Worm Bin

Today I spent a little time plotting out the garden on paper, and then in the afternoon Josephine and I went and got more compost and . . . worms! Then it was time to make a home for the worms. First I had to plot out where all the holes would be.

Next I drilled the holes.


Then I shredded a bunch of newspaper and moistened it.


Then the yuckiest part . . . pouring in the food scraps and then mixing them all up within the newspaper.


Next, the worms!


Finally, I sprinkled some dirt from the garden over the top.


Then I left it out, lid off, in the light for a while to encourage the worms to burrow down deep and start eating away.

Prepping and Rototilling

Spring seems to have come upon us quickly and magically this year. New signs of life abound all around us now. First of all, our orange tree in the back yard has start putting out blossoms for its next crop. We don't know if it's just the right time, or if it is because a few weeks ago Village Harvest, a non-profit group of volunteers who harvest fruit for the hungry, came out and picked 100 pounds of fruit from our tree. I think the tree is relieved to have so much less fruit and is now focusing its energy on the next season.

The raspberry bushes in the back yard are transforming themselves from lifeless-looking stumps to leafy productive plants again.

The Japanese maple in the front yard is putting out tender little leaves from its bare-looking twigs.

The nasturtium seeds we planted in the front yard a couple weeks ago are now popping up out of the soil, sporting their cute little leaves.

And the bougainvillea, which really appeared to have not survived the frost, is showing signs of recovery.

Regarding our children's garden, the seedlings we planted last Monday are already popping up and looking very happy.

We have worked really hard this weekend and have made some major progress. Yes, we rototilled. But first, and most fun, we watered the ground to soften it up. Josephine, as you can see, thought this was quite an event.


Next, Sven tried out the rototiller. It amazingly transformed what looked like hard packed soil to an incredibly fertile looking bed.

Josephine and I then went through picking up the now-dislodged weeds and sprinkled the area with some leftover sand we had on hand, in order to give the heavy clay soil better drainage.

Then we scattered the compost we had. We felt that it was not nearly enough and that over the next week we would go and get more and rototill it in next weekend.

I've spent the last few weeks gathering the materials we will need when we lay out the garden. I got a few stepping stones from posting on Freecycle, and just this past week I got over forty cement garden borders . . . all free! Freecycle is amazing! Also amazing is the little peach tree my neighbor across the street donated. We'll have to find a very special spot of honor for it in our garden. Besides all the wonderful free stuff, I've bought a few things as well. I got a really cute little birdbath whose bottom actually serves as a strawberry pot. Of course, I had to buy some strawberry seeds as well. I also ordered an arched arbor for the entrance. On this we will be growing hanging gourds this year. Here is a picture of all the wonderful stuff waiting to go into the garden:

Over the next week, I hope to plot out the garden on paper so we will be ready to start placing things after next weekend's final rototilling. Such a lot of progress we've made!

Soil Testing

Today we tested the soil of our soon-to-be garden. By far the most exciting part was the digging. Both Josephine and Iain had their own shovels and took turns digging the hole. We needed to get about four inches deep for an accurate reading.

Next Jo and Iain filled the tube about a quarter full with dirt.

Next we opened up the little capsule and poured in the magical powder which would tell us the pH level of our soil.

We mixed the soil and powder with water and shook it up. Shaking the tube was second only to digging. What fun!

After the soil had a chance to settle, we could then see a distinctive color change in the water. We looked at it carefully, and then came to the conclusion that our soil had a pH balance of 8, a bit on the alkaline side. Our next step would be to find out what we would need to add to the soil to make it "baby bear" -- not too acid, not too alkaline, but JUST RIGHT!

Yesterday we picked up the rototiller. We are one step closer to the garden!

Tonight I went to an inspirational lecture titled, "Children and Nature Workshop: Awakening a Sense of Awe and Wonder." I left there with such a sense of peace and hope of things to come. I dream of young children relaxing, exploring, and learning in our garden-to-be.

Photo Tour

Here we start out in front of the house . . .

. . . and then walk up the front path . . .

. . . through the front door . . .

. . . and into the livingroom.

Next we go through to the diningroom, a.k.a the studio . . .

. . .and then out to the back yard. This is where our children's garden is going to be. This large square plot, over this spring, will be transformed into a garden with sunflowers, green beans growing on a bamboo teepee, herbs, sweet peas, and many different flowers.

Along the back of the yard, there is another undeveloped piece of land, long and narrow, that we will be using for our pumpkin patch.

The rest of the yard consists of a cement patio, an orange tree, and raspberry bushes, so once our garden is planted, things will be complete (though a garden, of course, is never finished, just constantly changing).

Planting Seeds

We have planted our first seeds! We had some miscellaneous packets from last year that we will try out first of all. It includes morning glory, marigolds, cosmos, forget-me-nots, parsley, and thyme.

Iain, the same child who wouldn't touch play dough unless it was with a popsicle stick, requested a popsicle stick when it was time to fill in the dirt. He dutifully carried over about a teaspoon at a time to fill up his pots.

Then it was time for planting the seeds. Both Josephine and Iain really enjoyed looking at all the various shapes, sizes, and colors of seeds as they planted them.

Their favorite step, by far, was watering the newly planted seeds.

The greenhouse is now full, and we must wait for nature to take its course . . .

More on Reggio Emilia

When I was in college (yes, a very very long time ago), an English professor that I had, in a composition class, said that what each person writes creatively is a patchwork quilt of everything one had ever read, and the more one reads, the richer and deeper one's own writing would be because of it. I think this is true with many things in life, that the more experiences we have, the richer we are because of it. This is also true when it comes to approaches to childhood education. Learning about different approaches, including those from other cultures, allows educators to piece together their own "quilt", using what works best for the teacher, for the children, and in the environment.

I have been enjoying the book on Reggio Emilia, The Hundred Languages of Children, that I have been reading. Here are a few highlights, things that really stood out for me:

"Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more."--Loris Malaguzzi, Founder

"We are curious about the world that we are little by little discovering, the world of children constructing their theories. At times we think that the relationship with the children reawakens in us a sense of our own chilhood, creating feelings of tenderness, curiosity, play, and true pleasure."--Vea Vecchi, Atelierista

"One has to respect the time of maturation, of development, of the tools of doing and understanding, of the full, slow, extravagant, lucid and ever-changing emergence of children's capacities; it is a measure of cultural and biological wisdom"--Loris Malaguzzi

Gardening . . .

We've been working on the garden most of the day. First of all, Josephine and I built the greenhouses for the seedlings.

Then later on we spent a looooonnnnnnng time raking up more of the gravel from the soon-to-be children's garden. We also went on a rock hunt digging up as many rocks as possible to spare the rototiller next weekend.

Getting the Garden Ready

Next Tuesday we are borrowing a rototiller from a friend. We may not actually get around to using it until the weekend, but we are busily preparing our garden for when the time comes.

Yesterday we went to the local nursery and picked up a couple of soil testing kits. Before we dig up the ground, we will test the soil for its pH level, and then get whatever is needed to improve it (limestone, perhaps? . . . I'm still learning, here).

Today we went to the city's recycling station to pick up some free compost material. My daughter, Josephine, and I filled up two bins. She had her very own shovel, and afterwards commented, "Mamma, I feel so grown up! I can shovel compost, too!" Here are some photos that a kind gentleman took for us:

Afterwards, we went to IKEA to pick up a couple other things for our garden. First of all, we got two small greenhouses in which we can start our seeds. We may be able to begin that this weekend. Each of the greenhouses is about 20 inches wide, 10 inches deep, and 10 inches tall. Here is what the greenhouse looks like:

At IKEA we also bought a bin that we will use for worm composting. I've been reading up on this, and it seems fairly easy, and extremely fun. We just need to drill holes in the bin, for aeration, and then add shredded newspaper, soil, food scraps, and, most importantly, worms! I'll TRY to hold off buying the worms, as we may come across plenty when we rototill the garden next weekend. If we don't, the local nursery sells a carton of worms for around $10. As I was cooking dinner tongiht, I saved carrot peelings and onion skins. I've started a "worm food" container in the fridge. Here is what the bin looks like:

So that's what we've done for today. We plan to spend quite a bit of time working on the garden tomorrow. We need to rake up rocks, test the soil, build the greenhouse, prepare the worm bin, and plant seeds. It really feels like it's all coming together. What fun!

I got my license!

Oops! It's been two months since my last posting, but it has been a busy two months. I have taken many steps towards getting my license and readying my business. Here is an update of what has happened in the last two months:

• January 11 - The advisor from the Child Care Initiative Project of the 4 C's visited my home to do a "pre-inspection." She was very helpful and had much useful advice.
• January 16 - Appointment for licensing inspection . . . canceled.
• January 17 - Meeting for CAMP, the mentor program helping me through the licensing process.
• January 20 - CPR class, thus completing all the requirements for the license EXCEPT for the inspection.
• January 25 - I visited the CCIP advisor at the 4 C's. She showed me their resource centers and told me about other such centers in the area.
• January 29 - Another appointment for the licensing inspection . . . canceled AGAIN!
• February 6 - Licensing inspection. My analyst was really wonderful, and all went well. I passed the inspection and am now officially able to take care of multiple children.
• February 20 - I took a class called Business Skills for Family Child Care. This class was very helpful in inspiring me to get a system set up for record keeping.
• February 26 - First official day of the business!!! I took care of three children--my own four-year-old girl and two three-year-old boys. We had a very nice day!
• February 28 - Meeting for CAMP (mentor program).

So that brings us up to the present. I am now trying to plan and prep the garden, since the weather has finally warmed up and planting season is here. In the next few weeks, the children and I will be getting our hands very dirty. Needless to say, we are all quite excited.