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Lasagna gardening

2013-04-14T09:00:00.001-05:00

Our weekend has been pretty busy with gardening. Of all the methods for raised bed gardening that I’ve read about and used, lasagna gardening seems to work the best for me.

What is lasagna gardening? Simply put, it’s layering materials into a raised bed. The bed can be framed with lumber, logs, rocks, or just be a raised mound. I prefer it to be framed so that I don’t lose any materials in hard rains, but if done properly, even mounds should work out well and there will be minimal loss.

The first thing you need to do is decide where the raised bed will be. It should be in a sunny location for most vegetables and flowers, although you can put it in a shady spot if you are growing shade-tolerant plants.

Lay out the bed according to your needs. Squares can do well for limited space. I use rectangles that are 4 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet long. Four feet is as wide as you need any raised bed. This width makes it possible to reach to the center of the bed for planting, plant care, and harvesting, without actually walking in the bed and risking compacting the soil.

I use untreated 1x4s and 1x6s for beds. 1x4s generally need to be stacked to get the soil depth you need, but they are all quite inexpensive at the lumber yard. Three of them (that’s enough to construct one bed) run under $25. Simply cut one in half, if it’s an 8 footer, then nail or screw the long ones to the short ones so that you have the rectangle. Now is when the “lasagna” part comes in.

These beds can be placed right on top of existing grass. You are going to lay down a layer of cardboard for the bottom. Make sure it goes from end to end and side to side, completely covering the grass. Next, put in a layer of composted material mixed with well aged manure or fresh rabbit manure. Make it pretty deep because it will pack down a bit with watering. Lay on old newspaper, but none of the shiny ads. Those take too long to decompose in the bed. (They are fine for the compost heap, though.) Again, side to side and end to end…complete coverage of 2 or 3 thicknesses of the newspaper.

Now, you can add soil and compost again, pretty thick. About 3 inches. Then, another layer of newspaper. Wet the whole thing down very well until the newspaper will tear easily. Now, you can plant your tomatoes, peppers, flowers or anything else, even seeds, simply by breaking through the newspaper in the spot where you want the plant to be, then tucking the paper back around the plant, or leaving it a bit open so seeds will sprout through it.

Final step is to layer on a thick layer of leaf mulch or other easily composted mulch, right up next to the plants or seed holes. Water again to get the mulch wet, and you’re done.

This method helps prevent weeds and grasses from sapping nutrients from you plants. It helps keep the plants cleaner. And, the layers will naturally compost as the year goes on so that next year, all you have to do is add a layer of newspaper, plant the bed, and add new mulch.

You will find that you water less often because these materials help retain moisture the plants need. They also feed the plants while they are decomposing and they attract earthworms to the bed, which are further beneficial to your plants because they produce nutrient-rich castings and they aerate the soil. We found probably a dozen earthworms while we were working on just one of these beds Saturday.

Technorati Tags: gardening

Chicken feeder

2013-04-09T21:27:00.001-05:00

Raising chickens can be very rewarding. You can buy little chicks, provide them with a warm place to live for a couple of months, give them plenty of food and water, and wind up with some pullets that will eventually produce fresh eggs daily for you.

Or, you can buy pullets or full grown laying hens to get a quicker start on the egg production. I’ve done it both ways. The advantage with hens is that, even though they will cost you more to begin with, they will start laying eggs right away. Your main responsibility will be to provide them with a shelter that is safe from predators and bad weather, a place where they can scratch around for bugs and seeds, and plenty of fresh water.

Chicken feeders can be pretty easy to build if you want to give your hens free choice feed. We used a party tray you can get at the dollar store (it has a round cup in the middle with four pockets around the outside), a five gallon bucket with lid and handle, a 1 inch paddle drill bit, a 2 inch bolt with nut and a couple of washers, and a drill bit that matched the bolt.

We drilled four holes that would line up with the four pockets around the outside of the tray using the 1 inch paddle bit. Then we drilled a hole in the dead center of the bucket and in the dead center of the round cup in the middle of the party tray. We put a washer on the bolt, ran it up through both the tray and the bucket, put another washer on it then put the nut on it. Don’t go too tight or you’ll break the tray.

This feeder can sit on the ground or be hung from a hook or chain so the chickens can eat from the tray. You just fill it with feed and the feed will run down into the tray without running all over the ground. Even if the feed gets a little “log jammed”, the hens will actually peck at the sides of the bucket and jar it loose. Pretty smart, I think!

Technorati Tags: chickens,farming

Keeping backyard chickens

2013-04-03T22:23:00.001-05:00

A lot of homeschool families raise small livestock, if they have the space to do so, as well as raising a garden. When we were homeschooling, it was practically a given that we, as well as others, would have goats, chickens, and rabbits, that homeschool moms would wear denim jumpers, and that a trip to the grocery store would incorporate a math lesson.

I really don’t know if any of that has changed, but I’d be willing to bet that some of it still holds true. These days, homeschoolers aren’t the only ones who are seeking to be more self-reliant, though. A lot of folks are investing in backyard chickens, rabbits, and even a dairy goat or two to give them the meat and milk/milk products they need.

Many towns will allow a handful of hens to be kept in the backyard. They are generally quiet, and if they are properly cared for, don’t produce an offensive odor for the neighbors to complain about. Those who live in the country may be able to raise even more chickens along with other small livestock, provided they aren’t living in a neighborhood with a homeowner’s association that forbids such activities.

Chickens are just about the easiest way to provide your family with a protein source in the form of eggs. They will average an egg a day, though there will be some “down time” when they don’t lay at all or very little. They are also a good source of meat protein when you need to cull some lazy hens or you have too many roosters.

Hatching eggs is a good project for the whole family. Through this, your children can learn all about a chicken’s reproduction from rooster and hen to egg to chick.

Chickens are also very entertaining. Watching them chase an elusive flying bug or come running at breakneck speeds when you have some treats for them is delightful. Sometimes they’ll lay in a dusty spot and fluff and scratch until they’ve very nearly changed colors due to the amount of dust they’ve thrown on themselves. (This is also a clue that the chicken may be fighting some external parasites and it’s time for a good dusting with diatomaceous earth.)

Caring for chickens is a pleasant activity. Listening to them “sing” as you toss grain out to them has a calming effect. You can also throw all your kitchen scraps to them except for bones. They will turn it into rich, valuable fertilizer for your garden or flower beds.

The biggest concern is keeping predators away from them.

Technorati Tags: chickens,farming

Old time days festival

2013-04-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

I am surely hoping that this week will be the very last of the cold weather here. We are due for rain storms and some parts of the state may even receive sleet, but by the weekend it’s supposed to be up to a high of 72 degrees F. I can hardly wait for that!

If the forecast holds true, we’ll be attending a little fun day at the feed store up the road from us. These nice folks put something like this on about 2 or 3 times a year. This one is called “Old Ways From Old Days”. Events will include spinning wool, twining, kraut making, cheese making, soap making, and so many more old time crafts I don’t dare try to name them all.

Along with those activities, they are offering free kettle corn and fresh pork rinds, and hamburgers and hot dogs to eat. There will be a live band (I really don’t know who it is yet) and local folks will have crafts for sale. The owner invited me to set up a table for free and offer homemade bread for sale, so that’s what I’ll be doing.

It starts at 10 AM and ends at 2 PM. Not a very long festival, but the feed store owners also run that business as well as own farm animals that need to be tended to. This isn’t one of the new, uptown feed stores that offers sparkling new riding lawn mowers for sale. These folks offer feed, seed, fertilizers, and groceries, along with a few animal meds and equipment. Oh, and they sell bait, too.

I hope there is a big turnout for this. I’d love to see children there, learning about how things used to be done and what kinds of entertainment there was before the invention of the video game and the i-devices. I think this could easily be rolled into part of their history lessons.

Technorati Tags: history,festival

Cool weather gardening

2013-04-01T00:45:00.001-05:00

I have begun my gardening for this year, even though we are expected to have a few more days of wintry temperatures. We got some below-freezing temperatures last week.

I checked today, and the onions and radishes are sprouting. I have also planted sugar pod peas, lettuce, carrots, and kale. These have yet to make their appearance, but I feel confident they will do so in a few days.

These are all considered cool weather crops which makes them fairly safe to plant here in the South, even though we can’t seem to get rid of winter.

I noticed my lemon balm and mint are also starting up in the herb bed, as well as the chives. My asparagus looks pretty pitiful, though. The chickens had scratched among them a lot last year and it almost killed them completely. However, they are trying to grow now. We won’t be cutting any fresh, delicious asparagus from them, though, because they were so severely set by by the chicken damage.

If you have kids, and I assume you do if you’re reading this blog, this would be a great time to get them started on gardening. You can use pots, number 10 cans, plastic milk jugs cut in half, or just about any kind of container to grow small salad vegetables such as radishes, lettuce, and green onions.

You can even just cut into a bag of good potting soil and plant your seeds directly into that, if you want. Shallow rooted plants will do just fine in that. A friend uses half rotted bales of straw or hay for planting. Be sure these are place where the veggies will get lots of sun. Just open up a few spots on the hay, put in a bit of potting soil to help the seeds get started, then watch them grow. As they develop, their roots will take good advantage of the decomposing hay for their nutrients. You will probably need to water them a little more often than other methods because water tends to flow through the hay, but I’ve seen some awesome plants growing like this.

You can actually plant your tomatoes and peppers in the rotted hay setup and harvest plenty of fresh tomatoes and peppers later. Be sure to cover tender plants such as these this early in the year because they just aren't cold-hardy. You can use old milk jugs with the caps removed (for ventilation) and the bottoms cut out for individual plant “hot caps”.

Small backyard or patio gardening is a great way to introduce your child to the benefits of fresh vegetables and a way to teach them where some of their food really comes from.

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Flights of fancy

2013-03-28T15:08:00.001-05:00

Did you ever dream of taking your family to faraway, exotic locations? Do you have a dream of visiting these places yourself? I do.

For years, I’ve dreamed of going to Australia. There’s something irresistible to me about the rugged outback. Maybe because it seems so much like our own Old West. I tend to dream about living in a time and place where the work hours are determined more by the sunrise and sunset than an alarm clock.

It would probably be wise to research Australia a little more, of course, but in my mind’s eye, I can see myself getting a kuwait airways ticket and flying off to the Land Down Under, and staying there a very long time.

Of course, a plane ticket could take me any number of other wonderful places. Maybe to Italy, where I can see the great works of Michelangelo or visit the Roman Ruins. Or to England, where the roots of my family reside and where our own country’s history has its beginning.

Air travel has really come into its own, I think. You can travel the world in mere hours and find adventures where ever you go. And these days, you can shop online for the best deals on airfare, tourist packages, and lodging. You can even check your flight status and other details concerning your trip just by the click of your mouse or using your smart phone.

The world seems to be shrinking because of all these great new options, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Places we’ve only read about or seen in pictures can be visited without much more bother than deciding just which place you’d like to visit first.

I think I’ve just added this to my Bucket List.

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Traveling with kids

2013-03-28T14:34:00.001-05:00

It won’t be long until a lot of families will hit the road for summer vacation trips. There will be some who will drive or pull an RV and stay at campgrounds. Others will drive a family car and stay at a motel or maybe even do some tent camping.

Whichever way you travel with your family, if you have children you already know you’ll be hearing “Are we there yet? How much longer? I’m bored. She touched me. He made a face at me.” Those comments and even more will come ringing out from the back portions of your vehicle as your children get bored with riding in a car or van.

When we traveled, when the children were young, we took along snacks, beverages, and little games the kids could play. Things like Travel Bingo were a big hit. (This was way before there were DVD players in cars.) We also took coloring books and crayons.

We didn’t have a computer back then so free printable travel games didn’t exist for us. However, they do for you. Visit the linked site to find 35 different and entertaining travel games that you can print out for free. File them away until you are making a trip somewhere, even if it’s just a couple of hours worth of riding in the car, and surprise your kids with these fun ways to stay busy while on the road.

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Take a new look at the library

2013-03-27T22:38:00.001-05:00

When is the last time you visited your local library? You might find there is a lot going on that you didn’t know about.

Many libraries now loan out DVDs, which you probably already knew about. Did you also know that you can borrow eBooks for your Kindle or other e-reader from your library?

The library also offers many free or low-cost classes, such as beginner’s yoga. Our library does this every Tuesday evening. The only requirement is that you wear comfortable clothing that you can move easily in, bring a yoga mat for floor exercises, and yoga socks for foot comfort.

Our library also offers community events, such as the annual seed swap. This is a time when folks can bring in heirloom or open-pollinated seeds, root stock, and cuttings to share with others who love to garden. In fact, the even is occurring this weekend in our area but I’ll be out of town, so I’ll miss it this year.

Your library may also offer summer children’s programs that include reading time, games, and fun activities.

Most libraries also offer free internet services and computers to use to access the internet and do research, or even just have fun on social networking pages or blogging sites. They will generally limit access to pay sites or adult themed sites.

Our library also offers a room full of books for sale at very reduced prices. They may be novels or they may be resource books, but I’ve even seen children’s books on the “for sale” tables and shelves. Once a year they have a really big sale where not only older books from the library are offered, but also books that are donated specifically to this fund raiser.

Go visit your library and see what they have to offer in your area!

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Orchard Mason Bees

2013-03-23T22:50:00.001-05:00

You’re never too old to learn something new. Today, I learned about Orchard Mason Bees. I’m sure we’re all aware of the dwindling numbers of honey bees and how that’s affecting crop production. Bees are the primary pollinators of the flowers of fruits and vegetables. Without them, the plants can’t bear fruit. I know personally that I’ve had less productive gardens in the past couple of years because of their scarcity.

Last year, I resorted to using a feather to hand pollinate my summer squash, and then only got a few. You have to get out to the garden very early in the morning to hand pollinate them. Like daylilies, they only bloom once a day and it’s for a short period of time in the morning. After that, the blooms fold back up again and begin to wither.

So today, I happened to see an ad for habitat houses for the Orchard Mason Bees. They won’t give you honey, but they will eagerly pollinate your fruit and vegetable bearing plants, as well as your flowers. I learned they are a gentle bee, very tiny, and won’t sting unless absolutely cornered – like getting trapped under your shirt.

The habitat houses look a lot like small bird houses. The difference is that they are frames with dozens of small tubes in them. The bees lay a single egg in a tube, fill it with food, then seal it off with a rough plug of mud. When the larva hatches, it has enough food to reach the pupae stage and it pupates inside the tube. When it turns into a bee, it chews through the mud and flies away, starting the cycle over again.

So, one of my projects will be to build a couple of these little habitat houses and hang them in the trees next to my garden to see if I can encourage these little bees to work for me.

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The family garden

2013-03-23T10:34:00.001-05:00

I don’t know about anyone else, but we’ve had some really wonky weather around here. Temperatures up to near 80 degrees last weekend, then a sudden drop and snow on Thursday. It’s been a really crazy first-week-of-spring!

Still, the gardening but has bit and we were able to get some cool weather crops planted in our raised beds. We also planted some lettuce and radishes in hanging pots. This got me to thinking about all the families who may not be able to plant in a regular garden for one reason or another, or even have small raised beds. These hanging pots are really inexpensive, as is potting soil, which goes a long way just putting it into pots like this.

Almost anyone can find a spot for a hanging pot, or for pots that sit on tables or the edges of decks. While you won’t be able to grow corn or large rooted veggies in them, you can certain grow things like radishes, lettuce and even tomatoes, peppers, and green beans. You just need to put fewer in each pot. For example, if you want to grow a couple of tomato plants, use at least a 2 gallon pot, filled with good soil, for each plant. Same for peppers. Lettuce can be direct seeded into smaller pots. Just sow thinly so it’s not overcrowded. You could put a few radish seeds in each pot of lettuce, too.

Seeds are very inexpensive. You might want to check at one of the $1 stores in your area. I’ve seen them as low as .10 a packet, and you can get a lot of garden seeds for just that price. Imagine growing a garden with a total seed investment of a dollar! If you’re wiling to work a little hauling soil, mulch, and manure, you can mix your oil beautiful organic soil for your potted garden and not have to pay the price of premium potting soil. Still, even if you buy the bagged soil, it’s pretty low cost and ready to use when you get it home. In fact, if you have a place, you can just cut a couple of large X’s in the bags, poke drainage holes in the other side, and plant directly into the bagged soil. I’ve seen this done even for potatoes and onions.

Start dreaming now and you can have homegrown, organic produce in just a few weeks.

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Shopping ID

2013-03-05T22:12:00.001-06:00

I do very little shopping, but there are times when it’s necessary. Unlike a lot of folks, I don’t find shopping to be entertaining. However, when I do shop I often use my debit card to pay for things. I don’t know if it has the rfid in it, but it might. I’ve never tried just passing it over the reader many businesses have these days.

If I knew for certain that it did, I’d really be wanting an identity stronghold rfid leather wallet to protect my identity from less scrupulous persons who might be able to “read” my information. One can’t be too safe when it comes to this part of life. We read every day of folks who have gone bankrupt, or nearly so, because they fell victim to an identity thief.

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Newspaper seedling pots

2013-03-05T22:07:00.001-06:00

You and your children may be interested in gardening and in starting your garden plants from seeds. Whether flowers or vegetables, it’s fun and inexpensive to start your own plants. It also gives the children an opportunity to watch as seedlings grow, pushing up through the earth, getting their first leaves, then getting their “true leaves” and growing stronger.

You can purchase peat pots or the peat disks that are watered and swell into seedling pots, or you can make your own newspaper pots for seed starting. This is a very inexpensive and earth-friendly way to start your seeds. The newspaper pots are easy to make, too, and the children can join in.

We have old newspapers that we use to line the rat cage, put in the bottom of our chick starter cage, or simply shred and add to the compost heap. You probably do, too. If not, you may know of someone with newspapers you can get for free just so they can get rid of them.

The pots, once filled with potting soil and then watered, are quite sturdy yet they can be planted straight into the garden where they will naturally decompose and allow the plant roots to develop.

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Grandson’s disappointment

2013-03-01T18:20:00.001-06:00

My grandson made the flight to Boston to audition for the Berklee Music School. After waiting so many weeks for a response from them, he finally got an email saying he’d been accepted for enrollment. The downside? He simply doesn’t have the money to attend.

He didn’t know before this morning how much it costs for tuition there. He is quite disappointed, of course, although we have all encouraged him to seek financial aide, grants, and scholarships to see if he can round up the money to attend. However, the tuition is more than most people earn in a year and he’s afraid that even if he gets a loan, he’ll never be able to pay it back.

I love that he was accepted, based on his banjo and fiddle playing gifts. It’s a huge step forward. Maybe now he should be looking at microphones mf, amps, and other equipment and start his own bluegrass band, instead of playing in someone else’s. This way, he may be able to earn enough money to attend another music school, even if it’s not his first choice.

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Pioneer chores

2013-03-01T18:12:00.001-06:00

I forget who showed me to this site, but it’s really pretty awesome. Pioneer Handbooks has tons of free, downloadable pdf books dating back to the 1800s. These little books teach all kinds of neat pioneer stuff such as bread making, building, cooking, gardening, medicine, hunting, and so much more.

Can you tell I’m pretty excited about them? I have downloaded and skimmed through the bread making book, since I love making breads of all kinds. I’m going to be downloading other ones, too.

What has this got to do with homeschooling? Well, just imagine you are studying history. What better way to “make it real” than to attempt some of the chores that are outlined in these handy books, and do them in the pioneer way!

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Hydroponic gardening

2013-02-11T22:09:00.001-06:00

You know Spring is coming. Around here, there are even daffodils blooming on the roadsides. Spring, of course, makes a lot of us think about gardening.

You may want to experiment with hydroponics this spring. Perhaps you can get some metal or plastic barrels, some omegaflex metal hose, a couple of aquarium pumps, and some gravel and start your own hydroponic growing system.

I’ve had tomatoes and lettuce grown this way. The produce stays clean, grows well, and is quite tasty.

Technorati Tags: gardening,science

Valentine’s Day ideas

2013-02-11T21:34:00.001-06:00

Valentine’s Day is upon us. I’m sure many of you will be creating Valentine’s to give to one another, to friends, and even to really good friends. It’s a lot of fun to do this, of course, but working this romantic holiday in with your regular lessons can prove to be challenging if you only focus on that.

Peruse the Valentine's Day lessons and find some fun and informative lessons and activities that will incorporate art, language arts, computers, math, music, health, science, and social studies. What more could you ask for?

Technorati Tags: lesson plans,Valentine's Day

Disclaimer

2013-02-01T17:45:00.003-06:00

Neverending winter

2013-01-23T19:28:00.001-06:00

I’M TIRED OF WINTER! Once again, we are predicted to have sleet and freezing rain starting tomorrow night. I’ve never in my life seen so much foul, freezing weather in our state, which normally averages a daytime temperature of around 50 degrees.

Yes, we have a day like that thrown in now and then, but by far most of the temperatures have been 40 and lower, with overnight lows well below freezing. It’s getting to me, so many cold days, that I just want to punch cigars! I’m so very ready for spring weather!

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Groundhog Day

2013-01-23T19:17:00.001-06:00

It will soon be time for the groundhog to come out and we’ll all learn if he sees his shadow or not. This old way of predicting the end of winter is a lot of fun, though I’m not really sure it’s good meteorology. However, there are plenty of Groundhog Day Lessons and activities that can be incorporated into this fun day.

At the Teacher’s Corner, you can follow the link above to find word searches, printables, journals, coloring pages and so much more to incorporate this day into your child’s learning.

Technorati Tags: Groundhog Day,lesson plans

Getting recorded

2013-01-22T20:14:00.001-06:00

I know – I talk a lot about my very talented grandson. I can’t help myself! He began playing the violin at a very young age. He played classical music most of the time, then. Then, he discovered bluegrass and old time music, played on banjos, fiddles, mandolins, guitars, and ukuleles.

Now he’s part of a bluegrass group. He’s recently been talking about using excellent Propellerhead Reason software to record some of his original pieces. Then, he could publish those to youtube or maybe even get a record deal.

Technorati Tags: music

Will winter ever end?

2013-01-22T19:29:00.001-06:00

It looks like another round of freezing rain and sleet is headed our way. I’m really sick of winter weather. We have average winter temperatures of around 50 degrees F. normally. Not so this year.

We’ve had more freezing temperature days and below freezing nights, along with wintry precipitation, than I can really remember in years. Yes, it’s winter and it’s supposed to be cold. But this is Arkansas, and we just don’t have those weather events, especially as they go on and on, repeating themselves week after week.

I’ll be so happy when Spring time comes. Flowers, butterflies, gardens. This winter season seems so long and depressing.

Technorati Tags: winter,weather

Colder than usual winter

2013-01-21T22:45:00.001-06:00

We can’t seem to get away from the bad weather lately. I live in a state which isn’t known for terrible winter weather, but this year we’ve been hit with ice and snow repeatedly, with many people winding up without power.

Because we normally have very mild winters, I’ve had to add extra layers to my windows and doors to keep the cold at bay. I’ve taken my best selection of fitted table cloths, sheets, and blankets to give the windows extra draft protection on the worst days and nights. It helps, though it may look a little crazy.

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Flu Season

2013-01-21T22:37:00.001-06:00

Around here, flu season has hit pretty hard. I’ve spent the past two weeks fighting it myself, even though I always take good precautions to avoid being infected.

This is probably an airborne virus, though, and with people hacking and sneezing all around, it’s really hard to avoid. There are some ways to help, though.

Handwashing! Yes, you’ve heard this before and you’ll hear it again. Wash your hand frequently, especially when you’re out in public and touching things a lot of other people have touched.
Nutrition! Take your vitamins and eat properly so your body can fight off those bugs more effectively.
Hydration! Drink plenty of water, tea, and juices. Your body is made up of liquids for the most part, so feed that part of your system to keep the bad stuff flushed out.

Technorati Tags: health,flu

Water activities

2013-01-05T23:08:00.001-06:00

While it may seem like it’s too cold to think about swimming, keep in mind that many towns have indoor swimming pools at sports clubs, gyms, and colleges or universities. Swimming is wonderful exercise. It’s low-impact and gives your body a good cardio workout.

My sister belongs to a group who take to the indoor heated pool at a local college about 3 times a week. They go through a variety of in-water exercises to help them maintain their health and strength.

You may have kids who are even interested in being part of a water sports team, such as water polo. This can be an excellent way for them to socialize while also benefitting their health. To further encourage them in the sport, you might want to acquire some water polo gifts as rewards. I always figured tangible rewards are an excellent way to further encourage kids to stick with a program.

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El Nino lesson plan

2013-01-05T22:58:00.001-06:00

The weather of the past year has been a little weird, it seems. There was a nationwide drought but then there were also strong storms and floods. Winter has brought blizzard-like conditions to the South, which normally only sees a few days of snow or ice. This time, 12 inches of snow, and in some places more, fell in Arkansas beginning Christmas Day. Over 200,000 people lost power and some of that wasn’t restored for over a week.

So, does El Nino have anything to do with all of this. Perhaps your questions may be answered by implementing the El Nino Lesson Plan in your classroom. This lesson plan incorporates science, current events, vocabulary, ESL map skills, and gives students puzzles and other activities, including online research, to help them better understand this weather effect.

Technorati Tags: El Nino,weather,science