Independent Site Visits 9th Grade:
Topic: Leave it on the lawn
Queens Botanical Garden
Grade level: 9th
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to learn about reducing wastes and recycling.
2. Students will learn the history of Arbor Day and current dates in different
states.
3. Students will learn about the importance of compost science and how it
affects everyday life.
Materials needed: Pen, paper
Background information:
Arbor Day was the idea of J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City.
Morton, editor of Nebraska's first newspaper, advocated planting trees on
the native grasslands of his adopted state. The early settlers needed trees
for fuel, food and building material, and to provide windbreaks and shade.
In 1872 Morton first proposed a tree-planting holiday called "Arbor Day"
at a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture. Prizes were offered to countries
and individuals for properly planting the largest number of trees on that
day. It was estimated that more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska
on the first Arbor Day. During the 1870s, other states passed legislation
to observe Arbor Day and the tradition began in schools in 1882. By 1894 Arbor
Day was celebrated in every state and has now spread to other countries.
Arbor Day Dates
Alabama Last full week in Feb.
Nevada South: Feb 28; North: Apr. 23;
Alaska Third Monday in May; New Hampshire Last Friday in April;
Arizona Last Friday in April; New Jersey Last Friday in April;
Arkansas Third Monday in March; New Mexico Second Friday in March;
California March 7-14;
New York Last Friday in April;
Colorado Third Friday in April;
North Carolina First Friday following March 15;
Connecticut April 30;
North Dakota First Friday in May;
Delaware Last Friday in April;
Ohio Last Friday in April;
District of Columbia Last Friday in April;
Oklahoma Last full week in March;
Florida Third Friday in Jan.;
Oregon First full week in April;
Georgia Third Friday in Feb.;
Pennsylvania Last Friday in April;
Guam First Friday in November;
Rhode Island Last Friday in April;
Hawaii First Friday in November;
South Carolina First Friday in December;
Idaho Last Friday in April;
South Dakota Last Friday in April;
Illinois Last Friday in April;
Tennessee First Friday in March;
Indiana Last Friday in April;
Texas Last Friday in April;
Iowa Last Friday in April;
Utah Last Friday in April;
Kansas Last Friday in March;
Vermont First Friday in May;
Kentucky First Friday in April;
Virginia Second Friday in April;
Louisiana Third Friday in January;
Virgin Islands Last Friday in September;
Maine Third full week in May;
Washington Second Wednesday in April;
Maryland First Wednesday in April;
West Virginia Second Friday in April;
Massachusetts April 28-May 5;
Wisconsin Last Friday in April;
Michigan Last Friday in April;
Wyoming Last Monday in April;
Minnesota Last Friday in April;
National Arbor Day Last Friday in April;
Mississippi Second Friday in Feb. ;
Missouri First Friday in April ;
Montana Last Friday in April ;
Nebraska Last Friday in April ;
Procedure:
1. What do grass clippings made up
of?
A: Grass clippings are 85% water and 5% nitrogen. When left on the lawn, they
return water and nutrients to the soil. Grass clippings can provide up to
30% of your fertilizer requirement.
2. What can we do with lawn clippings?
A: You can use them as mulch around plants and shrubs. Also you can make your
own compost which is an excellent source of nitrogen. Grass clippings left
on the lawn reduce water evaporation and keep the soil cooler during hot weather.
3. What is compost?
A: Compost is a dark, crumbly material that looks and feels like potting soil.
It forms naturally, when organic materials decompose. Compost is an excellent
soil conditioner- it loosens the texture of heavy clay soils,
making them better for root growth, and it helps light sandy soil retain water
and nutrients. Compost is also a source of mineral and nutrients, which are
essential to plants.
4. What is composting?
A: Composting is a natural process-taking place everywhere around us. When
a leaf falls to the ground, it is eaten and digested by microorganisms such
as bacteria and fungi, and by larger creatures, such as beetles and earthworms.
Compost is the remains these organisms leave behind. It becomes part of the
soil, where its nutrients are absorbed by plant roots to help make new leaves.
Composting is nature's way of recycling.
5. What can lawn chemicals, such as pesticides and fungicides do to the organisms
living in the dirt?
A: They can kill beneficial earthworms and microorganisms that work as decomposers.
Closure:
How do we make compost at home? What can we use to make compost?
|
YES!! You can put these materials in your backyard bin or pile compost Leaves and brush |
NO!! Don't' add these materials to your in your backyard bin or pile compost Meat scraps |
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