Rooted in learning: Student gardening project teaches valuable life skills

Fourth graders at George Nettels Elementary planted and maintain flower pots at the school thanks to a Foundation grant.

The growing season is nearly over, but lessons learned by fourth graders at George Nettels Elementary school this year will last a lifetime, says teacher Whitney Rogers.

With the help of a grant Rogers received from the USD 250 Foundation, the students planted and tended their very own container gardens in the spring.

They grew and harvested standing gardens full of vegetables, too, incorporating two hydroponics systems for growing lettuce.

Just before school was out, they invited their families to enjoy a “Parent Italian Lunch” featuring garden salads made with lettuce, spinach, radishes, onions, and Swiss chard the students grew themselves.

When the school year concluded, students got to take their container gardens home and throughout the summer, continued growing their veggies, including bumper crops of tomatoes.

The students also have been in charge of planting and maintaining the four large flower pots in front and back of the school.

“Since learning about the parts of the flower, how they reproduce, and pollinators are in our standards, that also fits perfectly,” Rogers said. “And, they’ve made the entrance to our school so beautiful.”

This was the 10th year for the project, a project that each year has been aided by Foundation grant funding as well as by grants from other organizations.

“In addition to the normal supplies we need to complete the project, like the dirt, containers, seeds and plants, the grant money has also helped us to purchase other gardening supplies like large garden pulley carts to help move the container gardens, and the four large whiskey barrels we plant the flowers in. We've also gotten the funding to make the eight large standing garden beds which we've used for years,” Rogers said. “So, over the course of these 10 years, we keep adding to and improving the project. I just love it so much!”

The students love it, too.

“The kids look forward to it knowing that in fourth grade, they get to grow their own gardens,” Rogers said. “They learn so much and enjoy the hands-on opportunity. It's one of our favorite projects of the year, and one we couldn’t do without the support of the USD 250 Foundation!”