So the blog has been left idle for several months, as I was put on bed rest prior to the delivery of baby T. on March 5.

 

He is now nine weeks old and I am getting ready to return to work next week.

Today, I joined the class on a field trip to Creekside Floral, where students saw first hand how flowers are grown in a greenhouse.  We were met by my dad, owner and primary grower. He took the children on a tour of the facility.  First, Dad showed the students the itty bitty plant cuttings from India. The cuttings below are only 18 days old!

Next we visited the boiler room, where a boiler heats water that flows though pipes to reduce condensation on the plants. After seeing the boiler, Dad showed the students the materials in which the plants grow.

Would you believe that this growing material is made from coconut shells?

We then made our way into the greenhouse, where we saw plants that were mature enough to have flowers.

Here is an image of a gerbera daisy plant growing in the coconut shells in a pot. Notice also the white pipes.  This is where the hot water from the boiler travels to help reduce condensation on the flowers.

After the flowers are cut and organized by color (over 80 different colors),

 

they are wheeled into the packing shed, where there is a gigantic cooler.

Burrr!  Was it cold!

We concluded our tour outside by my dad’s herd of miniature cows. The children fed them flowers! For more information on Creekside Floral and to see the 80 different colors grown, visit http://creeksidefloral.net/

 

I enjoyed the trip immensely and look forward to returning to the classroom officially next week. In the mean time, expect another blog post soon, as I chronicle the very special Mother’s Day Tea Party and all the preparations that have gone into it!