Kids and gardens go together like, well, kids, dirt and worms. A growing number of teachers are bringing all these elements together in educational gardens — small plots of land on school property where students can learn to appreciate nature while growing their first veggies. At a recent all-day Kids in Gardens workshop held at Lincoln Elementary School in Burlingame, 30 Bay Area educators learned everything they needed to know about starting a school garden, from soil preparation to recycling spent plants.
Taught by The Watershed Project and sponsored by the San Mateo County Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (STOPPP), the teachers took a tour of Lincoln's garden. Among other activities, they built their own worm bins — complete with "red wigglers" — and learned how to use them to teach waste reduction through composting. Lara Lighthouse, a second-grade teacher at Washington Elementary in Burlingame, was excited about breaking ground on her first classroom garden. "We'll grow fruits and vegetables the kids like to eat — easy things like peas and strawberries," Lighthouse enthused.
For more information about The Watershed Project or the Kids in Gardens program, go to www.thewatershedproject.org.
