Cascadia Elementary 3rd Grade Garden Program
To begin my internship program at Cascadia Elementary’s 3rd grade garden program this spring, I was greeted with heavy down pours, so much so we had to move class indoors. Fortunately this allowed for a great lesson plan, thumbing through seed catalogs and learning how to choose seeds for a garden or farm. We had the students look for seeds that may produce the most exquisite flavor profiles, seeds that would have the earliest harvest date, and seeds that produced the most unique shapes. These prompts were so that the 3rd graders could get a sense of all the different varieties there are to choose from and why it is important to preserve genetic diversity.
Before I get too deep into my first week of lessons we taught and lessons I learned myself, let me introduce the program. Sn@pp Dragon’s Garden was established by Cascadia’s Parent Teacher Association, believing their kids need some hands on experience of what they are learning in class. We are located in Wallingford in North Seattle, in a very large school occupied by multiple classes of each grade. This garden program serves eight different 3rd grade classes, each class with a completely different group dynamic than the last. Our program is run by Rowan, the lead garden educator who has gone through the Garden Educator Workshops put on by Tilth Alliance as well as am I this quarter, and another garden intern Jessica, who simply loves to garden and wants to be more involved in her community.
Back to my first week…. It was easy keeping kids on task indoors, out of the harsh weather of early spring. When we later went outside for a little tour of our gardens to see what kind of happenings were going on, I was somewhat surprised to watch the children loose their minds. Most went outside in the cold weather completely unprepared, simply wearing a T-shirt, some even wearing shorts! Their voices reached high pitch levels and I knew it was going to be a bit more of a challenge to maintain authority outdoors, where they were used to being the rulers, unlike in the indoor classroom where authority by adults is a given. Though once we broke into smaller groups, the student’s ability to focus and listen became stronger. We explored over-wintered crops and life in the worm bin. Some asked brilliant questions that not even some of my peers might ponder, while others could hardly contain themselves when we talked about worm castings, also known as worm poop.. Overall it was a wonderful experience. It was even more enjoyable to be outdoors, learning and sharing with students whether they were interested or not in the lesson, I think we all had a good time.
Tiny Trees outdoor preschool
A year round outdoor preschool, for kids ages 3 to 5? Most parents would be completely mortified by this. In Scandinavian countries this kind of program is common place, but here in the United States we typically shelter our children from germs, strangers, and anything perceived threatening as much as possible. At Tiny Trees, classes take place in Seattle City Parks, exposed to all kinds of weather, strangers, and obstacles not typically put before the average United States’ preschooler.
What a great opportunity to volunteer my time in order to learn about outdoor class management, with so many possible variables that might take place. Of course week 1 was absolutely WET! With rain every single day the kids were lucky to have issued onesie rain gear and waterproof boots. Myself on the other hand, I wore a pair of vans, jeans, and a light rain jacket my first day. I learned my lesson right away and wore heavy duty boots and a rubber rain jacket the next day. As an old saying goes in Norway, “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.”
I had a great time with the preschoolers; it is certainly a different experience than with the 3rd graders at Cascadia Elementary. Being so much younger much of the time is spent simply playing, splashing in the mud or playing make-believe. Their interest for the natural world is actually more concrete than the 3rd graders. The preschoolers are actively participating in the natural world on a daily basis, they play with the trees and shrubs, pet the worms and chase squirrels. Preschool is a fun age and I am excited to grow with them over this quarter.
Tilth Alliance Garden Educator workshop
“Learn”
As I walk up to Tilth Alliance’s headquarter in Wallingford to participate in my first Garden Educator Workshop, I walk through their garden and imagine what might it be like to run one all by my own. Entering the classroom full of veteran elementary teachers and eager new PTA (Parent Teacher Association) parents, I am the youngest participant. All seem to come with a garden of their own, ready to transform into a magical place of learning for their students. I on the other hand do not, I am simply an excited student myself, ready to learn.
This first workshop really cemented in my mind what a place of learning might be able to be. Tilth’s own example was their Children’s Learning Garden, which had plenty of open space for large groups but also wonderful hideaways that one may tuck away in and find sanctuary to study or meditate. As we toured their facility, they taught us how we might best compost our scraps, from worm bins to passive anaerobic pits. After the tour we went inside to dream up a garden we would like to teach in. Some took this as an opportunity to design their existing school garden into something more functional. For me, I imagined what my ideal learning garden would comprise of; a place to gather in the shade and sun for lecturing, varying sizes of raised beds that could accommodate all, worm bins for composting, and even an edible food forest that could be utilized by the students and community. Taking into account a place’s history and potential is important as well, for it may spark in a student some deeper connection.
Finally we ended the day, after a little team building of planting beans together, by singing a song Dirt Made My Lunch…
Dirt made my lunch, dirt made my lunch
Thank you dirt, thanks a bunch,
For my salad, my sandwich, my milk, and my munch,
Thanks dirt, you made my lunch
Lunch you made my dirt, lunch you made my dirt,
Worms and bugs with my apple cores flirt,
If it wasn’t for them I’d have to eat my shirt,
Thanks lunch, you made my dirt!
This song, of course being silly and great for little kids, reminded me of the importance of why I want to pursue education through means of agriculture and outdoor play… Only through the continuation and preservation of our natural world will we be able to exist and let alone thrive as people. By educating our youth and aiding them in cultivating a relationship with the natural world may we continue this cycle of the dirt making our lunch, so we may continue to aid the world by giving back just a little, like our lunch.
MOHAi: Edible City
Visiting this exhibit allowed me to witness the importance of the many cultures of food in my own home city. How valuable it is to keep alive and well people’s heritage of food. I found many connections to my own family history, and my own passions I have formed on my own in this place, Seattle. I read nearly every posting I could in this exhibit, from the coffee roasters to the Co-ops, Seattle is filled with diverse history.
I am a third generation American; my great grandfather emigrated here from Norway to fish out of Ballard with a whole community of other Scandinavians and locals. They fished the bountiful waters of Puget Sound as Native Americans have and continue to do so. Reading about the two cultures was inspiring and demonstrated to me the importance of preserving the culture, and the environment it takes root in. Weaving this exhibit into my studies of education it reminds me that all students of mine come from some heritage of food. What dishes mean the most to them? Where do they see themselves fit in the place that is Seattle? How may I best help them cultivate a new passion and relationship with food of their own?
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