Three great goals—help young children learn about plants, work together in nature, and eat fresh vegetables—are combined in a program of Assistance League of Southwest Washington.
The chapter works with kindergarteners and preschoolers at a local agency, Innovative Services Northwest, to increase literacy and help children, many of whom have developmental or social challenges, reach their potential. When the agency was installing a new playground, Assistance League members had a brainstorm: What if it included a garden tended by the children? Teachers and administrators were enthusiastic, and a new project was born.
First, the children planted vegetable seeds, including carrots, lettuce, peppers, herbs, tomatoes and eggplant with the help of Assistance League members. They watched the seeds sprout under grow lights in their classrooms. When the weather and the plants were ready, the kids transplanted them, again with the help of chapter members, into raised beds in their new playground.
They literally watched the growth of their garden every day, with mounting excitement. Sometimes their eagerness resulted in new learnings. For instance, carrots pulled out of the soil to see how big they’d gotten couldn’t be replanted and green tomatoes did not taste all that good. Chapter members continued to help tend the garden, using natural methods to control pests. Ladybugs were a great hit with the young gardeners.
As the the veggies were ready, kids harvested them to be included in their lunches. The consumption of vegetables increased notably, and kids were eager to tell those who came to tend the garden that they’d been eating some of that lettuce on their sandwiches. When a member suggested the children smell the herbs, one boy bent down close to the plants and came up with a mouthful of parsley. “It tastes funny,” he announced.
Everyone—the agency, teachers, children and chapter members with green thumbs, pronounced the program a success. The kids just finished planting the seeds for this year’s garden.
