icon next to each of them.
Mara Reynolds has trouble containing her Woodlawn Elementary School students in the children's garden there. Once they realized kale flowers tasted so good, she couldn't keep them out of them.
"You see this?" she laughed, pointing at a plant that looked like it had been devoured by slugs. "The kids did that!"
In reality, she is thrilled that the kids in this culturally diverse, largely low-income school are taking such an active interest in learning about healthy foods that they can grow themselves. She sees her work as mainly reconnecting kids with the food they eat—teaching them to feed and nourish themselves. She feels it is important not only to show them where their food comes from and how it grows, but also to let them experience the value of sharing the labor and joy that comes from the work of growing food.
"The garden is a vehicle for teaching these life lessons as much as it is for science, nutrition, or art," she comments. In the summer, the kids get an opportunity to take a portion of the produce home to their families. Anything extra is donated to homeless shelters.
The children's garden program began in Portland in 1992. Since then, it has existed both as an after school only program and as it is this year—classes held both during school, as part of their science and health curriculums, after school, and in the summer. While it used to exist in several schools throughout the district, Woodlawn School is the only remaining children's garden site. The children's garden program is an off-shoot of the City of Portland Parks and Recreations Community Gardens program, but is wholly funded by grants. Mara has run the program for the past three years, under the guidance of Community Garden director Leslie Pohl-Kosbau. This year's funding is only enough for Mara to work 20 hours a week, and that grant runs out at the end of the school year. Not only does this mean that there won't be any summer garden classes; the program is in danger of being discontinued indefinitely.
"What the kids get to do in here depends on how many adults I have with me," Mara explains. When her volunteer staff is small, the kids get to listen and observe; when there are ample adults or teachers with her, they are able to have a more hands-on experiences, such as working with tools in small groups or preparing and cooking dishes.
A group that is sure to get their hands dirty is teacher David Child's sixth grade earth science class. He calls the garden their "outdoor laboratory" and says that their work in the garden is an excellent supplement to his curriculum.
"From their textbooks they learn about the different plant kingdoms, and the different parts of plants and their functions. When they go out into the garden and can identify these things they are thrilled." He says this "aha!" moment helps the kids to really understand what they are reading about. The best part about the garden for him is to see the kids who struggle in the classroom really come alive in this natural environment.
"It is really neat to see," he says.
Child also takes the kids on a week-long "Outdoor School" science camping trip, and he says Mara's lessons in the garden help prepare the kids for the experience.
"Mara is great," he says, "She helps mold the garden activities to incorporate some of the Outdoor School curriculum."
Reynolds came to this position right after college. She is young, bright and energetic, and eager to stay with this program that she says she realized early on had become a passion for her.
"I've watched the kids grow and learn so much in the past three years," says Mara. "We are beginning to become part of the culture here at the school. The garden is a valid classroom. Kids nowadays don't have as much PE, the arts have been cut. The garden provides a healthy outdoor activity. It would be a shame for it to go away."
Pohl-Kosbau, agrees.
"The garden is a rich, tactile experience. It teaches lessons about nutrition—it gets some kids to eat foods they might otherwise not be exposed to or inclined to eat." She says that Mara has made great strides not only with the kids, but also parents and teachers. Busy teachers who in the past shied away from the extra work of incorporating the garden into their curriculum now see the value it provides. Children going home happier and healthier are encouraging parents to get more involved. One pre-k student proudly brought home a radish he had grown himself and had his mother cut it into 12 small pieces so that every member of his family could have a taste. This year, the students and staff at Woodlawn elementary have taken home hundreds of vegetable starts to start at home including kales, cabbages, cauliflowers, tomatoes, squash, and melons.
While writing this article, Reynolds contacted me to update me on the status of funding.
Said Mara, "I just learned this morning that the Friends of Community Gardens has some money they are willing to donate towards classes through the summer, but there remains the obstacle of how to handle the money because we are not a part of anyone's budget."
This does not preclude the need for more permanent funding, but it would save the program through the summer. Reynolds hopes that the funding issue is worked out before Wednesday, when her students leave for summer vacation.
Individuals and businesses who would like more information on how to help fund this program should contact Leslie Pohl-Kosbau, Director of the Community Garden Program 503-823-1612, during business hours Tuesday through Saturday.
