Where can children learn the history of colonial America, all about market strategies and sustainable farming practices, and the value of a little hard work all in the same place? In a school garden.

Lafayette Elementary School students are doing all those things. Over the past couple weeks, Lafayette fourth-graders have been taking turns harvesting the school garden’s crops from the same plants they started as third-graders.

The garden project, called Garden to Table, aims to combine an understanding of healthy eating and lifestyles with lessons about environmental care and management, then integrate these concepts into a positive experiential learning program that ties into the existing school curriculum.

On a recent October day, after harvesting the school garden’s crops, including tomatoes, lettuce, chives, squash, squash and various seeds, the students brought their produce to the Lafayette Farmer’s Market where they sold their goods and learned about marketing, supply and demand and customer service.

“The greatest benefit is that our students are interacting with the community and making a difference in our school,” said fourth grade teacher Steve Lohn.

While not all the school’s fourth-graders were able to make it to the market because of other after-school demands, all students seemed excited to be in the garden and, for the most part, paid close attention to the teachers and volunteers.

Brown spoke to the children about what he hoped they would take from the program.

“We’re here to help you – who will be the adults and leaders in our society one day – to know how to care for the planet and care for your bodies at the same time.”

Brown said the school garden emphasized and taught kids about the value of locally grown goods and sustainable agriculture, not unlike the ways early colonists lived.

Whole Foods employee Kathy Ongarato tagged along to provide insight about the marketing and business side of the program, helping the children with sales and exchanges and talking about supply and demand.

Lafayette Elementary, in the Boulder Valley School District, works directly with the Growe Foundation and its Garden to Table program to provide innovative learning that uses the organic school gardens to teach wellness promotion, healthy food preparation, and environmental sustainability.

Brown is extremely passionate about his programs and helping spread awareness about these issues through education. Watch this  short video of him giving an overview of the Growe Foundation and its programs.

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Tags: elementary school, Featured, school garden, video

Category: Healthy Schools: News