Urban Compass

Urban Compass has received a $480 donation from Ecomom through the Mini-Wally Sponsorship Program.

General School Info: Urban Compass started gardening in 2010 when a graduate student brought in an art installation with Woolly Pockets. The students planted seeds, watered & maintained the pockets & received lesson plans about nutrition & science. After 3 months, the student had to take the pockets back. Our staff saw how much our students loved gardening, but since we had no funding we had the children plant a garden of small flowers. The students dug up the soil, planted seeds, watered & nurtured the flowers. 

For info about the Urban Compass after-school program, check out our website.

Our Gardening Plan:   We do not have access to ground space, so we want a Woolly School Garden! Students will learn how to grow fruits & vegetables & will take home fresh, healthy food. It is rare to see a fruit or vegetable in the hands or homes of our students. Their diet consists of packaged foods bought with food stamps. We hope this will influence a change with their families. We will also be able to beautify our site that is currently surrounded by concrete, trash, & a train track with graffiti ridden trains. '

The children will maintain the garden from the start. Gardening work will incorporate lessons on health and nutrition, science and art. We plan on incorporating our studies of the garden into the educational worksheets provided during homework time. Our students will also sketch the plants throughout the growing process. Students will partake in the harvest, and will experience growing food from seed to table. We will also use food from the garden for taste testing and food preparation lessons.

We've applied to the Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Program!