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| Kumquat tree and pretty purple flowers |
I have been working at Edible School Yard specifically at Arthur Ashe Charter School in the Irish Channel. The garden there is pretty small and can't grow due to the location of the school.
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| Basil plants need trimming |
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| My favorite plant in the garden. Cotton. |
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| Butterfly garden |
I go to the school every Wednesday to water the plants and do a few other garden chores. I don't interact with the children very often, but when I do they mostly just want my to pick a kumquat for them. Honestly, I don't know how often the kids actually get to interact with the garden. I know the peas that were just planted were planted by the director of the program. At first I thought that if the kids don't get to plant, water, and tend to the garden, are they actually learning anything? I am still wondering if they are learning any skills with the garden, but now I also think it is just good for people to see how a garden can grow and flourish. The neighbors walking their dogs ask me about the plants growing, and although I can't always answer all of the questions
it's sparking curiosity. And where else could these kids walk up to a tree and pick something edible and delicious off of it. Even if these kids don't know how to garden they have seen the plants change from season to season and maybe they will get more interested as they get older.
I almost went with this program before I chose the Shepherd's center but I did believe that we would also be working with the children. It is wonderful that the children have these plants in their environment and can access them easily but I agree that it would be much better for them to have knowledge about the plants. They can easily see gardens elsewhere but this one is meant to make an impact right? Aren't these gardens actually "edible" and teaching the children healthy alternatives? I was also curious, is it the soil in Irish channel stopping certain plants from growing or is it just a limited space?
ReplyDeleteThe garden at Arthur Ashe has edible and non edible plants. There is basil, kumquats, eggplant, peas, and bell peppers but there is also a few different kinds of flowers and cotton. It's limited space that is prohibiting the garden to get any larger. The school is completely surrounded by the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI would think that just by having the garden there, the students are at least minimally being exposed to something important. However, the garden should be integrated into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! It looks so lush and lovely. I know that at Greene the classes go into the garden and integrate the garden into several subjects. I think it's saying something that they even know what a kumquat is and that they're not only willing but actually want to eat it. The director at Greene told me last year that kids were always hanging over the fence at recess begging for kale. Since I only matured enough to appreciate kale in the last year I found that quite odd and telling.
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