Junior High science classes at Sacred Heart explore the science of botany. Through textbooks, CDs, microscopes, books, and computers, our students learn about parts of seeds, flowers, and plants. But the best part was learning in a garden.

The hands-on activities of the garden took the students into a three dimensional, first-hand experience of botany.

The needs for a seed to germinate, sprouts, and grow were carefully viewed by not only the 7^th and 8^th grade students but also the kindergarten students as our project started. Together they planted the seeds, watered, and cared for the seedlings. All of the students learned from each other as they tilled the soil, checked plant specimens, graphed their progress and cared for the garden.

Seventh and eighth grades planned where to place the plants and decided on the interplanting according to the sun needs and heights of the plants. Then the students planted seedlings. [glossary] Many students shared how they or their parents or grandparents have a garden and how each of them solve the many problems of gardening.

Groundhogs seemed to be the biggest concern for the students and many inventive solutions were discussed until they decided on an area fence and spreading human hair so the scent would deter the pests.

All produce from the garden will be used in our school cafeteria with the exception of what cannot be used fresh or frozen. The food stuffs that need to be harvested while school is out and cannot be frozen for later use will be donated to a soup kitchen of the children’s choice. They are responsible for the garden from beginning to end. They are the ones who will donate their summer hours to weed, water and care for the garden. They will be the ones to decide what will be donated and what will be used in the cafeteria. The success or failure of the garden is truly on their shoulders.

A cookbook using the recipes from our garden foods to promote healthy eating is planned for next year. In addition to the cookbook, a Generation Celebration is planned so that the senior citizens of the area can share with the students what they grew in their gardens, what they ate, and what they would change about their eating habits if they knew then what they know now.

The children had to work out a schedule so that each week someone was responsible for taking out the compost from the cafeteria to the pile and turning it. From their tour at Rodale they chose to have their garden organic. They spread the compost and educated themselves to answer the questions of the neighbors who were concerned about odors and animals. They researched on the Internet how to maintain the pile without it smelling. They learned about using interplanting as a form of mulch.

A garden teaches all involved to respect and to nurture living things. It teaches commitment, dedication, patience, sharing, thankfulness and an appreciation for beauty.