This past fall, the second-grade classrooms at Powell School visited the RBVG for lessons on “what’s in your community.” The students received a brief history of the Garden (keeping in mind that they’re second graders with short attention spans), and many exclaimed surprise that the garden is 83 years old. “That’s old!” some of them declared. As they walked the garden pathways, their excited voices sent birds and butterflies scurrying upward, adding to the students' excitement. Our normally tranquil Garden became quite noisy! 

 

The young students listened attentively as they were told of the nests in our fruit trees, how the berry bushes feed the birds all season long, and how necessary bees are to growing food. The mammoth sunflowers scattered throughout the Garden got their full attention with one of the youngsters calling them “very tall soldiers.”

 

After the tour, the children gathered in the meeting area and engaged their senses in the colors, shapes, textures, and aromas of the many flowers, herbs, and vegetables grown in the RBVG. They were in awe of Yao’s enormous tomatoes, with one of them saying, “That’s the biggest tomato in the world!”  They touched the rough curly Kale from the donation garden and admired the donated giant sunflower heads.  Next, they smelled lavender and rubbed mint between their hands, prompting one student to say, “It smells like bubblegum.” The children were particularly curious about the pair of coyotes that visit the RBVG and learned that their names are Wylie and Willow. They promised to draw pictures of what they saw with the crayons donated by one of our Board members. Finally, they all agreed that everyone should have “Respect for the Earth.”

 

Many thanks to Powell Educator Cordell Longstead for bringing these young, curious minds to learn about the oldest community garden in their city.