We are studying gardens from many different perspectives. Click on any of the links below to see what we have learned about:
In this flashback to a unit we studied earlier this year (Ancient Egypt) we reviewed the three-season year of ancient Egyptian farmers--the flooding, planting and harvesting seasons.
One interesting fact we learned was how a Nilometer was used to measure how high the Nile's waters rose during the flood season. The When a resident claimed that his yield were low because the floods had not reached his land, tax collectors used the Nilometer to determine if the farmer was being truthful.
The North American colonists had much to learn about growing crops in the New World. Native Americans taught them to grow corn. They told helped them determine what time of year to plant it, and how to make mounds in which to plant five corn kernels and a small herring to fertilize them.
When the corn was 2-3 feet tall, the colonists were shown how to plant squash, beans and pumpkins among the stalks. The cornstalks became bean poles and shaded the squash and pumpkins through the hot summer months.
Lastly, colonists learned how to harvest the corn, grind it into meal and preserve it. Corn soon became a staple of the colonists' diet. With it the made cornmeal, which was made into johnnycakes, corn mush, slapjacks, Indian pudding, and they also learned to roast the ears to eat corn-on-the-cob. Corn was even made into a kind of beer.
Additionally, settlers used the entire corn plant. The fed the plant itself to their livestock, and used the cobs for handles, pipes, and various other things.
Wherever Monet settled, he created gardens and painted them. It was in 1883 that Monet discovered the quiet village of Giverny, 50 miles outside Paris. At Giverny he created his own floral paradise. He loved densely packed clusters of brightly colored flowers--beds filled to overflowing which softened the lines of the formal layout. The garden at Giverney became the subject of more than 500 of Monet's paintings. The artist was justifiably proud of his garden, and delighted in showing it off to visitors.
In 1892, Monet bought a swampy piece of land next to his property, created a pond and planted the banks with plants such as willow trees, iris, and bamboo. He covered the surface with waterlilies. That pond became the focus of his life and art for more than 25 years.
Monet died on December 5, 1926 at the age of 86.
Links to pictures of Monet's work
Susan and Moses Carver purchased George's mother,Mary, as a slave in 1835. When raiders took Mary and her son George from their cabin and to Arkansas, George was later found and returned. But Mary was not. Thereafter, Susan and Moses raised George and his brother Jim as their own sons.
The Carvers taught George to read and write at home. When he was 12, he set off alone to find somewhere where he could learn more about the things he loved most--plants, bugs, rocks, trees. He ended up at Simpson College in Iowa where he studied art. But since art would not do much to help people, he decided to go on to Iowa State University to study plants and farming.
When his education there was complete, George was asked by Booker T. Washington to come to Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was a poor school, surrounded by poor farmers and poor land. George set out to help them.
George studied crops that farmers could plant instead of cotton--plants that would replenish the worn-out soil and provide food as well. Among these were cowpeas and sweet potatoes. He also wanted the farmers to learn to be self-sufficient. He taught them to grow their own fruits and vegetables, and raise their own chickens for meat and eggs. He also showed them how to make and use compost, because he knew it was important to keep the soil healthy.
One crop that George urged farmers to plant was peanuts. The peanuts grew well, so George set out too find out what could be done with peanuts. By the time he reached the end of his study, he had made 300 things, just from peanuts.
George Washington Carver continued to work to help people, especially young people of all races. He called the young ones his boys and girls, since he never married or had children of his own.
George Washington Carver died on January 5, 1943. He was almost 80 years old. He was buried at Tuskegee Institute where he spent most of his life learning, teaching and helping his fellowman.
Links to gardens, gardening and plant science sites on the Web
Amanda Bennett's Unit Study Home Page
Gardening info and projects for children
Jerome and Deborah's Big Page of Student Research Sites
Jerome and Deborah's Big Page of Teacher Research Sites
The Unschooling Homeschooler
Visit Jefferson's Gardens at Monticello
Visit the Gardens at George Washington's Mount Vernon
Take a Tour of the White House Gardens
The Smithsonian Institution's Natural Partners Initiative's Seeds of Change Garden
Carver National Monument, Diamond, Missouri
Animated graphics thanks to Danny's Animated Graphics Collection
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