As DC School Garden Week comes to a close, students across the District are celebrating what it means to learn beyond the classroom — by stepping into the garden.
WASHINGTON — Oct. 20 – 26 marks DC School Garden Week. During the last school year, the District had 133 public and charter schools with gardens and more than 16,000 students engaged in garden-based learning.
At Stoddert Elementary School in Northwest D.C., lessons happen among the raised beds and rows of vegetables. Here, students trade pencils for plants — and their classroom comes with a view.
“I’ve found that the garden has been a natural home. It’s been so welcoming,” says fifth grader Issac Francis-Fallon.
That kind of connection to nature is exactly what Curt Canada, Stoddert’s garden teacher, has been cultivating for the last 10 years.
“It’s not a job — what I do is not a job. I’m very passionate about what I do,” Canada explains. “We’re all getting a chance to learn about the environment and different ecosystems, and I’m so proud of them.”
Under his guidance, every student from pre-K through fifth grade gets their hands dirty learning how things grow — and watching their work come to life.
Fifth grader Celia Soal said she loves the hands-on projects. “Right now we’re making a bench, and some people are making crates. It’s very fun to experience everything.”
The students even get to sell some of what they grow at the Stoddert Farm Market every Tuesday — learning lessons not just about gardening, but also about teamwork, business, and communication.
“It’s more advertising, talking, socializing with people, trying to work out deals and things like that,” explains fifth grader Alice Dickinson. “It’s just overall fun.”
Beyond the vegetables and flowers, Canada’s lessons are rooted in appreciation — for the earth, for patience, and for the simple joy of watching something grow.
“I can fully understand what the parts of the plants are, how you can tell if they’re ripe — literally everything I could wish to know has been right here,” adds Francis-Fallon.
Whether they’re harvesting carrots, mixing up a batch of “Stoddert Lemonade,” or just soaking in the sunshine, these students are proof that sometimes the best learning happens outside.
RELATED: Garden Smart: How to spruce up your garden for fall
Comments are closed.