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Kids and Trees Growing Together |
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SAD # 41 2005-2006
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KINDERGARTEN
FIRST GRADE
The First Graders at the LaGrange Elementary school pose as a group for a class picture.
Then they go to work. The first step is to fill a peat pot with soil. Then they take their peat pot to the table
in the background where the seeds and watering bottle are located. They count out five seeds, place
one seed in each corner and one in the middle. After the seeds are pressed firmly into the soil, the seeds
are thoroughly wet down and placed in a tray.
Next stop for the Laws is the Brownville Elementary school and again, the First Graders pose for a
class picture before the go to work. While as a group, the kids review what they remember from last year as Kindergartners.
Many of the kids remember we talked about trees. A few remember we talked about Christmas trees. After the review
a short discussion of what is going to happen and what the first steps in growing Christmas trees will be.
After the kids
fill their peat pots with soil, they count out five seeds, place the seeds in the peat pot, water the seeds thoroughly
then place the planted pots in the tray.
The Laws don't have any grandchildren but they surely have a lot of Foster Grandchildren. Here Mrs. Hayes's
class of First Graders include their Foster Grandparents in their class picture. Everyone seems delighted.
Here, Mrs. Barden's class pose for the class picture. Mr. Law had temporarily lost his camera so the picture was
taken by Tami Goodine and sent via the internet to the website destination. Thanks Tami, you really came through when we were
left without our camera.
SECOND GRADE
Here is Ivy Stanchfield's Second Grade of wide eyed pupils waiting to get to work on their Christmas
tree growing project.
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The first step is to transplant the year old seedlings into a larger pot. |
The second step is to water the newly transplanted seedlings thoroughly. |
THIRD GRADE
Here the Brownville and La Grange Third Graders, under the close supervision of Debbie Page and Paula
Carter, pose for a class picture as they prepare to board the bus to take them back home to "lunch".
To the left are the seedlings the kids planted. These are from the fir tree seeds these same kids planted two
years ago when they were First Graders. These are also the seedlings they transplanted last year as second graders. In two
years, when they are Fifth Graders, these are the seedlings they will transplant to a plantation. And obviously, when these
same kids are Seniors in High School, these seedlings will be ready to harvest as Christmas trees. Kids & Tees Growing
Together.
In addition to planting the seedlings, the kids toured the Law's greenhouse and saw where the fir tree seeds the First
Graders planted a few weeks ago had nearly all sprouted and were beginning to look like very small fir trees.
The kids also took a short trip through the woods and studied some old beaver habitat. On the way back from the woods, one young
lad discovered a salamander. The rest of the class really enjoyed that. Up until that time, the most exciting find, by some
of the boys, were a few angle worms.
Three trays of the little seedlings above are the little trees the Third Graders transplanted last year
into the plastic pots. Next spring, sometime in May of 2006, they will be transplanted again into the transplant beds at the
farm in Dover.
FOURTH GRADE
Above are the little seedlings the Fourth Grade transplanted last spring when they were Third Graders. In the
spring of 2007, when the Fourth Graders are in the Fifth Grade, they will transplant these seedlings where the flags are
located as described below.
The Fourth Graders will visit the Tree Farm in Dover-Foxcroft and place flags in the ground
similar to those flags shown below that the Fifth Graders placed last year. The rows of flags will be six feet
apart and the flags will be six feet apart in each row. As each tree grows it will have plenty of room all around
it to develop into a "Christmas Tree."
On the same visit to the farm, the kids will observe a facilitator checking a representative soil sample for its acidity,
and its primary nutrient contents of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash (potassium).
The above pictures are of the Fourth Grade class, surrounding the table as Mrs. Law goes through
the soil testing procedure. It had just begun to rain as the bus arrived and it was decided that we would all
observe the soil testing in hopes the rain would let up. Suposedly, there were just 34 kids present, but as somebody
noticed, 34 kids and about six adults in the Laws' kitchen seemed as if there were about 200. But that is just
an arbitrary number and the kids really paid attention and were real ladies and gentlemen.
Early on the morning of May 16 it was not raining but by the time the bus arrived at the farm, it was
raining. The weather report was for "scattered showers". By the time the soil testing was complete and the flags
were being set, the "showers" had become a steady rain. The class voted unanimously to go on with setting the flags.
The class was offered "sanctuary" in the bus for anyone not wanting to get wet. And we did get wet. Here is the last
flag being set. All the other kids had set their flags and had returned to the bus. Everyone, teachers and helpers
included are commended for their resolve.
FIFTH GRADE
Above are the seedling trees the Fifth grade transplanted two years ago when they were Third Graders.
Above are the flags the Fifth Graders put in the ground last year when they were Fourth Graders. Next spring, this is
where the seedlings will be transplanted. Cynthia Hall, from Halls' Christmas Tree Farm, sprayed the grass and killed it
so that the grass will not compete with the little trees for nutrients.
The class from Brownville and LaGrange gather around before last minute instructions on "How to Plant
a Christmas Tree" or a fir tree for those who do not believe in Christmas.
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Adding a little extra dirt to the planted seedling. |
Here a young lady firmly packs the dirt around the seedling making sure all the
air pockets are removed. In addition, several 3-person crews are in various stages of planting. This happened to
be a great day for a "field trip". A few days later, when the Fifth Graders from the Milo school visited the farm,
the day was not good at all. Consequently no pictures from that group planting trees were taken. |
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