Herb Wars

 Herb Wars gave us some fun data.

We are always looking for ways to connect our students learning with garden curriculum. There are countless opportunities for meaningful, hands on learning, which is what tends to stick with kids for the long run.  Since one of our important partners is the American Heart Association, we are also concerned with the health and nutrition of our kids. 

A garden helps kids learn about vegetables, fruits and herbs that they may not have in their kitchens at home. I have noticed that even the pickiest of kids, are likely to try the foods that come out of our garden. If you grow it, they will eat it.

I got to see this first hand when we had Herb Wars at our school. 

Some members of the Garden Club harvested Cilantro, Parsley and Dill. We found some dip recipes that we could whip up and make a spread for the kids to sample. 

Cilantro was picked before it went to seed.

We set up a table in the hallway that leads to the playground and collected the data on which herb the kids at our school liked the best. It was a close race, but Dill came in first place.

We made herbs an event. We also used many academic concepts like data collection, graphs, tallies, research skills, and nutrition. 

The kids literally "Ate It Up"! 

Kids line up to try our farm food!

Including the entire school bonds everyone together and teaches way more than just gardening. At our school, the farm has helped us become a community of learners who have a common ground where everyone can feel success and pride. There are no barriers and no rules for belonging. 

We all can benefit from tasty harvests!