The Edible Education Garden at Washington Elementary is off to a great new school year! The hard work we put in last spring and the tending we did over the summer has paid off with a bounty of flowers and veggies for the whole school community to enjoy.

  

Teachers, too, have been eager to sign up and take advantage of the 'Outdoor Classroom' services in the Edible Education Garden. Only two weeks into the new school year, Farmer Kelli has already taught seven classes-covering some important early topics: "Garden Ground Rules", tool safely, scientific observation, and even the crucial role the honey bee plays in ensuring that we have an adequate and healthy food supply.

  

The garden is thriving with life, and the biggest 'buzz' about the garden at this time of year is the annual chicken egg-hatching project. For three years running now, Farmer Kelli has coordinated a baby chick hatch in the 4th grade classrooms. With incubators and fertile chicken eggs, students learn what it takes to become a surrogate mother hen. They learn the in's and out's of baby chick development and much, much more. In turn, teachers and students incorporate this learning into their reading, writing, and math curricula. The students are so excited and "pregnant" (pun intended) with anticipation as they await the 21-day "hatch down." Throughout the gestation period, Kelli teaches classes on various related topics, such as: what is happening inside the egg; chicken anatomy; chicken habits and habitat; and how chickens serve as garden co-workers (e.g., their poo makes fantastic organic compost for plants). The most amazing thing about this project is what a community-builder it becomes each year. Students bring in their parents to observe the eggs. Teachers from other classrooms collaborate with the 4th grade teachers to bring their classes in to observe the developments. Even the secretaries and principal come in for a peek at all the excitement! Tardiness and missed school days are never an issue during the egg-hatching project. Principal Levi has joked, "we should hatch eggs all year long."

  

All this-as well as nutrition education lessons, social skills small groups, and much more-is happening at Washington's Edible Education Garden, just one of the many school-based education programs of Urban Tilth.  Come check us out and join the fun! Farmer Kelli is always willing to give a tour of the garden and talk about the program. Contact Farmer Kelli, [email protected]. And please visit our website (http://www.urbantilth.org) and 'Like' us on Facebook!