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Our successful "Crops By Kids"
garden has been put to bed for the 2007 growing year, but we are
already starting to plan for next spring's planting.
A History:
The Crops by Kids project began with the school Health Committee's
revamping of the school's nutrition policy. It became clear that in
order to teach the children about healthy food choices it was also
necessary to give them a clear understanding from where whole, natural
foods come. To that end, the school began a monthly "taste testing"
program, whereby a healthy food is tasted both in its natural state in
the classroom and then in a recipe in the lunchroom. The taste testing
has been a great success and the students at Barre Town have tried
everything from purple cabbage to an ancient whole grain called quinoa.
A children's garden was a natural
offshoot of these efforts. In the Spring of 2005 a bunch of teachers,
parents and students went out and built some raised beds. From there,
little by little, a beautiful outdoor learning center has been set into
motion across the street from the Barre Town School. A fence surrounds
the beds and the entry boasts a wooden arbor on which climbing flowers
grow. There is a toolshed, water bins and benches for resting. Many of
these things were built by the older students. The Barre Town Fire
Department comes along whenever there hasn't been enough rain to fill
the water bins.
The garden project applied for and
received funds from the National Gardening Association, Home Depot,
Lowe's, and other organizations. We also have regular fundraisers
selling seconds from the American Flatbread Company in Waitsfield. We
hold an annual "Antiques Roadshow" each Spring, where an expert
appraiser entertains and gives interesting information about the
artifacts brought by participants. All the money we raise goes towards
compost, seeds, mulch, garden gloves, classroom plant lights and other
improvements.
What we're doing
now:
The school has started composting all the food refuse from the cafeteria
and classroom snacks. We've diverted tens of tons of compost from
landfill this year, which goes to the Vermont Compost Company to be
transformed into usable compost. That compost comes right back to the
school and gets put into the garden! This way, the students see the
entire plant cycle first hand, from their lunch trays all the way to a
garden full of fruits and vegetables. They also learn about stewardship
and responsibility for our environment.
We're proud of how our teachers have
connected their classroom work with the garden, making it truly a
teaching tool. They've used it to teach math, life science, and physical
education, along with Vermont history and other subjects. Often times,
the kids who plant a bed will harvest it in the fall when they come back
to school. This gives them the joy of reaping what they sow and seeing
the end result of what they did months before.
Summer Gardening
Many families and teachers participate in the critical summer
maintenance. The importance of regular irrigation is stressed and each
member of this core group assign themselves certain days or weeks. On
these days, each gardener and their children agree to perform whatever
watering, weeding, and bug patrol might be required on their dates. One
of the benefits of summer work, along with fun and exercise, is taking
home some of the plants that are already ready to harvest.
Fall Harvest and
Celebration
The start of School in Fall is
the most rewarding time to be in the children's garden. Teachers, kids
and parents work together with scissors, cutting down the tomato vines,
making piles of colorful gourds, stuffing paper bags with assorted
herbs, and filling cardboard boxes with tomatoes. The green leaves are
piled onto the garden compost bins or are eventually turned into the
soil itself. The food is used to create pizza sauce, pumpkin bread and
other recipes in the school, brought home by gardeners, or brought to
the food bank.
Next Year
Next year's Crops by Kids garden always begins "growing" long before
spring. We begin in the winter months by seeking funding sources,
generating interest, and discussing improvements. A map is laid out and
the beds are divvied up between the grades, so that everyone knows what
they'll be planting in the classrooms and where it will go in the
garden. We've built cold frames, which lengthen our growing season.
Through our efforts and planning our next year will always be better -
and we will all grow, along with our garden.
Thanks!
This overview can not be ended without extending sincere and heartfelt
thanks to all those who have lent their hands in whatever way they were
able; thanks to those who faced the daunting initial planning process,
those who strained their backs in the building process, kids and
grownups who work and sweat to ready the garden and plant it, those who
faithfully tend the garden all summer long, those who come out to
harvest and all those who witness and celebrate the bounty of Crops by
Kids!
Crops by
Kids Happenings
October, 2007
The new bird feeder at Barre
Town is being enjoyed by many students. So far we have had great looks
at Black capped chick-a-dees, blue jays, goldfinch, junco's. We are
going to start a list of birds. It is being enjoyed by many students.
Stop by during the day or weekend and enjoy the bird watching. The
children are learning to identify the birds. All of this ties into our
many bird hikes on our Barre Town bike path and nature trails around our
school.
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Faculty and parents put the
garden to bed. Our Crops By Kids garden was put to bed by
students as well as one day after school the some faculty
members stayed and worked on getting it ready for the
winter. |
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July, 2007
The last weeks of June,
2007 have been so busy out
at our Barre Town "Crops By Kids" garden. Many classes came out and
helped move lots of compost and plant seeds. Several classes grew
vegetables in their classroom and then we moved them to our "cold
frames" outside. The cold frames were build by Spaulding High School
Students.
We had many parents come and volunteer their time and help classes. The
Barre Town Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Violette, brought
the fire truck and filled our watering containers.
Dr. Riggen came over to see if things were growing and enjoy the "joy"
of the children in the garden on the last day of school.
The garden is open to everyone to stop by, water, pick, and enjoy.
Please come and enjoy!! It is your garden for you this summer. Once
school starts we will be back enjoying some of the food as a class.
As part of the K-2 physical education curriculum we have been very
involved in moving of compost, dirt, and mulch. The children are
learning a life time skill. Gardening is great for ones health, not only
do we eat better, but also it takes a lot of physical work to keep a
garden going. Hopefully we are planting "seeds" for children to someday
have their own garden.
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