Welcome to our virtual Green Classroom! We’re missing your bright faces and helping hands this fall! But we are still here and we invite you to explore the programs we have available this year.
This year the green classroom is going to be different than previous years. We’re not having classes as usual, but garden fairies and other Becker Green Classroom caretakers are planting, harvesting and keeping the gardens healthy while we’re all learning from home.
The curriculum and activities committee, along with the help of Half-Pint Prairie, a University of Texas student organization, are posting weekly activities through our blog, The Green Classroom Beet. Children (and adults) are invited to follow along each week while we learn about gardening, healthy eating, science, and nature.
We are starting off with the timely occasion of the Fall, or Autumnal Equinox. What is the Fall Equinox?
There are two equinoxes throughout the year, one in Fall or Autumn and one in Spring and they mark the first day of those seasons. During an equinox, hours of sunlight and night-time darkness are nearly (but not exactly) equal. That means day and night are each about 12 hours long (totaling to 24 hours). They are halfway in between the solstices, which happen in Winter giving us the least hours of sunlight and Summer which has the most hours of sunlight. While the dates of these seasons greeting vary they typically occur from the 19-23 of their respective months.
The Fall Equinox is a time for harvesting as the summer crops slow down their production and cold weather veggies like Broccoli, kale and salad greens return from their summer slumber. Here in Texas it may still feel a bit warm until mid October so we often take time in September to clear our garden beds, amend the soil with compost, and start anew.
Fall/Autumnal Equinox (Sept 22)- First day of Fall; Equal hours day and night
Winter Solstice (Dec 21)- First day of Winter; shortest day of the year
Spring/Vernal Equinox (March 20)- First day of Spring; Equal hours day and night
Summer Solstice (June 20)- First day of summer; longest day of the year
*The dates of the solstices and equinoxes vary but will typically be around 19-23 of their respective months.
Autumnal/Vernal Equinox Lesson Plan
You can also follow us on Instagram or Facebook to see the latest on what we are growing in the garden this year and when we will have a harvest to share with our community!
Photo credit: https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-seasons