Pitts School Road Elementary: Reflections on 1 Year in the Garden
Parents attending curriculum night at Pitts School Road Elementary, Concord, couldn’t resist purchasing a cup of water from the “Garden Refresh-MINT” stand. Students manned the lemonade-like stand, selling mint-infused water, made from mint grown in the school garden, of course. The fundraiser is just one project to ensure garden sustainability. It’s been just over a year since Erika Currin, 1st grade teacher at Pitts School Road Elementary, secured a grant that turned a grassy courtyard into a dynamic school garden. We talked with Erika in late September, asking her to share her reflections on how the garden has impacted Pitts and how their experiences may inspire others.
Q: What were some pleasant surprises?
A: Our yield! We were especially surprised by the number of strawberries we harvested (they were prettier and juicier than some of our local strawberry farms). Birds tried to thwart our harvest, but Amy and Doug suggested netting and that did the trick. Besides that, we were surprised at how easy it was to grow and maintain the strawberries. Extra produce allowed us to help other, too. We donated two 2-gallon buckets of radishes and at least 10 bags of lettuce to a local food pantry. With our season extenders, we were harvesting lettuce up until Christmas break.
Also, the students were excited to complete any activities related to the garden, even when not directly in the garden; activities such as planning the beds, seeding with paper towels (which makes planting with little ones SO much easier), or making smoothies in the garden room. One special event for our 5th graders was a “cooking show” presented by Dole chef, Mark Allison. He made a salad that everyone was eager to taste and “hosted” a cooking challenge for teams of students. We have three 5th graders who now have an imaginary cooking competition at recess each day because they’ve gotten excited about the fruits and vegetables growing in our garden. They interview each other about what they are cooking and how it was grown. It is the cutest thing ever!
Several parents have reported that they have been surprised when their children request salad for dinner because they’ve enjoyed eating lettuce from the garden. Students have enjoyed eating new veggies that might not have been familiar to them, like bok choy, arugula, Swiss chard, and peppermint beets.
Q: What were some unforeseen challenges?
A: It took some time to figure out a watering schedule that worked for the whole school. Raised beds need a LOT of water! Ultimately we selected five responsible fifth graders to water all the beds each morning, with a hall monitor, already stationed nearby, to supervise. The fifth graders also signed up for days that they can water, if needed, during recess.
Dealing with plant pests, from cabbage worms to birds enjoying our strawberries, has also been a big learning curve. We let the students use the “squish” method. Controlling weeds in the mulched area was also a challenge, but students were even excited to pull weeds, especially if we made it a competition to see who could fill their bucket first.
Q: The garden build included 8 raised beds, 2 root boxes, a pollinator garden, a weather station and toolshed; what additions have you made to the garden area so far? What else is on your wishlist?
A: An Eagle Scout project led to the addition of a butterfly house, our art teacher facilitated a fundraiser of painted stepping stones that provide a garden border, and we added large wooden spools that serve as tabletop work areas. Benches were purchased with the help of a grant and a parent was able to customize them to show our school pride. We want to add more seating, a “worm farm” and plants that attract and support butterflies.
Q: How did you manage the garden over the summer?
A: We offered a “Garden Club” every Thursday evening from 6:00-7:00pm. We capped it at 22 students, 1st-5th grades, and we asked their parents to stay and participate as well. We worked in the garden, growing a 3-sisters bed (squash, beans and corn), made smoothies and salsa, and had lots of harvest tastings. Lemon cucumbers were a favorite.
The 9-member garden team from the school staff divided the watering responsibilities, with each person coming on an assigned day each week to water.
Q: What were your major take-aways for other school gardeners, or those who may be interested in added this type of space?
A: Gardening can truly be used across the curriculum. We found so many ways to use our garden for hands-on, connected learning, through all subject areas. Everything wasn’t perfect, and it won’t be. We learn from our mistakes and investigate why our plants didn’t survive or thrive.
Here are just a few standards used in the garden last year for each grade level:
Kindergarten – Standard K.L.1.2 Compare characteristics of living and nonliving things in terms of their structure, growth, changes, movement and basic needs. Our kindergarteners were able to take part in planting, watering and harvesting in our garden while learning about basic needs of living things.
1st Grade – Standard NC.1.MD.2 Measure lengths with non-standard units. Our 1st grade students used measurement in the garden and learned the importance of spacing seeds. They used unifix cubes to make sure their seeds were correctly spaced in the garden. We also planted seeds too close together to see why it was important to give our seeds space to grow.
2nd Grade – Standard 2.E.1.2 Summarize weather condition using qualitative and quantitative measures to describe: temperature, wind speed, wind direction and precipitation. We have a weather station right next to the bench area. Our second graders enjoyed using this weather station to really make this unit come to life.
3rd Grade – Standard NC.2.MD.8 Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition. Students in 3rd grade learned about square foot gardening and made an array in their garden bed, before planting. What a great way to help them make a real world connection when first being introduced to multiplication.
4th Grade – Standard 4.L.2.2 Explain the role of vitamins and minerals, and exercise in maintaining a healthy body. Students in 4th grade decided to grow plants and made a “smoothie garden bed.” They researched and learned the role vitamins and minerals play in our bodies. They were able to develop their own smoothie recipe straight from the crops they grew in our garden. They also had to explain the nutrition information in each smoothie including vitamins, minerals, and positive effects it has on your body.
5th Grade – Standard RI.5.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Students in 5th grade researched the difference between organic gardening and using chemicals. From their research, they developed an opinion on the best method of gardening and wrote a paper on it.
