3rd Place Organic Bronze Award
Paul Ecke Central School
Encinitas, CA

The main educational goal of the garden is to teach students that the earth is precious. Native American Chief Seattle gave his reply to our government in 1854 when an offer was made to buy Indian lands and resettle the tribes on reservations: "You should teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of your grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of your kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother." Math, Science, and Social Studies are framed around this viewpoint. I teach that we must see the world as an interconnected weave, and we are each part of the fabric. When children see the world and their own natural place in it, they will take responsibility to create a healthy future.

In our school garden, children marvel at worms no one has seen or identified before. They track the growth of their seeds, observing the effects of weather, fertilizer, insects, and worms. They investigate sources of local water for pollution. The students write in Garden Journals and create how-to essays about setting up a worm bin at home. Math skills develop through measuring the perimeter of the garden to figure out how much black rubber barrier to buy so that the crabgrass doesn't encroach on their garden. Weighing beets and cabbages and graphing rates of growth for sunflowers bring math alive, and their skills are entrenched. The children study art, music, dance, and physical activity in a natural setting. Writing haiku in the garden inspires everyone to become great writers. Hopefully, students will pass along their garden wisdom to future generations.

Students, community volunteers, parents, teachers, business partners, and contributors maintain our garden. Through collaboration, the work gets completed. It is different from year to year, but the lessons stay the same. We have the help of a Master Gardener and community resources like grants and donations. We utilize Service Learning concepts to promote reflection and growth. Each year the PTA helps us out financially. We sell pencils to afford supplies such as seeds, watering cans, shovels, and irrigation. Other valuable partners are Solana Recyclers and The Casita Technology, Science, and Math Center.

We celebrate Encinitas Days out in the garden. Students study the history of our city and come to school dressed as their ancestors did in days long past. The third grade students bake bread, concoct sparkling lemonade, and chop ingredients to make fresh salsa from what we grow in the garden. We have a Sing-to-Your-Sweetie on Valentine's Day where the students sing songs, recite poems, and serve fresh garden vegetables to guests. We hand-paint tiles to place on the wall for all of the donors who contribute towards the much-needed garden fence. We hold art contests, invite grandparents, schedule Saturday work parties, and design sunflower seed packets to sell. We harvest beautiful pumpkins so we can eat freshly roasted pumpkin seeds. The garden serves as a social hub of the community, and weekend visitors watch out for the safety of our garden.

The students are involved in their own individual garden plots but also help to sustain common areas for the benefit of the group. This way they learn group responsibility as well as personal accountability. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bugs engage students in the miracle of growing food, smelling flowers, and cultivating friendships as they learn academic skills. Students are faced with many problems to solve as they plan for the garden and cooperatively practice problem-solving strategies together. When they grow up, they will face challenges but will have had a multitude of experiences form working in the garden to help them handle life's problems.

Students brew rose hip tea, make lead rubbings, press flowers to make bookmarks, play a game called Balancing Coyote that was played
by local Native American Kumeyaay children, grind sunflower seeds into mush using a metate, construct solar ovens, identify different plants, learn about the habits of honey bees, write stories, and study the medical properties of ancient herbs used by the Kumeyaay. The students become like the Kumeyaay, learning to live in harmony with nature and becoming skilled at identifying what plants provide food, shelter, clothing, and medicine.

By studying the valuable wisdom of the Kumeyaay, our new generation of students preserves and passes on their traditions. The students learn how to take care of the earth. The impact is felt not only by the students but also by their families who now can be taught how to have an organic garden. The students serve as models for recycling and pesticide-free gardening. The Kumayaay learned from others and passed this treasure along to the next generation. In this way we strive to uphold the traditions of the Kumeyaay.