Greenery, Fresh Air, and Piles of Paper

That's what is in my classroom, anyway. Since most of my plants have been divided at least once (if not two or three times), greenery is everywhere. (So are piles of paper and random clutter, but that's a quirky part of my personality. Or an annoying part, if you ask my husband.)

The air in my classroom, however, is far fresher than most. I knew that plants produced oxygen, and that indoor environments benefitted from the addition of different kinds of plants. But what I didn't know was how certain plants actually eliminate toxins from the air. I just knew that my asthma has been better since working in this environment. The air also feels and smells better to me, even in the winter when the building is closed up.

Last week, Melissa Arteaga-Marti from Costa Farms emailed me a link to their new magazine, "Growing Style." Here is the link:  growingstylemag.com. Please check it out if you have a chance; there are some really good articles about indoor vertical gardening and the healing powers of plants.


My favorite article was the one called, "The Air in There," which discusses different kinds of houseplants and the indoor pollutants they help get rid of, depending on how many you have. My classroom and home are both filled with houseplants, and I add new ones frequently. After reading this article, I'm thinking I will need to search for some anthuriums and goldon pothos. Oh, and several orchids for my bedroom.

Welcome to the Jungle!

Remember last Sunday, when I showed off all of the plants that Melissa from Costa Farms sent me? Well, I promised to show pictures of all the plants in my classroom, and today I shall. There are so many plants in our classroom that when new people come in, I say, "Welcome to the jungle!"

My students love all of the plants, and they're excited when I let them help me water them. I absolutely love the feel of my room, and I think the plants make it feel more welcoming in my room. Also, I feel like the air is better in the room, too. Pardon the mess. I organize with messy piles. I was very excited this year, because this is the first school year ever that I haven't had to move. Yup, that's right. I've been teaching since 2000, and every school year has meant a new classroom for me. Until this year. I got to stay in this amazing space with a great view and three windows! The sunlight makes me happy.   :)

Most of the plants are really easy to care for, and one of my favorites is the plant in the pink pot. It has green leaves with a little bit of pink on them. You may notice, however, that I've killed the mums. Sigh. I don't know what I did wrong. Oh well, I guess one of the plants was bound to die. Hopefully the rest of them will persevere.

My very favorite plant is still the croton, and it looks very healthy. That's the one on the file cabinet. I know it's supposed to get shade, but in this spot the croton gets indirect sun for only an hour or so a day. All of the plants on this shelf are supposed to be shade plants, but some sun sneaks over first thing in the morning. Regardless, it seems to be working.

The peace lilies near the door are just gorgeous, too. I get compliments on them from whoever walks through the door.

Besides the dead mums, I think the hardest plant to take care of has been the fern. It is very pretty and I love it, but it drops leaves like crazy and I can't seem to get the amount of water right. I've been watering it every two or three days, and it still seems dry. I soak it pretty well, too, until water runs out the bottom.

I will keep doing my best to keep the plants alive. Thanks again to Melissa from Costa Farms for the beautiful plants.I can't wait to do my plant units with students in the spring. We'll have so many examples to look at!

What on Earth is in those boxes?

A little over a week ago, my mother-in-law greeted me at the door after work with a question: "What on Earth is in those boxes?" Apparently, two humongous boxes had been delivered during the day.

My mother-in-law is used to strange boxes being delivered during the day, because I order lots of stuff from ebay. But she'd never seen boxes this big. I was really, really excited, and Nick was very curious.

So what was in the boxes? Let me show you.

These are just some of the plants I was sent. I had recently been contacted by a lady (also named Melissa) who works for Costa Farms. She had read my blog and heard I was looking for plants for school. She asked me if I'd like to try some plants for my classroom. I said sure, because you can never have too many plants in a classroom. I thought she might send me two or three nice plants. Instead, she sent me 25! Nick really loved touching all the leaves and saying, "Plants!"

This was one of my favorite plants. It is simply beautiful, and I'm desperately hoping I can keep it alive. It's a croton, but I like to call it a crouton.

See the bonsai tree? That was Greg's favorite, and we decided to keep that one at home. There's also a neat bamboo plant and some really healthy looking succlents. I love them all. I'm wondering which ones I'll kill first, and hoping that it isn't too many of them. I'm pretty attached. I was very impressed at how healthy all of the plants were. Not one showed any signs of over or under watering, even after being shipped from Miami!

I totally adore the pink peace lilies (2nd from the left). I also liked how many of these plants are pretty tolerant and enjoy shade. Melissa from Costa Farms really paid attention to what I told her about the lighting in my classroom. The only thing I had trouble with was that most of the plants came with no instructions about how much light or how much water each plant needed. I called my mom on the webcam and she gave me general instructions for each one. (I tried to remember, but forgot some of the details.) We kept some of the plants at home, so I'm hoping the cats don't eat them. Sebastian, especially, likes to munch on green things.

Then, at school, I used the internet to try to figure out the names and conditions. Hopefully I've put plants in their correct locations.

I'll post again next week and show pictures of how the plants in my classroom fared, at least thus far. Now, when new people visit my room, I can say, "Welcome to the jungle!" because the whole room is green with healthy plants. I happen to think the room smells nicer, too. Certainly nicer than the scent of 5th graders.  ;)

Lovely Ivy Ambiance and a Student Driver

Nick went for a little drive around the cul de sac today. He's loving the freedom of his learner's permit as he honks the horn and turns the key. We need a sign on the back that says, "Student Driver."

Thank goodness for the handle on the back that lets Daddy push. In about 15 years, I'll be wishing his car had a handle on it. Kind of like the imaginary brake that my daddy used when he'd slam his foot down onto the floor while teaching me to drive.

Nick had his 9 month doctor's appointment this week. During the 15 minute wait for the doctor, Nick managed to tear the paper off the exam table and chew on it. He tried to pull out the childproof covers on the electrical outlet, and he nearly crawled off of the exam table.

Then, when the doctor came in, he bit her and attempted to steal her jewelry. (Nick loves bracelets, thus why I cannot wear them anymore.) She was a good sport about the whole thing, and was impressed with his crawling abilities.

Most importantly, though, Nick is very healthy. He's over his coxsackie virus, and he is wiggling around like a baby his age should. The doctor said that if Nick is driving us crazy, then he's being developmentally appropriate. I guess he is growing very well and is meeting his milestones, so that is great news.

Here he is trying to get into my purse in the waiting room. Nicholas charmed all of the nurses and the other patients, crawling over by them and cooing and grinning. This boy is a big flirt, and driving isn't the only issue I think I'm going to have with him at 15. I believe the ladies will be a factor for this flirtatious fellow.

This was the first full week of school for my students, and I spent the week immersed in paperwork, filing, and test administration. This year is so much better for me than last year, though, because of the simple addition of windows. I believe I must have a touch of that seasonal affective disorder, because I was moody and down last year while teaching in a windowless interior space. Everything seems okay so far this year, because have plants and fresh air and even sunshine, on occasion. The ambiance of the room is welcoming and homey, and everyone who comes in comments on the plants. Since part of my job is to get kids to talk, having the plants as a starting point adds to their value.

My original intention was to take pictures of all of my classroom plants, so that later on, when I kill them, I will have a record of how nice they looked. But after taking the first picture and trying to frame the second, I stopped. You see, I couldn't show the plants on my desk without showing off the mess. Folders were stacked hither and yon. Leftover lunch dishes mixed with student prizes and draft versions of service schedules. No matter what angle I tried, my part of the room still looked, well, disorganized and messy.

So I decided to highlight my favorite plant, this hanging ivy that I got for $4 at Lowe's from the nice lady who offered to give me an extra 50% off. I shall be returning to Lowe's for all of my plant needs; I got some real winners. I want to buy a few more pots and maybe one or two more hanging planters. Next week perhaps, when I have cleaned off all of the piles and such, I will take a picture of my wonderful work space for all to admire. But isn't just this one window corner lovely? I have a pretty tree, a hanging ivy plant, and tons of fresh air.