Ecocasita Green Roof: Then and Now

                                                               

Finishing Touches by Matt and Sen:   2013

Still Blooming:  2026

Link to 2013 Post

Meet Them at The Mud Kitchen

 

Diane wearing the latest BNS hoodie:  Meet Me at the Brooklyn New School
Mud Kitchen.


Link to Mud Kitchen in 2017!

Bundle Dyeing

Adult course modified for elementary students.  Will it work?  Judge for yourself.

Prep  fabric beforehand:  Cotton fabric had to be soaked in alum and warm water for an hour.  Rinsed and dried thoroughly.  Soaked in calcium carbonate.  Then rinsed again. 

Plant parts  such as marigold and indigo flowers had to be purchased and/or gathered. 

 

Using a pestle and mortar to grind seeds to use.

Students use plant parts to create a pleasing design  on damp fabric.

Next, students roll up their fabric plant parts and all and rubber band them into a bundle.

Bundles are put in a steamer for 20 minutes.

Improvised steamer...

AND...Voila!

Stewards of the Tree Beds

NYC Parks Department met with Lindsay's and Laura's fourth graders to stress the importance of maintaining tree beds to both protect the trees...

And also to absorb rainwater runoff--helping to keep rain from washing waste and pollutants into our nearby waterways.  

Students stewarded the tree beds by picking up waste, weeding, cultivating the soil, and adding mulch. They cared for 13 of NYC’s 800,000 trees.  

Welcome to Spring 2026 from La Rubia

 

Hen generated egg.

Plumb Beach Grass Planted by BNS for 15 Years is Flourishing

Not a scientific study.  The time of year is different.  It isn't the same exact spot.  Can we be sure it is the same grass? No.  But...Well you judge for yourself.

                           May 2013

                            September 2025

Sneak Peak at First Grade Farmers

Seen Through the Ecocasita Window

After a fun scavenger hunt, this crop of farmers enjoys some produce.

Question:  What happens to the food compost after you put it in the bowl?

Puzzled look:  "We throw it in the trash?"

Don't worry:  You'll discover one answer in a month or so!