School's garden growing knowledge

A school garden at Southside Elementary School is planting ideas about math, science and language arts.

Last summer the school received a $1,000 grant from the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention for a gardening project, titled "Lettuce Learn and Grow," according to Aron Henderson, Panther Health and Wellness Clinic coordinator. Lowe's and the city government of Siloam Springs provided in-kind donations, seeds and materials, he said.

Third- and fourth-grade students built eight four-foot by eight-foot raised garden beds in September and have grown a handful of fall vegetables. In February they began raising vegetable seedlings indoors, including spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, zucchini and marigolds. Since spring rains have let up this week the students began to plant the seedlings in the garden beds.

The school purchased two compost bins as part of the project and plans to collect water in a rain barrel.

"I've learned that gardening has become a lost art and to see a bunch of kids find joy in something they haven't tried before has been fulfilling to me," teacher Mark Stewart said.

But the learning doesn't end with gardening basics, according to Stewart and fellow teachers Caleb Schultz and Julie McCratic.

Both Stewart's and Schultz' students studied math and engineering as they calculated how to build the garden beds and how much dirt to put in each bed. Stewart's students also did some math problems based on the germination process, observing and tracking snow peas as they developed over a period of 10 days. Students also write in their journals about the steps of germination, he said.

McCratic has started an after-school garden club so students can spend more time working in the garden now that spring has arrived. Her students were also involved in moving mulch and starting seeds indoors in seed trays.

McCratic's students have written quite a bit about the garden project in their journals. They use the writing process to document the steps of starting seeds and describing what students are doing on a daily basis. They have also done a lot of reading, researching various aspects of gardening online and in the school library.

Schultz' students have learned life skills from the project. They have had to work hard, carrying concrete blocks to build the bed and spreading mulch and dirt. They have also learned how to get along and work together, he said.

Fourth-grader Miah Anchando said the gardening project taught her to work hard and never give up. Anchando was hard at work on Thursday carrying filled watering cans to wet baby corn and tomato plants that are only a few inches high. She has also helped with spreading mulch. But the most fun part of the garden has been planting seeds in seed trays, she said.

Anchando said she is looking forward to watching the vegetables grown and especially to sample the carrots planted in the garden.

Fourth-grade student Ashley Drake has joined the garden club so she can spend more time working in the garden.

"I like gardening and my mom has a garden," she explained.

Drake's favorite part of the project has been helping to plant corn, squash, tomatoes and flowers.

So far, Drake said she has learned that squash need lots of room to grow and that lettuce starts off as a little bush.

"I thought it would be more of a circle," she said.

When asked if she is looking forward to eating vegetables from the garden, she grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

Stewart plans to keep the garden project going throughout the summer. The school is seeking students' families that are willing to adopt the garden for a week. Families caring for the garden will water, weed and tend to it throughout the week. They will also get to harvest any vegetables that ripen while the garden is under their care.

Students in the English Language Learners summer camp will also be helping care for the garden, he said.

Stewart hopes to add a greenhouse to the school's garden to extend the growing season. Parents can contribute to the project by collecting Box Tops for Education, he said.