MONDAY CLASS"S BIGGEST PROJECT

This has been an ongoing project for our monday class. Back in April we started planting seeds. I always think I have everything well organized.

Everything is set up for the girls when they arrive. We have a snack and then get right down to the activity. We often have a 'play break' and they go outside to play kick ball with my large exercise ball.

Planting seeds was more frustrating than I had anticipated but nonetheless got accomplished.

The girls always talk about their days at school but the biggest rule is NO GOSSIP at my house. I think it is not the place for it. I want them to focus on other topics. They have even got so that if someone starts to talk in that direction one or more will pipe up and say "no gossiping'.
I filled bowls with potting soil and had plastic cups with holes in the bottoms for drainage. I told the girls one or two or maybe three seeds per container at THE MOST!. oh well................
a few times i would look up and see an envelope of seeds pouring into a cup at will!! They were also supposed to plant BOTH flowers and veggies.
Later I heard " I only like flowers so that is all I planted." I don't like vegetables" "I only planted peas. " Ha they ALL have veggies in their gardens and we will use my flowers for art projects. I am thinking this summer later when produce is appearing that we should have a luncheon for their mothers using what we have in the garden plus a few other things.

I have been making John save old lumber from our fence. When we had the house fire he removed the fence separating the back yard from the front. They needed to drive trucks in the back as well as the front for various restoration. I told him to save them for me because I had a project in mind. At the time I didn't think I would be 'disabled' and dealing with this intimidating illness. So four years later the wood is being put to use and John is all for it. He made the project happen. I just had the ideas.
Here the wood is being laid out to get an idea of what we want:

John taking care of the measuring and putting together:
This is the side of the yard that is crying for some 'beautification."

The girls dragged the boards from the side of the house and hosed them down to get the dirt and mildew and "EEK a bug a BIG bug' off!

They all had turns to help screw the boards in place:
We have four 12ft by 6 ft raised beds:
We have an ongoing theme of 'recycle, make do and reuse' when we do any project: So we have been saving newspaper and our grass clippings to put down for mulch and to choke out the grass:
Add a dump truck full of dirt: ( oh yeah I didn't think a thing about the sprinkler heads in the yard and he ran over two of them that have to be replaced: ) sorry honey!!

We piled dirt into each garden box and got it all spread out then the girls planted their seeds and the plants that did actually grow: John and I bought them each a tomato plant.
Callie has to be a part of everything we do. She thinks the girls come to play with her!

I also saved a bin of these dreamsicle angels. They were ruined with the heat/smoke from the fire so I salvaged them with the idea of using them in the gardens outside. They too still sat in their bin. Each girl got to pick an angel to wash off and put in her garden area:


Some of the left over dirt for other gardens in the back:
I want to put gravel or rock around each box and in front so we will probably put that on our to do list next pay day. I will take pictures again when that is all done.

Now I am off to start a new project: mosaicing!!! My first project is our mail box.

I will be back to show you before and after pics so cross your fingers for me that it turns out the way I envision it!!!!