project Shape-up was a blast!

Hi Kids! This is Ms. Jackie, and Ms. Rene'

I hope you all had a chance to go to the garden on Saturday. I heard it was a whole lot of fun. With a DJ playing good music, some rib-tickling BBQ, and lots and lots of people, young and old helping to make garden boxes for all of you students at Brett Harte to plant and grow your food in! Those strawberries should be yummy when they get ripe.

We could not of done any of all of that hard work that the community helped us do. It takes working together to make things happen. So we would like to thank each and everyone from the bottom of our hearts!
Gardening can really be a great place to get into shape, and have a GOOD time with your families too!

Well until next time, be cool and stay in school! See you all later.

Ms. Jackie and Ms. Rene'

Thank You Cliff Bar!

Hola!

Just thought I would put some pictures up of Cliff Bar when they came to our garden end of October 2006 and gave us a kiss from the earth! They brought about 130 people, came prepared, motivated and ready to work. They built our garden borders, pulled weeds, laid down wood chips for our paths and tilled the soil. What else, so many things that it is overwhelming to list. We could not have done anything with out them. I would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done including the green house that is being put together at this time. Anyone interested in reading more about Cliff Bar go to www.cliffbar.com.

-Ms. Jackie + Rene

Do plants possess culture?

Hi Rene, Jackie and kids,

I thought I would upload an image of my work! I know you and Jackie have asked me numerous time to share some of my work with you so here is a taste.


The image of the two video frames blending together are from a video piece I made in 2004. The title of the video is called Dislocation. The video is three and a half minutes long and was shot in a linear, documentative way with some special effects such as the blending. By documenting the process and act of taking soil from one part of the city to another, the video's concep, poetically speaks of transculturation and diasphora as it affects people of non-western world coming into contact with the western world.

It had not occured to me to think of this but after becoming involved with Double Rock Garden and Permaculture I wonder if plants and dirt carry with them a simmilar aura? What happens when plants or dirt are transplanted from one part of the city to another? With people there are numerous changes that occur to the place where they move to and to their very own nature. Some of these changes have to do with social and political adjustments; however with plants not much is known or do plants possess culture?

-David

Class Curriculum for Honey from the Rock 2007

Double Rock Community Garden / Bret Harte
Honey from the Rock

Instructors: Jacqueline Williams + Rene LaMar
E-mail: ReneLaMar@hotmail.com
Blog: http://honey4rmtheroc.blogspot.com

Class Description

Honey from the Rock is to promote a better understanding of the relationship between nature and children. The main objective is to teach better eating habits by growing our own food in an outdoor classroom setting. The food we eat affects the way we grow, we think and the way we learn.

Through a series of inoculating the soil, preparing compost tea, building beds and observing the cycles of nature we will be looking at the relationship between our food and our earth and how this affects us. We will also, germinate seeds and observe and tend its evolution. We will look at Permaculture as it applies to nature. Permaculture mimics the natural ecosystems that we live with; everything is dependant upon each other.

Students will be broken up into groups of five to work towards a final project that applies Permaculture. Permaculture can be defined as working within a small amount of space that has a diversity of foods. Permaculture looks at how Kerala Indians grew their food. Permaculture applies older principles of growing food with modern technology. The research process will develop a keen understanding for tracking the dynamics of space and food.

After deploying their research process, students will develop ways of intervening in their chosen site, using what they have learned from their observations to create a Permaculture strategy. Shovels, rakes, hoes, trowels will be the some of among many tools needed to cultivate the Permaculture site. This curriculum is subject to change.

I am excited about this garden!

Hi everyone,

My name is David and I am a friend of Rene and Jackie. I have visisted the garden several times and have always enjoyed working and visiting with Rene and Jackie. Today, with the help of Randall, we put together a new strawberry bed for the upcoming "Double Rock Community Clean Up Day." It took several hours of hard work in the hot sun. I did remember to wear sun screen but I wish I would have brought a hat! So, learn from my experience and remember a hat, plenty of water and sun screen! If you all have a chance, which I know you will, check out the new bed! There will be more to come!


See you all later,
David

Welcome Bret Harte Elementary Students

Hi kids,

Remember me, this is Miss. Jakie and Miss. Rene, saying welcome to our class blog. This will be our main way of communicating. We are preparing for the Double Rock garden clean up, happening Saturday March 24th, from 8am to 3pm. Make sure you come prepared with a hat, water to drink and enough energy to dance your little hearts away. Miss. Jakie and I will be posting the class syllabus so that you guys and gals will know what we will be learning in the near future. Be cool and stay in school!

See you later!
Miss. Rene + Miss. Jackie