Consciousness at the Edible Schoolyard

At one of my service learning days at the Edible Schoolyard this semester, I helped paint signs to put around the garden. The signs told the children what can and cannot be composted, labeled the butterfly garden, told them to take a deep breath, encouraged them to “go green,”etc. These signs are put around the garden to explicitly awaken the consciousness of the students at Samuel L. Green Charter School. These students have such a unique privilege that has been provided to them through the Edible Schoolyard. They are engaging in holistic learning. The garden functions as a classroom for these kids. They take lessons from the garden in a variety of ways. They study social studies, math science, history, etc. in the garden. There are so many lessons to be learned from the earth. The logistics about how it thrives from science, the history of how humans have lived in certain environments in humanities, the inspiration that has come from the power of the earth in English, and so on. These signs are just another way these kids are encouraged to learn from the garden. They are constantly and explicitly reminded of the lessons they are to be taking form this garden. They are lucky to be able to have that kind of access to holistic learning environment, especially in a city where so many children are deprived of a decent education.