South Carolina
green step schools

 Irmo High School's Classroom Plant Project is underway. Jobs Skills students, with their teachers, organized a school-wide distribution to classrooms. 

According to Sallie from Sal's Old Timey Feed & Seed, sugar snap peas love cool consistent weather which is most likely October to November and again February to March. She recommends planting them in pots, two seeds to a hole the depth of the size of the seed.  Peas get their nutrients from the air, so aside from adding some good compost to the pot before planting, don't  worry about fertilizing these plants. This  "easy-peasy" veggie is one your students will love!

Sallie Sharpe, in Columbia, generously shares monthly gardening tips with Green Step Schools. She recommends planting lettuce now by filling a container with drainage holes with one part Sungro to two parts Black Kow Compost. Pat the soil down before spreading the lettuce seeds on top of the soil and very lightly covering them with soil. Keep the soil moist. After the seedlings appear, only water when your finger feels dry one inch below the surface. Now add a small amount of Osmocote (high in nitrogen) and organic garden tone  (to add calcium, magnesium, slow release fertilizer and micro nutrients.) Remember that crops must be fed if you want them to grow (Osmocote every three months and garden tone every month for the best greens.)  Clip your greens with scissors as you need them, Leave 4-5 inches each time and they will keep growing back. You will have salad all winter. Thanks for the tips, Sallie!

Fifteen Cola City Homeschool students entered the America Recycles Day RETHINK Contest. Shown here are 4 of their projects.

Students at Harmony School worked together to make a diorama of animals on their school property from upcycled materials.

SC DHEC’s “Action for a Cleaner Tomorrow” curriculum supplement offers virtual inquiry-based and highly engaging environmental presentations and teacher workshops. The K-12 presentations which are aligned to SC Science Standards integrate Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs.)

Email Angie Perry to schedule a virtual presentation for any grade or a virtual teacher workshop for your school.

SC Forestry Commission Education Staff have developed virtual live hikes at Harbison State Forest as an engaging way for elementary students to learn about forestry and natural resources. All programs are free, typically last 25 minutes, and include a student worksheet to be completed during the hike.