SHINGLEHOUSE – A line of kindergarten students sit along the
perimeter of a plot of soil, inching their hands towards the brown
substance, anxious to dig their hands through the lose particles of
earth.
Tom Murphy, an environmental education specialist with the state
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, stands in the
middle of the square and asks the children what’s the difference
between dirt and soil. One boy yells out, “Dirt is dirty.”
As Murphy explains the difference – dirt is misplaced soil – the
seeds of knowledge about gardening weren’t the only ones planted
that day in Shinglehouse.
The students are taking part in a Healthy Farms and Healthy
Schools program through a state grant of about ,8,000 – one of 44
given throughout the state to teach students and parents about
nutrition and agriculture from the ground up as part of the
school’s science program.
On this day, the pint-size students were planting sunflowers and
pumpkins. Earlier, they planted 26 apple trees.
“We embellished it to planting an apple orchard as part of their
legacy,” elementary school principal Carolyn Fugate said. “It was
exciting to see them plant these trees.”
“The kids will tell you those trees are their legacy,” Fugate
said. “They don’t have a clue what a real legacy is, but over their
lifetime the children will have something that has meaning.”
Fugate added by the time the students are in middle school, the
trees will start producing some apples. By the time they are in
high school, there should be a full-producing orchard.
“I am sure they will follow this project throughout” their time
in school, she said.
The sunflowers, Fugate said, are like sundials since the flower
moves with the sun.
“We can use the sunflower for teaching about the sun and night
and day … there’s a lot we can learn from sunflowers and
pumpkins.”
Until then, the students are waiting anxiously for something to
emerge from the ground.
After they planted the seeds, the student came back the next day
saying “it didn’t work. Nothing grew.”
“They need to understand the passing of time and understand
things don’t grow without some care.”
That was a sentiment driven home by Murphy when – as he raised a
finger at a time – listed what plants need to survive. One finger –
seeds. Two fingers – soil. Three fingers – sun. The tree fingers
create the first letter of the last element – water.
Once the apple trees are producing, Fugate said they can hold
fundraiser or store the apples to consume later.
“We need to teach children to get back to survival types of
things – ways they can sustain themselves.”
The plants will also be taken care of in the summer months.
“We have parents who have committed to taking a week during the
summer,” Fugate said. “The teachers have done a terrific job making
sure the details are taken care of.”
Kindergarten teachers Susan Amidon, Linda Cummings, Mandy Haynes
and Nicole Resig along with the school nurse Betty Wallace secured
the grant from the state Department of Agriculture. In July, the
teachers will attend Ag in the Classroom, a week-long event at Penn
State University.
Fugate added that people have taken ownership of what is growing
behind the elementary school, even asking if there have been
caterpillars on the trees.
“We had fun digging and planting,” Dylan Main said as Shayla
Wilhelm explained how they planted the apple trees and put a fence
around them to keep the deer away.
But planting isn’t the only thing the children are able to do
through this grant. They also received an ice cream maker,
dehydrator and a butter churn to enjoy the fruits of their labor as
well as growing tables and lights for plants.
Also, all the grades were treated to a person from the state
Department of Environmental Protection who gave a talk on
groundwater and surface water.
The garden and orchard are situated on 14 acres given to the
school district by Bill and Margaret Norton.
