In Living Classrooms, Students Get Their Hands Dirty

August 1, 2009 --The apple, pear, plum, and cherry saplings in Tucker-Maxon’s back field may not look like much right now, but one day they will help form an “edible playground” where students can build language skills through hands-on experience, learn about ecology, and have fun at the same time.

The trees are one part of a project started this spring by parents, teachers, and staff. Their goal is to turn the grounds into a living classroom guided by a culture of stewardship and sustainability. At a kickoff meeting in March, the group sketched out plans to involve students and families in gardening, composting, gathering rain water, and even raising chickens. Their plans are influenced by the ethics of permaculture, which include conservation, appropriate scale, diversity, and giving away any surplus. As Walker Leiser, a permaculture specialist whose daughters attend Tucker-Maxon, explained, “permaculture is designed to create an environment much like a forest edge, where human and animal use is maximized, and the Earth is regenerated.”

Classes, too, brainstormed ideas for the grounds, with the results ranging from the far-fetched—a space ship and giant water slide—to more practical suggestions like bird feeders, benches, sun flowers, and a tree fort. The grounds transformation project is also building community by bringing families, staff, and donors together around a vision. “Our goal,” said P.E. teacher Jerry Roach, who will be leading gardening activities in this year’s summer school program, “is for families to feel comfortable participating however they’re able to. We’d like to scrounge all the materials or have them donated.” So far, it seems to be working out. Friends of Trees, a non-profit group, donated the fruit trees, and Coca-Cola donated barrels for water. Parents have donated chicken coops, seeds, and materials for a large garden bed in the back field. Eventually, said Roach, Tucker-Maxon’s large front lawn will also feature garden beds that can be used by classes as well as neighbors.

This article is from the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Now You're Talking.