Hello Everyone,
I'm new here and embarking on a major bonsai undertaking. I home school my children and each year they pick a topic of interest that we weave throughout all their cross curriculum unit studies. They have enthusiastically chosen bonsai as this year’s topic which we will begin in earnest in September which gives me about a month to get up to speed.
I am looking for any and all help you can provide. In addition to starting our own bonsai tree(s), we will also be incorporating history, geography, art and marketing elements into their studies. For example, our summer project to kick things off was a screen saver that they created and will sell. They will use proceeds to purchase tools and materials to start the project, learn marketing skills in the process and will explore the history and origins of bonsai, incorporate their art requirement and other similar related lessons, as well as eventually building a website with my assistance.
As you can see, my needs range from where to purchase supplies at good prices, how to grow and maintain the trees as well as the historical and geographical background. From there we will build multiple interwoven projects into the coming year. The forum postings are also part of the lesson plan, but because they are all under 13 (ages 5, 9, and 11) I have to do the posting for them to comply with most standard forum policies.
I am open to any and all suggestions for resources, reference material and practical advice for beginners. This will be a very exciting project for us all and we are really looking forward to it!
Thank you in advance for your help,
Stephanie