The sun shone down brightly on our bountiful garden on this glorious Tuesday afternoon. Bright enough in fact to melt our crayons, which the kindergartners and first graders were using to create their own artistic renditions of this year's amazing harvest. We sought refuge in the shade of the oak to discuss how the bean seeds each student planted last Tuesday have been fairing just a week after the kids took them home to try out their skills as young gardeners outside the confines of our garden classroom. After a short taste-test comparing store bought vegetables to the more delectable Lakewood Elementary grown produce, the students donned clipboards and crayons on their way into the garden.
Each student was asked to seek out their favorite vegetable, flower, bug or combination of all three, and to draw a picture of it for the upcoming harvest festival. As the students rummaged through the gigantic cucumber vines in search of hidden fruit, or sat patiently in front of the dill flowers as the bees came and went, it was difficult to picture what this garden looked like just a few short weeks ago and how the students behavior towards the astounding abundance of the garden has changed.
As one student took a closer look at the tomatoes she discovered the sagging fruit that has almost tripled in size over the last week and immediately called to her classmates "TOMATOES!!!!" at which a crowd of children quickly gathered to gawk at their own amazing accomplishments. I am jealous of the learning experience these children are undertaking. The harvest festival is just around the corner and on that day, when the students enjoy a meal that looks familiar to them, they will have known their food from the very day it went in the ground.
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