WHAT'S COMING UP THIS MONTH?
In December, in Kindergarten we will build habitat for the decomposers in our garden (photo above) and we will make our own herb butter. In First grade, we will make scientific drawings of our chickens. In Second grade, we will build habitat for our decomposers. In Third grade, we will learn about seeds. In Fourth grade, we will learn about the properties of water. (pictured below) In Fifth grade, we will host our first farmers market at Commodore Sloat (pictured here) and we will start our unit about waste.
WHAT WE ARE LEARNING IN THE GARDEN
In November, in Kindergarten we learned about shapes in our garden and our scientists made scientific drawings of our chickens. In First grade, we learned about plant function. Ask your student about what makes a fruit! In Second grade, we observered the results from our decomposition experiment. In Third grade, we finished setting up our worm bins and played a garden mandala game. In Fourth grade, we learned about the Ohlone Peoples and we finished setting up our worm bins. In Fifth grade, we also learned about the Ohlone Peoples and we finished setting up our worm bins. Ask your student to tell you more about what they have learned in the garden!
Interesting plant or animal in the garden
We have lots of borage (Borago officinalis) growing in our garden. It is also known as starflower. The flowers are edible and have a subtle cucumber taste. They are great for the pollinators. The plant is rich in nitrogen which makes it a great addition to our compost pile. It is also a trap crop for aphids, which makes the lady bugs happy!
Last school year, the 5th graders learned about waste and plastic pollution. We brainstormed on possible actions and they decided to write letters (pictured here) to Revolution Foods, our school lunch supplier, asking them to eliminate the plastic packaging. They listened and are now implementing a pilot for compostable packaging in 95 San Francisco Unified Schools! This will reduce up to 3000 pounds of plastic waste at lunch each month! Revolution Foods published a press release about this. Our Sloat students can be proud of taking positive action. Wishing you a joyous holiday season and happy and a peaceful new year.
Questions, comments or ideas? Please reach out to me at outdoor.educator(at)fastmail.com, or visit me in the garden on Mondays through Fridays. I’d love to hear from you! Note: All the photographs were taken in our garden. With gratitude. Mr. Raphael - December 2025
Credits:
Raphael Hitzke