The Edible Schoolyard

A DAY IN THE GARDEN

Each ninety-minute garden class begins in the Ramada, a central shade structure, where students and classroom teachers meet with the garden staff. Garden teachers greet students and introduce them to the day's jobs and to the Question of the Day. The Garden Manager writes the jobs on a white board and explains each one - there are typically four or five options, depending on the number of adults available and the scope of the work itself. The Question of the Day, which varies with each class, is presented and provides a focus for students' contemplation during their class in the garden. Some examples are: "Name a dormant plant" or "If you were a garden superhero, what would your superpower be?" or "If you could make a recipe using something from the garden at home, what would you make?"

Students then choose a job and break into small groups. Accompanied by an adult, each group goes in the area of the garden in which they will work to hear a more detailed description of the job, including the tools that will be necessary to complete it. A walk to the tool shed to get tools, protective clothing, or harvest baskets follows. Typical jobs include: mulching, weeding, compost turning, bed preparation, harvesting food for the kitchen, vermicomposting, planting, seed starting, transplanting, a variety of hardscape jobs, cooking, and garden crafts. Tasks are based on the daily and seasonal needs of the garden. Students take breaks for water or foraging, but must ask permission of an adult before leaving a group.

About twenty minutes before the end of the class period, a garden teacher signals the beginning of cleanup by ringing a cow bell that can be heard across the garden. The cleanup process is organized: students are taught how to clean tools properly, use sand and linseed oil to prevent rust, and to store them utilizing clearly labeled racks, bins, shelves, and hooks. Following cleanup, everyone returns to the Ramada for the closing circle. The closing circle consists of a reflection of the day's work, and a go-around in which each student shares his or her personal response to the 'Question of the Day'. Class is dismissed by the classroom teacher.

On the day following their garden class, students write about their experience in garden journals. These journals encourage students to record observations, experiences, or share something they have learned. The journals also provide anecdotal evidence and insight for classroom teachers about the impact of the program and how to maximize these experiences through connections to classroom study.

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