Chestnut Hill Holds School-Wide Garden Planting

Students at Chestnut Hill Elementary School participated in a school-wide planting in their Rainbow Garden last Friday, May 10. 

The garden, which was named after their successful nutrition program, Eating the Rainbow, is an extension of the program which encourages children to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables. The purpose of the garden is to educate the children on the importance of growing their own food. Garden vegetables taste better and retain almost 100 percent of their nutritional value since you can eat them fresh off the vine without losing important nutrients in travel.

All day long the excited students came into the garden class by class planting vegetables, herbs, butterfly attracting flowers and a seeded pot to take home to start their very own garden.  The vegetables were planted into six raised beds, the herbs were planted into individual pots and the flowers were planted along the border of the monarch butterfly conservation area.

The butterfly area was created in an effort to help preserve the monarch butterfly population which is in danger because of the disappearance of milkweed.  The school has been registered as an official International Way Station for the conservation of the butterflies.  

Milkweed, butterfly bushes, herbs such as parsley, cilantro, dill and fennel; and butterfly attracting flowers such as marigolds, snapdragon, zinnia, and lantana, were planted to sustain butterflies throughout all of the stages of their lives.

The school-wide planting was received positively by students and teachers.  The garden was built for the school as a gift from the PTA in a continued effort to educate the students in healthy eating habits and caring for their environment.  Teachers enjoy the garden by taking their students into the outdoor classroom to teach a variety of topics.

Article/photos courtesy of Sharon Pesner.