Kalonkakon, what a wonderful idea! And I love the way you will make it a parable for their lives and their learning. I really like Rodney's salad idea because you can make something for the class to eat without having to cook it. These are the things that grow fast, are good in a salad, and can be successful indoors: all the greens (as mentioned above): lettuce (there are LOTS of different kinds and colors and shapes), spinach, bright lights chard (very pretty), mustard greens, kale, arugula, mizuna, tatsoi. These are all things that would be in a mesclun mix, and I've grown them indoors under lights with good success. You can add to this some pea shoots. Research this a bit -- you buy the seeds that are meant for shoots and grow them in a soil-less mix. They grow very fast and are sweet. You can't use normal pea seeds as they may contain bacteria, and you'll be eating the actual plant -- the ones for shoots are certified for shoot growing. Radishes and chives sound great to add to a salad, and I know radishes grow quickly, but I don't know if they would bulb up under indoor conditions--I don't have experience. Herbs, as mentioned above, are a really nice idea, too. Just keep in mind that some herbs tend to take a long time to germinate (parsley takes up to 3 weeks!) and they also take some time to become plants, so they would be great to send home with the kids (they can keep them growing at home on a window sill), but maybe not the best for your quicker salad. (They could be used to teach patience :) ) With some grow lights and/or a south facing window, some potting soil, and a bunch of seeds, you can absolutely grow a salad in several weeks, and make this teaching moment come true. Lucky you -- a class of only 24! Have fun! Elisa This post was edited by elisa_Z5 on Sat, Jul 13, 13 at 23:22

Wow, my test was pretty bad, but yours is really bad. Don't add any lime yet, even though you need it, there are two types and you might need a combination of both. Also you have a lot of deficiencies, and 0 copper isn't helping anyone. You need good advice. I want you to repost your soil test in the soil management and compost forum at this site: www dot bestlawn dot info (obviously use periods for the dots, and no spaces). Andy is the soil guru over there and he will help you fix your soil.

It would be nice if the rules were given up front. It took me a few tries before I realized that the frog can only jump to the next rock or over 1 of the opposite frog only. The key is to keep in a row as every other frog as they change position. See if these tips help.

Both of our sons have been in the gifted/talented programs in our K-8 district. Older DS is now a freshman in HS, in all honors classes. OUr district does not "test for giftedness". Participation in the program is based on a combination of things, including teacher observations and recommendations, classroom observations by the gifted/talented teachers, test scores on the standard tests given to all the children (Gates-McGinity being one) in which they must score at 97% or above to be considered for the program. While the enrichment of the gifted program was fun for the kids, most of the programs at the elementary level are not geared to advance the subject matter, but more to advance the thinking process and depth of exploration of a subject. In other words, in the gifted classroom sections, the kids may work on the Civil War, which is what their classmates are also doing in the regular classroom. However, the gifted kids will do something with greater depth or challenge, but still on the same subject matter. Older DS participated in the MIdwest Talent Search sponsored by NOrthwestern University, and took the SAT (the same one taken by high school jrs and srs.)in 6th grade. Don't know if younger DS will be invited to take it, as he is only in fifth grade now. But again, the invitation came because of test scores on the standardized testing, not because of some special screening we did or testing we sought out. Kids can be gifted/talented in one area and not in others. There are some great websites and books on giftedness, but in truth a lot of the "characteristics" that they mention seem to be present in lots of kids I know. My older DS was a very early reader, like the poster's son. He was reading at a second grade level before he started kindergarten. But rather than seeing that as a problem, we saw it as a benefit for him as he went to school. It was. I will tell you that while there are things that the school can offer, you might also look into your local jr. college - they often have a "kids on campus" type of program, part of which is geared to gifted/talented kids, in which they can take advanced classes, etc. Gifted/talented kids can benefit by being in a regular classroom, and being leaders. Neither of our boys has EVER complained about being bored in school, whether in their regular classroom time or during gifted/talented classtime. Watch what is happening to your child, and seek out interesting experiences to enrich him, but do not let the concept of being "gifted" worry you, unless HE complains about his learning experiences.