The
increased urbanization in Hawai`i, especially on Oahu, limits opportunities
for today’s citizens, especially youngsters, to experience
nature and open land areas. The natural environment provides aesthetic
experiences not found in most urban areas or the classroom. The
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Urban Garden
Center (UGC) in Pearl City provides outreach educational opportunities
in urban forestry. Programs at this facility engage the general
community, youth, and youth educators in hands-on learning experiences
to promote an understanding of trees and the role they play in our
environment and daily lives.
The Hawaiian Forest Ecosystem
Garden and the Children’s Garden at the Pearl City Urban Garden
Center are the focal point for this exciting extension project.
Volunteers and extension staff are working together to develop a
curriculum for volunteer tour docents to use for guided interactive
school tours through these unique gardens.
Objective
1. Educational Curriculum Adoption and Assessment Objective. To
adopt, develop and evaluate five educational components/modules
for fourth to sixth graders.
Outputs. Volunteers and
4-H club members will assist in developing or adapting materials
from other sources such as Hawaii Nature Center, various botanical
gardens, other children’s gardens on the mainland, and extension
materials. The educational curriculum will be integrated toward
the Hawaiian Forest Ecosystem project and the 8 theme gardens in
the Children’s Garden in the Urban Garden Center (UGC): Pizza
Garden, Hawaiian Alphabet Tree Garden, Sensory Garden, Animal Garden,
Compass/Sundial Garden, House Garden, Worm Tunnel, and Bog Garden.
Curriculum are currently
being reviewed to be adopted to work directly with fourth to sixth
grade students completing a non-formal educational program involved
in the Hawaiian Forest Ecosystem and Children’s Garden and
plan to adopt a behavior or practice.
Click here
for details on Hawaiian Forest Ecosystem/Children's Garden
curriculum.
Outcomes. Fourth to sixth
grade students completing a non-formal educational
program involved in the Hawaiian Forest Ecosystem and Children’s
Garden and actually adopt a behavior or practice within 6 months.
An extension of one year is needed to complete the 12 educational
curriculum modules and assessment.
Objective
2. Theme Garden Development Objective. 4-H members, UGC volunteers,
Community Service Learning (CSL) interns and CES staff will construct/develop
theme gardens for fourth to sixth graders.
Outputs. The Children’s
Garden features an abundance of 8 different “theme”
gardens for children and even adults to admire the artistic talents
that plants display.
Click here
for details about the Children's Garden at the Pearl City Urban
Garden Center.
Funding for the project
came from the Kaulunani
Urban and Community Forestry Program, the
Oahu Urban Garden Ohana, the National 4-H Council, the Hawaii 4-H
Alumni Association, the Rainbows 4-H club, volunteers of the Urban
Garden Center and in-kind donations from various businesses.
Fourth to sixth grade
students completing a non-formal educational program involved in
community decision-making and plan to become actively involved in
a community service project.
Outcomes. Communities,
schools and educators are becoming more aware of the educational
outreach programs offered from the Urban Garden Center and showcase
of various gardens it contains. The Children’s Gardens is
one of the most unique gardens within the community due to its creativity,
interesting designs, and garden work. Fourth to sixth grade students
completing a non-formal educational program involved in community
decision-making and become actively involved in a community service
project within 6 months.
Hawaiian
Forest Ecosystem/Children's Garden Curriculum
Module 1: Biodiversity, Stewardship, and Propagation:
“Introduction” – a presentation giving an overview
and expectations of the program
“Knowing Native Names” – an introduction to native
plants
“Scavenger Hunt” – an exploration of the native
plants already at UGC
“Seed Collection and Identification” – using plants
at UGC
“Plant Propagation No. 1” – propagation of various
species from seeds
“Plant Propagation No. 2” – propagation of various
species from cuttings
Module 2: Mapping and Monitoring:
“ A Key to Science” – an introduction to using
dichotomous keys (students could make a dichotomous key to the native
plants at UGC)
“Adopt a Site” – students adopt an area, survey
the site, and draw a map
“Plant Propagation No. 3” – students monitor the
germination and growth of their seedlings
Module 3: Alien Plant Control:
“Alien Invaders” and/or “Test Your Native Intelligence”
– students learn the difference between native and non-native
plants
“Plant Identification Cards” – students make an
ID card/fact sheet for the plants in their area
“Alien Weed Control” – students use weed control
methods in their plots
“Plant Propagation No. 4” – students monitor the
germination and growth of seedlings
Module 4: Native Restoration:
“Natural Communities” and “Natural Community Connections”
– students learn about natural ecosystems and vegetation communities
and native animals
“Restoration and Landscape Design” – students
design a layout for their plots
“Irrigation Systems” – students set up the irrigation
systems
“Planting No. 1” – students begin to plant native
plants in their plot
“Planting No. 2” – student finish planting their
plot
“ Monitoring” and “What Does It All Mean”
– students survey and map their plot for comparison to maps
drawn in week 7 and put their maps together to form a big map of
the entire native ecosystem area
“Maintenance” – students do follow-up maintenance
in their plot, as needed
"Hoike” or “Stewardship Conference” –
students share what they have done in an open-house setting
Module 5: Pizza Garden:
“History”– students learn about history of pizza
“Eating Healthy Connections” – how the pizza fits
into a balanced diet
Module 6: Hawaiian Alphabet Tree Garden:
“The Uses of Native Hawaiian Trees in Culture ” –
students will learn the significance of plants to cultural, religious,
and shelter
“Identification” – students will know how to identify
different trees.
Module 7: Sensory Garden:
“Senses and How They Work” – students share their
limitations
“Designing for the Physically Challenged” – students
design a garden for physically challenged persons.
Module 8: Animal Garden:
“Monkey See Monkey Do” – students will learn plants
are named for their physical attributes.
“Creative Landscape Design” – students learn how
to design their own garden art.
Module 9: Compass/Sundial Garden:
“Ancient Means of Telling Time”– students will
learn how time was measured without watches and clocks.
“Global Positioning for Tomorrow’s World” –
students will learn how GPS is used for map making and telling locations.
Module 10: House Garden:
“Plants Have Character, Too!” – students will
learn plants have unique characteristics.
“Landscape Design” – students design a layout
Module 11: Worm Tunnel:
“Learning to Raise Silkworms” – students will
learn the lifecycle of the silkworm
Module 12: Bogwalk Garden:
“Natural Communities” and “Natural Community Connections”
– students learn about natural ecosystems and vegetation communities
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The
Children's Garden at CTAHR's Pearl City Urban Garden Center
The Pizza Garden was
the first garden completed and features plants found on a pizza.
The 5-slice pizza (one piece was eaten) measures 15-feet across
and includes green pepper, sweet pepper, pineapple, onion, tomato,
parsley, basil, and sweet marjoram. Swan daisy were planted for
its brilliant yellow flowers. A trunk of a monkeypod tree was cut
with chainsaw and painted red to represent pepperoni! The crust
is represented by painted recycled concrete cores. The slices are
separated by aluminum edging. The sign is made from monkeypod wood
with the words cut with a router.
What do an octopus tree,
leopard tree, and cat’s whisker plant have in common? They
represent a collection of groundcover, plants, and trees with animal
names! The Animal Garden has 45 plants with this distinctive trait.
There is the “wild animal” section with the leopard
tree, leopard plant, fox tail asparagus and kangaroo plant. Remember
the nursery rhyme, “hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up
the clock”? There is a dog represented by the dog bone tree;
the cat represented by the cat’s tail and cat’s whisker
(there is catnip for accent); the mouse represented by the mickey
mouse plant-cat-mouse chase” and the hickory dickory dock
represented by the hickory tree. The mouse can run and hide like
in the nursery rhyme. The sandbox tree, shrimp plant, oyster plant,
and octopus tree form part of the “ocean” section. The
butterfly plant, the spider plant, spider lily, ant tree, and tapeworm
plant create the “insect” section. In the “farm
animal” section we can find the burro’s tail, pony tail,
chicken eye, hogplum, and eggfruit tree. Watching over the garden
is Nellie, a iron frame and steel mesh 8-foot tall giraffe that
is slowly being covered over by ivy plant. At its base is the kangaroo
fern.
Hawaiian Alphabet Tree
Garden is an exceptional garden all by itself. Native Hawaiian trees
accent the 13 consonants, vowels, and okina found in the Hawaiian
language. For every letter there is a selection of trees. Trees
represented include alahee, hame, kawila, koa, lonomea, naio, ohia,
papala, wiliwili, and `aalii.
Hidden behind a careful
screen of koa and lonomea trees, lies the Sundial/Compass Garden
which offers a stunning constrast of uniformity and perfection.
The garden is a nearly perfect circle 20-feet in diameter with a
border of gray arbor stones that surround the two sizes of hardscape
material of gravel and pea gravel. The garden has an 8-foot long
shiny black wood and fiberglass resin “gnomon” marking
solar time. Skillfully crafted roman numerals are recessed into
12-inch by 12-inch concrete blocks to record the sun’s travel
during the day along points around the sundial. The border is accented
with four points NSEW as well as mauka, makai, diamond head and
ewa. For the future, instruments that use GPS will reference the
Sundial/Compass garden location in relation to schools and geographical
sights on Oahu. Distinctive barrel cactus adds shape and color.
The Sensory Garden took
12 months to complete and was the first garden to feature a concrete
sidewalk. There are two raised beds made from natural rock that
measures 32-inches high by 12-feet wide by 42-feet long. A 6-foot
wide sidewalk surrounds the beds and connects to the service road.
Screened topsoil and peat moss were used to backfill the gardens.
Rocks were added as an accent. Plants with smell and touch were
planted near the edge. Plants with more unique shape and color were
planted in the middle of the garden. A galvanized pipe railing assists
physically challenged persons. Two planters mark each end of the
garden and will be planted with fragrant plants that can be rotated.
Later signs and Braille signs will be mounted.
What makes a bathroom
featuring a toilet with a royal flush plant, or a kitchen with a
cup and saucer plant, or a garage with sandpaper vine so unique?
These are just a few of the plants found in the House Garden. The
garden funded through a grant from Deft, Inc. was started in fall
2002 and planted in April 2003. The theme focused on plants with
house names. The House Garden is divided into 5 different rooms
of plants (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room and garage) with
each having its own distinct menagerie of plants and garden artwork.
The outside walls are red hibiscus and the interior walls are golden
dewdrop. People enter first through a gate and walk through a hallway
where all the rooms can be seen from the path.
The Worm Tunnel features
a 50-foot long curving tunnel that students can enter from one end
and imagine themselves inside a worm. A concrete sidewalk was constructed
first to provide a low maintenance footpath. The walls are made
from reinforcing bars covered with nylon mesh and burlap. A green
ivy was selected to cover the outside. Unique features are a convex
mirror placed at the one end worm and as they emerge they see themselves,
air holes in the sides, eyes, and antennae. Plants that attract
moths and butterflies were planted to enhance their attraction to
the garden. Garden art designed and painted by Urban Garden Center
volunteers are an added feature to this garden.
Bogwalk Garden unique
features include a 180-foot boardwalk constructed to give participants
the feel of actually entering and experiencing a bog. Water plants
are featured in 12 tubs that line the path. Intriguing trees, ground
shrubs, and groundcovers give the viewer a feel for an interesting
experience.
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