Teach The Art Of Gardening With Our Paper Roll Seed Starter

Now you can teach the art of gardening with our paper roll seed starter and the best part is, that you already have everything you need right in your cupboards.  One of my student’s favorite activities this time of year is planting and working in our classroom garden. There is no better way to give students an appreciation and love for science and the art of gardening than by teaching them just how easy it is for them to bring it to life themselves.  Now you can bring home this same passion and instill it into your family and teach the art of gardening with our paper s roll seed starter.

One of the things I admire most about Disney is their commitment to give back to the community and I had the unique opportunity to travel to Anaheim and join the Disney VoluntEARS and representatives from the American Heart Association as they all came together with the Walt Disney Elementary School teachers, students and parents to create a most magical event- the first Teaching Garden in Anaheim.

The Teaching Garden program is part of a larger American Heart Association “My Heart. My Life” healthy living initiative, designed to help Americans understand what it means to be healthy, and to take action. Teaching Gardens have flourished throughout California, and are part of an effort to fight childhood obesity and encourage healthier schools, families and communities in Orange County. These hands-on learning opportunities were developed using the American Heart Association science and nutrition guidelines, as well as information shared by gardening and education experts.

More than just a garden, it is a learning laboratory where students plant seeds, nurture growing plants, harvest produce, and in the process learn the value of good eating habits. By giving the students, families and the community the opportunity to be a part of the planning and be an integral part in bringing the garden to fruition, every person there felt as though they had ownership in the project. Last October, in just a few hours, an incredible new space was created where parents have continued to work alongside teachers and students to sustain their Teaching Garden.

Now, less than six months later, more than 700 students of Walt Disney Elementary school saw the fruits of their labors come to life as the school and community once again joined together in the garden’s first Heart Healthy Harvest Day.

Since the initial planting, the garden, funded by the Disneyland Resort, has continued to serve as a learning laboratory where students nurture growing plants, harvest produce, and, in the process, learn the value of healthy eating. Along with harvesting garden boxes during the event, students tasted new fruits and vegetables and learned about a unique form of composting that uses worms to recycle organic materials into the soil. Each class also planted new vegetables for harvesting later this spring.

“The Walt Disney Elementary Teaching Garden is a unique and natural learning environment that has given our students a first-hand experience of the seed-to-table process while providing them with invaluable insight into the importance and appreciation of nutritious and healthy eating,” said Principal Teali Fielder.

For more information about the Teaching Gardens program and how to bring it to your own school community, contact or for more information about the Teaching Gardens program and how to join visit www.heart.org/teachinggardens. But in the meantime, you can still bring the joy of growing your own garden at home to life. In fact, it’s so quick and easy, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t done this before. Let’s get started:

Materials:

Box/crate (We used a wooden tangerine crate)

Potting Soil

20 Paper rolls

Mini Popsicle Sticks

Mini shovel/spoon

Scissors 

Pen

Instructions:

-At the bottom of each roll, make two ¾-inch cuts across from each, then one cut in the center of each of the halves you created. So basically, you divide the bottom of each roll into four equal parts.

-Fold the 4 flaps as you would fold the flaps of a moving box.

-Fill each paper roll with potting mix and align them in your box/crate.

-Using your pen write the names of the plants on the mini popsicle sticks.

-Put in your seeds, one plant per roll and water.

-Insert the popsicle sticks in their designated areas.

-Put your Seed Starter Kit near a light source to allow it to grow until your garden is ready to receive the plants.

-When you’re ready to move your seedlings outdoors, simply unfold the bottom and plant the whole thing in the ground. The cardboard will decompose into the soil.

DON’T FORGET TO WATER THEM REGULARLY! Now that you’ve seen for yourself just how easy it is to teach the art of gardening with our paper roll seed starter and watched it come to life for yourself, what will you grow next? What are your favorite ways to teach the art of gardening and bring it to life?