Author: Stephen Lewis
Planning Unit: Jefferson County CES
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
Plan of Work: Promoting Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resources and Urban Forestry
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
The Frayser Elementary School Spring Garden Club is in its second year. The previous year (2017) Kentucky State University Extension Agent Stephen Lewis collaborated with resource coordinator Kim Bakewell to establish a school garden and garden club. Four 8x4ft raised bed gardens were built by volunteers and filled with garden soil from a local nursery. However, a lack of further funding, combined with the end of the spring semester halted things. The following spring (2018), KSU Extension agent Stephen Lewis, with the support of participating teachers, began a six-week garden club program with Frayser Elementary's 1st 2nd, and 3rd-grade classes. Students in all grades did activities where they were able to: view seed germination from a worm's eye view, eat dirt (the edible kind), learned about edible plant parts, and created garden art. When the weather was nice students got their hands dirty planting a variety of spring vegetables and herbs such as carrots, lettuce, spinach, tomato, squash, radish, brussel sprouts and more. Students were able to sample many of the vegetables in the garden and over the summer, some neighbors to the garden will help maintain the beds in exchange for some delicious fresh produce. There were a total of 58 students that participated in the program. The first-grade class loved the program so much that they gave Mr. Lewis farewell thank you cards. When asked, 100% of the class said they would like to participate in the garden club in the 2nd grade.
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