pointing out the warmest part of the garden
Over the past two Wednesdays, we’ve explored temperature in the garden. The school students ran around the garden, choosing what they believed to be the coolest and warmest areas based on the warmth of the concrete, the fences, the leaves, and other factors.
After the activity our resident temperature guide, Evan, constructed a map based on the information the students gave us. (photo below, right)
McKinley Garden temperature abstraction map
The following Wednesday we escaped from the rain and painted a large 20″x28″ mural based on the map. Students added their own personal touches to the map, and we play to hang it in the garden for all to see.
Stop by to check it out! We are located at approximately 50 Montgomery Street, just around the corner from the Haley House Soup Kitchen on the corner of Dartmouth and Montgomery.
den and soup kitchen volunteer, Evan Kuras, joins us in the garden this month for a continuation of his grant-funded Hot or Not project in the South End. Evan, a recent Boston University graduate, is dubbed our resident temperature control man. His project involves measuring temperature changes through tests, educational lessons, walking tours, and personal narrative.
Last week, McKinley students established three praying mantid nests in the notches of some of our trees. In 4 weeks, we will hopefully see alien-like beneficial insects patrolling the grounds, protecting our garden from pests. We watched a National Geographic short in preparation, and learned that some martial artists model mantid behavior for their techniques.
