Greening My Plate and Worms come to 6th Grade Science Class at Hardin Park!

“Ok, says Margie Mansure, local extension agent, next we are going to try the garden mystery smoothie. Please raise your hand if you think it tasted: yumm, so-so, or no thanks, I’ll try again later.”  In response, hands from around the classroom shot up—along with some smiles and excited chatter.
This was a snapshot from the recent Greening My Plate Lesson, connecting the garden to classroom. Students explored new flavors through taste-testing green smoothies as part of a classroom nutrition education activity and science experiment.

Garden GREENS was the topic of our lesson, and highlighted the amazing health benefits of these simple plants. We featured those we have growing in our garden. Lettuce mix, mizuna, mustard greens, broccoli raab and spinach. Our greens are thriving with the arrival of the cooler air of fall, and the amazing vermicomposting that was donated to the class by local company: Roots of Progress!

​Healthy soil is essential to growing healthy plants, and we are so lucky to get to experiment with soil powered by worms! This month we started our first classroom worm bin – to turn veggie scraps into garden gold – while learning about ecosystems in the process. Students will be responsible for monitoring the bin for temperature, moisture, and making observations, and feeding their worms.