The following entry was submitted by Elizabeth Mckinney from the Rainbow School in KCMO, which has been a member of the Schoolyard Program since 2009. Ms Elizabeth is a parent and garden manager of the gardens spends a lot of her time weeding, watering and creating teachable moments in the garden for the students. It’s always fun to stop by and hear what she has up next on her garden to do list!
Rainbow School’s Outdoor Classroom broke ground in 2009 with the intent to bring more nature in our students’ daily lives. Kansas City Community Gardens’ Schoolyard Gardens program has supported this garden each year.
At this garden, we have the most fun snacking on the fruits of our harvest. The students, which consist of 100 infants through preschool age, plus 200 Kindergarten through 8th grade during the summer, have been introduced to varieties of vegetables that are more exciting to eat because they grew them from seed.
Some favorites, which they like to eat straight from the garden, include carrots, broccoli, kale, and cherry tomatoes. This year we have tried some new vegetables including blue potatoes, Brussel sprouts, and cucumbers.
The students become more and more willing to try new vegetables with each harvest, and our parents have noticed an interest in healthier foods at home, especially if the students know the school garden is growing the same thing.
