Horticulture/Green Industry:  “Magic Garden” Club manuals will enable you to teach the students about the life cycle of plants, requirements for growth/good growing conditions as well as the parts of plants. Students will learn how to propagate common houseplants, force flowering bulbs, grow and take home plants, herbs, vegetables, etc. for their own homes. Students will make gifts using plant materials during different seasons (pine cone bird houses and pine wreaths in winter, carved and decorated pumpkins in autumn, and potted paper white flowers forced into bloom for late winter/spring).  The Club will introduce environmental education; highlighting the far-reaching environmental and planetary effects of agricultural, gardening and horticultural decisions and methods (such as the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides), and expand instruction about the link between plants and the environment.   The Magic Garden Club will also introduce students to organic agriculture and gardening.  We will maintain composting bins and teach the students how to recycle organic materials to make their own fertilizer.  One related activity would have the students collect items from around the school for composting each week.  Compost may later be shared within the schools in the district (e.g. for science classes) or distributed in the community. In addition to recycling biodegradable nutrients, we will teach the students about all of the benefits of recycling plastic, glass, paper and aluminum.  CSE assists by bringing the local government into the program as a partner, providing us with bins for placement around the three buildings comprising the school campus, and create additional revenue for the City.  The students will also learn about soil testing and how to use soil-testing kits.  Field trips into the community are encouraged to take samples as well as sampling earth from their own home properties.   Parent workshops are available in English and Spanish, concerning these topics, as well as one or more “Magic Garden Nights,” when students and their family members do a horticulture project together to take home.  Overall, “Magic Garden” will impart knowledge with everyday importance and application for the students and their families. 

Pre-qualify your school for a CSE club grant…

All CSE clubs and representatives will help you organize an “Environmental Awareness Day” and make presentations to students, parents and staff in the District’s schools about the importance of maintaining a safe environment, with the goal of helping everyone they come into contact with to engage in safe daily practices and to become better citizens of the world.  It ultimately is a FUN FUND-RAISING DAY FOR EVERYONE. For More Information on Organizing your own Local Environmental Day