Dig, plant, compost, learn about birds and butterflies, taste freshly-harvested produce - all this and more happens in Gardens Alive!
Gardens Alive is a garden-based enrichment program created to help teachers and students utilize the Mullen-Hall School Garden. Gardens Alive volunteers facilitate seasonal activities to help classes plant, maintain and harvest from their plots. Activities and materials are provided.
Here are a few sample Gardens Alive Activities from fall 2012:
(Links coming soon!)
Gardens Alive volunteers develop a plan with the classroom teacher for working with students in the garden. Generally, volunteers choose to lead an activity for the entire class, such as planting their garden plot, tasting the harvest, or planting flower bulbs. Some volunteers will then take small groups of students for a short visit to the garden in the following weeks to tend their plots and make observations. Volunteers and teachers can develop an individualized approach that works for them.
Interested in participating?
Gardens Alive volunteers may be Mullen-Hall parents, grandparents, and members of the community. Classrooms are paired up with volunteers as they become available. At Meet the Teacher Night at the start of the school year, teachers request volunteers for their classroom, including Gardens Alive. For classrooms without a Gardens Alive volunteer, the Garden Committee helps to find a volunteer from the community, in order for each classroom to have the opportunity to participate in Gardens Alive.
CORI Form (Criminal Offender Record Information) - Those interested in becoming a Gardens Alive volunteer must complete a CORI form, available at the Mullen-Hall School main office. Falmouth Public Schools request that
volunteers fill out a CORI form once each year. A CORI is good for
one calendar year from the date of submission. Please note that the
CORI form must be witnessed and signed by an authorized school employee. In addition to the Mullen-Hall main office, personnel at each school, the VIPS office, and the administration
building are available during business hours to witness and sign
the CORI form. For more information about the CORI process, visit www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/advisory/CORI.html. Following approval, Gardens Alive volunteers can arrange for a simple training session with a member of the Mullen-Hall School Garden Committee.
For more information or to volunteer: (Link coming soon!)
