MOUNT VERNON – Small hands were in the dirt Monday at the Knox Learning Center, helping to expand indoor gardening experiences in two elementary classrooms.
Students helped to load potting soil into two garden towers, purchased as part of a $500 grant from the Kids Gardening Association. The metal towers, which can accommodate dozens of small plants, are mounted on wheels to allow rotation toward window sunlight.
One of the towers was placed in Carolyn O’Brien’s classroom of fourth- and fifth-graders, the other across the hall in Alissa Hinkens’ room of children in kindergarten through third grade.
Knox Learning Center, located in the former Mount Vernon West Elementary, is a K-12 alternative school for children who have difficulty succeeding in a traditional school environment. It is operated by the Knox Educational Service Center.
“This garden tower is a wonderful addition to our gardening program. The kids are very excited about it,” O’Brien said.
Her students already have seeds germinating in window-sill jars and plants that will be transferred to the garden tower.
“We’ll have spinach, basil, lentils, maybe strawberries if it’s not too late, and flowering plants like paperwhite,” O’Brien said.
“”It’s a working lab in here everyday. The kids take a lot of pride in their plants and the responsibility involved in caring for them. There is a lot of science, math and teamwork involved.”
There’s another important component of gardening, beyond the core academic subjects, O’Brien said.
“There’s a social/emotional element too,” she said. “A student may tend to become upset if their plant isn’t growing as fast as another. But they learn patience as they watch and understand that not all plants grow at the same speed.”
Across the hall, Hinkens – who was an assistant to O’Brien last year – said her younger students are excited about gardening.
“They are learning what plants need to survive – good soil, water and sunlight,” she said. “They will take care of their plants and record what they see in their garden journals.”
Hinkens’ students will plant seeds for pumpkins, onions, peas, radishes and edible flowers.
The application for the grant that paid for the garden towers and related supplies was written by Erin Salva, a retired Kenyon College administrator and coordinator of the Arch Park Community Garden in Mount Vernon. She was on hand Monday to help assemble the towers and offer encouragement to students.
Salva said plants raised in O’Brien’s and Hinkens’ classrooms may be transferred to raised beds outside the Learning Center before the end of the school year.
Gardening in O’Brien’s classroom includes bi-weekly visits by Catie Hayes of OSU Extension’s SNAP education program who talks to the kids about healthy food choices.
“The students have sampled vegetables, nuts and created parfaits of fruit and yogurt,” O’Brien said,
Bags of potting soil to fill the garden towers were donated by Chad Forster of the Forster Garden and Wild Bird Center in Mount Vernon.