Leave the bulbs in a cold, dark cellar or shed, or in
the refrigerator.  Cover them with an upturned flower
pot to make it extra dark and to keep pests away.  
The darkness and cold make the Crocuses think
winter has arrived, so they make roots, ready for
spring.  The water may need refilling so it stays just
below the bulbs.
After 8-10 weeks...when the shoots are about 2
inches high- move your container inside and hang
your  LED Grow Master Bar 18-24 inches from the
top of the Crocus bulbs.  Even if it is snowing outside
the crocuses now think it is spring and will soon
bloom.  
Keep them in a cool spot and refill with water if
necessary.  Don't throw away your bulbs when they
are finished flowering.   Plant them outside in a
sunny, sheltered spot for more blooms next year.

Project From "Little Green Thumbs" by Mary An Van
Hage.
Campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability.
www.organicconsumers.com
The Edible Schoolyard
www.edibleschoolyard.org
Seed International offers engaging and participatory environmental education programs for universities,
colleges, and school students of all ages.  
www.seedinternational.com.au/Schools.html
Through Cultivating Youth Programs, designed for young people ages 13 through 19 , GRuB focuses
on building youths' nutrition, self esteem, community connections, and academic
enthusiasm.
www.goodgrub.org/youth/main.html
Children of all ages are fascinated with carnivorous plants.  
www.phantomplants.com
"Staff and volunteers provide and encourage the use of current research based information in the
areas of nutrition, family and consumer science, youth development, urban gardening, commercial
horticulture, agriculture, and natural resources."  Complete with start up guides.
http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/garden/pubs/index.html
LED Grow Master lights     
operate at just a few degrees
above room temperature,
eliminating the burn risk of
traditional lighting.  LED lighting
also eliminates the fire, shock,  
breakage, and mercury hazards
associated with glass bulbs,
making the LED Grow Master line
safe for children in a classroom
setting.
A list of books on gardening with schools and children.
http://hort.ufl.edu/ggk/resbook.htm
HOME-SCHOOL PROJECT
October is an excellent time of year to take your
young botanist on a seed hunt for next years
garden.  Explore the area for plants that have
finished flowering and are ripening seeds for next
year's flowers.
Take along small, dry containers such as yogurt
tubs, and a field guide to wild plants to help you
identify what you collect.
The seeds of most wild northern plants dry out and
freeze before they start to grow in the spring.  So
you'll have to simulate both an autumn and winter
in the ground to get the seeds ready for planting.
Place seeds on separate pieces of newspaper to dry
out in the sun.  Then store each seed variety in its
own labeled jar and cover with a handful of slightly
damp peat moss.  Screw the lids on tightly.  Lastly
place the jars in a shed or other cool out of the way
area.  The seeds will hybernate and be ready to
plant in early spring.
Community Greening Review  Published by the American Community Gardening Association
http://www.communitygarden.org/commgreenrev-99.pdf
The Watershed Project.   A giant list of resource material.
http://www.thewatershedproject.org/Library/research%20library.html
The best earth friendly project/lesson pages I have come across.
http://www.journeytoforever.org/edu.html#garden
Grounds for Learning.  Hope for America's derelict schoolyards.
http://www.cherylcorson.com/lbd.pdf
Inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future. http://www.nwf.org/backyard/
HOME-SCHOOL PROJECT
A project you can eat.    Kids can see fast
results
by growing a batch of highly nutritious
microgreens
indoors.  Plant seeds in a warm place like a
kitchen.  
They should be dark until they sprout.  (You
can
cover them if you like.)  Once sprouted,
place the
plants under the light for at least 8-10 hours
a day.  
Make sure that the LED Grow Bar is
mounted
according to the specified distance
reccomended
for your model.   From seed to greens in
5-14 days.  
Plants should only need one watering after
the
initial moistening of your grow medium
before they
are ready to eat.  For CO2 experiments, try
growing
2 batches:  one that you breathe on
periodically
throughout the day,  and one that you do not.
Home-School Project
According to the Department of Energy, 85%
of the electricity used in the U.S. Is generated
by fossil fuels.  Of the largest 1000 fossil
fuel-fired power plants in the U.S., 77% are
not subject to air pollution controls under the
Clean Air Act's New Source Review
requirements.  The generation of electric
power produces more pollution than any
other single industry in the United States.
The statistics are similar in other
industrialized nations.  .An important part of
reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is
improving energy efficiency (that is, getting
more use out of the electricity we are already
creating.)  The LED Grow Master lights use
33 times less energy than comparable
metallic vapor lights.  According to a study by
the EPA, this energy savings is equivalent to
planting a 1/2 acre of trees per year.  Now is
the time to see how the rest of your home
holds up.
-Discuss your electric bill.
 
Check your billing cycle and challenge your
family to conserve energy for the following
month.   Have a wattage hunt to determine
which appliances etc. are drawing the most
electricity.  Click
here for ways to reduce your
energy consuption.   At the end of the month,
sit down and discuss the wonder of your
accomplishment.  You've reduced pollution,
helped the environment, and came out with
some extra money.  

Garden for Wildlife
http://www.nwf.org/backyard/
Let's start a school garden.  A step by step guide
http://www.jhsph.edu/clf/PDF%20Files/Toolkit.pdf
The Foundation for Advancements of Science and Education
http://fasenet.org/
Ecological books, tools, and Products
http://www.green-shopping.co.uk/
A full list of the original links provided by Gina Lopez,   http://beirut.indymedia.org/ar/2006/01/3660.shtml
The following links are for teachers and parents interested in ideas
for incorporating gardening into a child's education.
J