SabinGardens.org

Sabin and ACCESS parents and kids had fun working hard on August 5 to do a summer cleanup of the area surrounding the Edible Garden.  While we were at it we noticed a lot of wonderful things in the Garden.  Click here to have a look.

Comments Off

Five volunteers from Kohl’s joined Sabin and ACCESS parents to work in the Edible Garden on Saturday, June 26, 2010.  Thanks to their work under the guidance of Garden Educator Isabel LaCourse, the Edible Garden raised beds will have water for the summer.  We really appreciate Kohl’s employees taking part of their weekend to help with our educational garden.  In addition, Kohl’s has granted the Sabin PTA $500 for the garden.  Thank you, Kohl’s!

Comments Off

Sabin Gardns will be having a work party on February 20, from 9:30am until 2:00pm to get the Edible Garden ready for spring planting and build additional vegetable planting beds. Please join us for as much time as you choose–even an hour of your help makes a big difference.

Sabin School, ACCESS Academy and Sabin SUN Community School all use the edible gardens to learn more about nutrition, garden basics and to gain an appreciation for the origins of food. Learning about growth in the garden helps children recognize and appreciate growth in themselves.

Contact Isabel, Garden Educator at isabel@sabingardens.org.

Comments Off

Comments Off

Welcome back to another wonderfull year in the garden! Join us on Saturday and Sunday, October 10 & 11 from 9am until noon for a work party to help get the garden ready for fall classes.  Come and meet other neighbors, parents and our new Garden Educator, Isabel LaCourse.

What a difference a year makes.  So many people have contributed their time, talent and helping hands to sustain the Native Garden and transform what was a level patch of grass and weeds into the Edible Garden.  (To see what the Edible Garden looked like when it was established a little more than a year ago, click here.)  But we need to keep digging, weeding, watering and caring for the gardens so that they can continue to be a wonderful resource for the children at Sabin School, ACCESS Academy and in the Sabin neighborhood.

Hope to see you there.

Comments Off

Celebrate Earth Day at Sabin Gardens on Saturday, April 25th 10:30am - 2:30pm

Learn to build with cob!
A great activity for children and adults! Together we will
create two cob benches in Sabin School’s edible garden.
Cob building uses hands and feet to form lumps of earth mixed
with sand and straw, a sensory and aesthetic experience!
Bring rubber boots or prepare to get your feet muddy!
Meet and work together with others who are active in the community.
Free food, but bring a dish to share if you would like!
If you would like to bring a potluck dish, or would like more information please contact:
Valerie Thompson at 503-916-6707 or vthompson@impactnw.org, or
Madelyn Mickelberry at 503-916-6707 Madelyn@sabingardens.org

Sabin School is located at 4013 NE 18th Ave, Portland, Oregon 97212.

Comments Off

What did we do during our spring break?  We built a fence!  More than a fence, actually, a new border consisting of a split-rail fence, rocks and logs that will help protect the Native Garden.  A grant from the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District paid for the materials, then parents and neighbors got together on  Saturday, March 21 and other times throughout the week to do the installation.  The Edible Garden got a fence, too, thanks to funds from the Sabin PTA.  Special thanks go to Gilbert Shibley for bringing in nearly two tons of logs and boulders.  Old Town Pizza and Starbucks on Fremont donated food and refreshments for the work party.  Kids painted pots and filled them with donated strawberry starts for sale at the upcoming PTA Auction.  In the coming weeks the Native Garden fence will get the final four segments installed.  In the meantime, have a look at the photos on our Gallery page and don’t hesitate to ask questions at webmaster@sabingardens.org.

Comments Off

This work party had a great turnout - volunteers representing the diversity of the Sabin Community came to work on improving the Sabin Edible Gardens, despite the blustery weather! Continue Reading »

Comments Off

To any in doubt about why an elementary school would need an edible garden,  I recommend reading Michael Polllan’s article in the New York Times Magazine entitled, Farmer in Chief.  In it, Pollan makes the case that many of the challenges America faces in healthcare, energy, climate change and national security are tied to our nation’s food policy.  He writes,

“Changing the food culture must begin with our children, and it must begin in the schools. Nearly a half-century ago, President Kennedy announced a national initiative to improve the physical fitness of American children. He did it by elevating the importance of physical education, pressing states to make it a requirement in public schools. We need to bring the same commitment to ‘edible education’…On the premise that eating well is a critically important life skill, we need to teach all primary-school students the basics of growing and cooking food and then enjoying it at shared meals.”

“To change our children’s food culture,” he continues, “we’ll need to plant gardens in every primary school.”

Click here to read the article in full, then sign up to help in the Garden Committee here.

Comments Off

The Native Garden now has permanent paths, thanks to purchase of 75 stepping stone pavers by the Sabin PTA.  A big “Thank you!” goes to Ken Rumbaugh and the ACCESS Academy classes of Ms. Clarke and Ms. Egan for braving the wet weather and installing over 1200 lbs of pavers to make these new paths.  The next step for ensuring the success of the Native Garden will be to create fencing that directs foot traffic to the stepping-stone paths.

(The stepping stone shown in the photo is one of several dozen decorated by Sabin students several years ago.  These were mixed in with the new pavers.)

Comments Off