Budding Gardeners at Timber Trace Elementary Get a Little Green From Whole Kids Foundation
Categories: Ethical Eating, On the Farm
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| woodleywonderworks via Flickr Creative Commons |
| A handful of carrots beats a handful of fries, yes? |
"That's a lot of money for an elementary school," principal Kathy Pasquariello said of the grant, which comes by way of the child-nutrition-centric program founded by Whole Foods Market in 2011.
The money will be used to grow the existing garden program with a goal of eventually incorporating the gardens' yields into the school's lunchroom cafeteria. Students who work on the gardens already have the opportunity to eat the produce -- which includes carrots, tomatoes, greens, and other crops -- but an expansion may open up that option to even more students. Pasquariello said the hands-on projects integrate science with a social aspect, giving the kids a tangible connection to their food.
"It's been a really great experience," she said, explaining that being so involved in the process helps kids to get more excited about eating veggies. "How much more motivating can it be?"
Last fall, when students successfully grew their first tomato, they shared it with Pasquariello. She took the orb home and photographed the process of slicing and preparing it and later shared the images with the students so they could see how much she appreciated the gift.
Surprisingly enough, Pasquariello said the gardens -- which recently acquired a rain barrel as a sustainable means of irrigation -- are still operational in the summer ("There is life in the garden," she said). Many of the school's "after care" students are active in the garden. In turn, many of those students attend a summer camp program at the school which allows them to water the garden and keep the heartier crops going through the tough season.
The educator credits Timber Trace teachers and staff for instigating the green project, and said Whole Foods Market has been "a great partner" in other green/nutritional projects at the elementary school, helping to expose students to new foods. An expanded garden program could help to open up that possibility to even more kids.
"Academics are so important," Pasquariello said. "But it's also important for students to become well rounded."
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