Urban Harvest Growing Gardeners at Durham Elementary
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| As part of Urban Harvest's "Growing Gardeners" youth environmental education program at Durham Elementary School, students crafted their very own clay pots to hold seedlings. Pictured are (counter-clockwise from foreground): Alonzo Treviño, Romeo Jones, Ricky Gutierrez, Helena Richardson, and Corey Gilliam (behind Alonzo). |
There is something deeply satisfying about getting one's hands dirty and watching plants grow as a result. Students at Mylie Durham Elementary School learned just that this summer when their school joined forces with Urban Harvest to create a "Growing Gardeners" youth environmental education program.
The partnership allowed Urban Harvest employees to work directly with Durham parents and staff members (particularly teachers Regina Williams and Barbara Kovich, who helped create and implement the program), and together they developed the goals of expanding and renovating the school's garden classrooms while instilling students with a sense of ownership through hands-on science lessons.
Each morning, the Durham campers learned more about organic gardening and ecological principles. The daily tasks of weeding, laying cardboard, mulching, and planting not only allowed them to burn off some pent-up energy and have fun, but also enforced principles of conservation. One morning, Urban Harvest intern and program teacher assistant Kathryn Shaw even reported mediating an argument over how to save the most water—a topic worthy of serious debate! Other activities included making nachos in a solar oven, mounding beds for sweet potatoes, propagating milkweed, and molding clay pots.
Each summer-school class's visits to the garden were rotated throughout the session—and anticipation made for some very eager workers. "One group of 15 red-faced first-graders mulched an entire prairie habitat in just 45 minutes," said Shaw. "They simply refused to take a break—and many of them tried to outdo the teachers by carrying three buckets."
A community workday was also held to launch the installation of new vegetable-garden beds. The students completed the beds themselves, and in the process learned that there are no shortcuts. "Their participation instilled in them a deeper respect for nature," said Shaw, "which was evident in their mesmerized silence around the pond and their passionate digging. They also learned how to work as a team to accomplish a greater goal, which will be useful the rest of their lives."
Urban Harvest is a local nonprofit organization that uses fruit, vegetable, and habitat gardens to improve the quality of life in the greater Houston area.
