The Learning Garden at East Coldenham Elementary School is beginning its second year of growing flowers, herbs and vegetables with the help of students from first to fifth grades. The fenced-in garden consisting of four 4” X 12” raised beds, has sturdy sand walkways to accommodate classes of seventeen to twenty children per twenty minute session. Established by Bernadette Henighan-DeMaro as part of her Master’s project, the garden was set up with the help of funding from the PTA. Cornell Cooperative Extension provided Master Gardener, Brooke Moore, to assist with choosing crops and teaching both in the classroom and in the garden. Valley Central School District, in particular, the late Dick Roberts and several volunteers and community businesses pitched in with labor and materials. Patricia Henighan, Lauren Cruz and Wendi Morrissey were a crucial part of the implementation. Last year, both Field Day and the Harvest Festival incorporated garden-related activities such as scavenger hunts and seed-saving and designing of packets.

Garden Based Learning (GBL) is a researched-based tool for many different types of learners to access all of our NYS and district curriculum standards. Multiple standards in our curriculum are integrated into the wide range of lessons carried out in our Learning Garden. For example, in mathematics, students who have been learning how to measure using metric units created seed tapes with their peers, working collaboratively to measure the correct spacing the seeds needed to grow. The students then helped plan where to plant their seed tapes based on the individual requirements for each type of seed. Some of our students tested out the best design to support small pea plants and were asked to design supports that would accommodate larger bean plants. ELA curriculum is embedded in all of the lessons, ranging from vocabulary such as “broadcasting seeds” to utilizing informational text to answer the many questions that are prompted from experiences in the garden. Moreover, since a historic marker on the school grounds mentions the work of Jane Colden as the first woman botanist, students can learn to better appreciate her contributions in this area.

Once the garden schedule has been established, students will be visiting the garden on a regular basis as part of their school day. Besides learning about where our food comes from, they will experience first-hand the thrill of seeing things grow. While in the garden, they are asked to use all of their senses to appreciate how the garden space becomes a habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife. Digging in the soil brings out “oohs and ahhs” as earthworms, beetles and other microorganisms are revealed. Jobs are divided up and children learn to cooperate and share tools and garden duties. They learn to measure the rate of growth for different plants and to read the rain gauge and temperature to see what effect those factors have in a growing season. Best of all, once crops become ready, they enjoy the taste of their labor. Radishes, arugula, lettuce, and tomatoes are eagerly sampled even by those who don’t usually like vegetables!

This year our goal is to expand the garden to include a nearby area with a picnic table and a mulch bin. A contribution of flagstones received last year is waiting for a work-party to create a patio to enhance this section. An E.C. Wish-list has been distributed to local businesses to help with some of the supplies and equipment still needed. There are so many possibilities for beautifying this side of the school building and perhaps at some point including it as part of the school playground. As we move forward, we are excited by all the possibilities offered by integrating the East Coldenham Learning Garden into the everyday curriculum and activities of our school year.