Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, July 06, 2009

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The girls and boys took turns adding manure-rich soil to the raised bed.

Kids attending Camp CARE at James Lane Allen Elementary really dug into the summer program’s community gardening theme.

Whether pulling weeds to prep a plant bed, designing artwork for rain barrels or delving into the nutritional value of beans, youngsters found the camp full of fun and useful information. 

“We learned about healthy foods, and we learned we can’t put bad stuff (like alcohol) in our bodies,” 8-year-old Samari Whiting said as she and her classmates took turns working in their garden with small shovels and a wheelbarrow.

Andrew Olson, the school’s Family Resource Center coordinator, backed up his pickup to the courtyard to unload manure-rich soil for the three raised gardens.

“Some of these kids had never held a tool,” he said. “Part of the goal (of camp) is to build that self-confidence.”

This was the fourth year for Camp CARE (C = community service; A = arts and crafts; R = reading; E = exercise and nutrition). About 60 students signed up for the two-week day camp, which met on weekday afternoons.

“We sneak the academics into the outdoor activities,” Olson said. “It’s all very hands-on and has a whole lot to do with math,” such as figuring how much dirt it would take to fill the plots and how far apart to place the garden stakes.

The kids were divided by age; each group rotated daily among three areas: arts and crafts, where they made rain barrels; class time, to learn about nutrition and self-care; and gardening, for the service project component. Field trips to the Arboretum and to Boyd’s Orchard in Woodford County were also part of the experience.

“They’ll definitely have a head start on plants and the life cycle,” said Crystal Kennedy, a third-grade teacher who helped in June.

Along with the hands-on activities, the kids wrote in their journals about garden preparation and studied various aspects of their age group’s theme. The 8-year-olds, for example, focused on Native American history and foods such as corn and squash.

“We read a poem, and we might even write a play about it,” said Patrick Allen Armstrong, who proudly shared that he grows wild onions at his house.

The 7-year-olds keyed in on the environment, including beautification projects around their school, while the 5- and 6-year-olds created a sensory garden full of “plants that are fuzzy, big, colorful – things that are fun for little kids,” Olson explained.

This youngest group studied what’s in dirt and how plants grow. And for the community component, Olson invited a guest speaker with a disability to talk about the five senses.

The oldest students, aged 9 to 11, had the broadest scope. They filled their garden with foods from around the world, such as Peruvian potatoes.

“Every time you study a plant, you look at the history and geography of that country,” Olson said. “Their community service portion is to create an awareness of world hunger.”

After school starts, students will be responsible for tending the new gardens. And when the food is harvested, some of it will be donated to local homeless shelters.

“The main goal is to help kids become more aware of needs in the community beyond themselves,” Olson said.