GUEST BLOG POST: Getting to Work in the Garden

Please welcome another wonderful post by our Master Gardener Colleen Alexandra.  She has been a great help in starting Via Vita Academy's garden and establishing a love for the outdoors for our students. Enjoy the read! 

It was late August and while many of us were thinking about harvesting and putting our gardens to bed for the winter, Via Vita Academy was in garden start-up mode. ​

I enjoyed the wonderful meal and the opportunity to meet the families and students who came out to participate in preparing for a new school garden.

Bellies full, we headed out to the garden area. Our task list included staking out and leveling areas for new raised beds, identifying an area for a grassy play area and general weeding and tidying.
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Enthusiastic helpers picked up tools and got to work without prompting! It was a pleasure to watch how each child approached the work. Some stayed close to mom while others ventured off independently to learn how a landscapers measuring reel worked or to pound in wooden stakes. Older students explored nature with younger ones while others found the blackberry patch and spent some time berry picking and feasting. It was a happy mix of work and play! 

With the school year now in full swing, the garden will become an integral part of the curriculum at Via Vita Academy.  Already, students are planting, watering, composting, and maintaining the garden - experiencing hands-on learning that will stay with them for years to come.