HUDSON, N.Y. — Cornell Cooperative Extension’s “School Partners in Gardening Program” aims to support school gardens and the educators that manage them throughout Columbia and Greene Counties. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, most of those gardens have been off limits since last spring. In an effort to continue garden education through this time the 4-H Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties has teamed up with Friends of Clermont Historic Site to create monthly themed kits for all interested classrooms. In October the kits focused on turnip carving. Each student received their own bag containing carving tools, two turnips, a small tea light, and a copy of the Irish folktale about Jack-O-Lantern (who carried a carved turnip!).
The most recent kit was focused on common winter visitors to the garden, birds. The ‘Eat Like a Bird’ kit offered students the opportunity to create their own bird feeder ornament. They had several types of seed to choose from and information about what birds are partial to each variety. Included in the kit was a snack of a clementine and sunflower seeds so students could indeed eat like a bird!
Over 100 Kits have been distributed each month. They are available to all classrooms in Columbia and Greene Counties and are most appropriate for grade levels 3-6. These kits have been made available due to the generous support of the Hudson River Bank & Trust Company Foundation.
For more information or to join our School Partners in Gardening consortium please reach out to Anna Harrod-McGrew, 4-H Natural Resource Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties. The consortium meets monthly during the school year to share resources, curriculum, grant opportunities and more. Anna can be reached via email at Ash252@cornell.edu.
Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities. The programs provided by this organization are partially funded by monies received from the Counties of Columbia and Greene.
4-H is New York’s only youth development program directly connected to the technological advances and the latest research at Cornell University. 4-H participants learn leadership, citizenship and life skills through hands-on projects in three primary program areas: science and technology; healthy living; and citizenship. To find out more about 4-H and youth programs in Columbia and Greene Counties, contact us at 518-828-3346 or Columbiagreene@cornell.edu or visit our website, www.ccecolumbiagreene.org . You can also “Like” us on Facebook…Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Columbia and Greene Counties
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