Kindergarten Environmentalists Grow Green Thumbs
KIDS for the BAY student Environmentalists’ eyes widened with wonder as they crossed the bridge leading to Unity Park in Richmond, and caught their first glimpse of the beautiful Greenway Gardens. Blooming flowers and vibrant murals added splashes of color to the landscape. New green shoots peeked out of several garden beds, coaxed to emerge from the soil by the first rays of springtime sunshine. Colorful flower petals spiraled from the branches of blossoming fruit trees.
Kindergarteners in teachers Sandrine Demathieu and Chris Luft’s classes at Nystrom Elementary School had the wonderful opportunity to walk from their school campus to nearby Unity Park on the Richmond Greenway. KIDS for the BAY (KftB) Educators were joined by volunteers from Urban Tilth who helped us to explore the Greenway Gardens and participate in a planting project, as part of our partnership with the Richmond Outdoors Coalition.
Urban Tilth volunteers Jorge Mendoza, Roderick Alexander, Jes Takeda, and Dominique Miller, welcomed our Nystrom classes to the Richmond Greenway and kicked off the day’s activities with a safety talk and some warm-up exercises. Students laughed as they lunged, touched their toes, and ran in place. “At Urban Tilth, we always start our day with a stretch. This keeps our bodies from getting tired when we’re crouching, bending or lifting heavy things in the garden. We need to take care of ourselves so that we can feed and care for our community,” explained Jorge. “Remember, this space is for everyone! Anyone from the community is welcome to join us here, so make sure that we’re being mindful of our neighbors.” Jorge showed the class a pair of thick, protective gloves. “We need to make sure that if we are working in the garden, we always wear gloves. Why do you think we should wear gloves?”
“So that we don’t get cut by a thorn!” said Orion. “Yes, it’s important that we keep our bodies safe from thorns or sharp leaves,” said Jorge.
Jes led a short talk on the importance of pollinators and pointed out several pollinator beds in the garden, bursting with milkweed, yarrow, California lilac, and other pollinator plants. “Everything we eat, everything we grow from the Earth, we owe it all to bees! We can’t grow food without pollinators. Next time you see a bee, give it some thanks and gratitude!” said Jes. “Can you name any other pollinators?” “Butterflies!” exclaimed Enrique. “Wasps?” suggested Daenerys. “Beatles, ants and even birds are also important pollinators,” said Jes. After learning more about pollinators and the vital role they play in keeping gardens healthy and prolific, Jes led the group on a scavenger hunt to help them explore more of the garden.
Guided by Jes, students followed the garden paths searching for insects, spiders, fruit trees, and native California plants such as the lupine and California lilac. “What’s special about these golden poppies?” asked Jes, stepping back to let the young Environmentalists closely observe the flowers. “These are California’s flowers!” said Demina. “That’s right! The California poppy is California’s state flower.”
Can you guess what will grow from this tree?” asked Jes, pointing to a knot of trees spangled with white blossoms. Students paused to sniff the blossoms on the lower branches of the nearest tree. “Do you know what ‘stone fruit’ means? It’s the term we use to describe fruit that has a pit,” said Jes. “Like peaches and plums!” Sarahi suggested. “Exactly!” replied Jes. “I think this is a plum.”
Further along the path, Jes paused at a row of large California lilac shrubs, and told the class it is a nitrogen-fixing plant. “It replenishes the soil’s nutrients,” they explained. “Can anyone guess why the California lilac is called a ‘soap plant?’” asked Jes. “Can you use it to wash your hands?” asked Ezra. “That’s right! If you get the California lilac wet and rub it in your hands, it lathers! It can be used as soap, and even has a nice, wintergreen smell!” explained Jes.
At the planting station, students had the opportunity to use gloves and spades to dig holes and plant Dymondia Margaretae or ‘Silver Carpet,’ a plant that is good for ground cover and chokes out harmful weeds. KftB students also planted daffodil bulbs to add a splash of yellow to the new garden beds.
Greenway Gardens Coordinator Dominique Miller taught students how to dig with a small spade, how to place the small plant or bulb in the ground, and how to pack the soil back down gently around each plant. “Look! I found an earthworm!” exclaimed Christian, cupping a small worm in his gloved hand. “I am going to put him in the planting box way over there so he doesn’t get hurt when we’re digging!” Teacher Mr. Luft replied, “Wow! Earthworms are our best garden helpers! I’m so glad you saved him to do more good things for our soil before he got cut in half by a shovel!”
After wrapping up the day’s activities, our young Environmentalists shared what they learned and what they loved about their experience exploring and helping care for the Greenway Garden. “I learned that spiders like to hide in secret places and spin webs to catch their food!” exclaimed Santiago. “I liked learning about all the different fruit trees,” said Jayce. “My favorite thing was getting to investigate an apple tree,” added Nicole. “I learned all about snails!” said Mason. “I liked when we learned how to dig and plant things,” said Valentina.
The opportunity to explore Greenway Gardens and learn from Urban Tilth’s knowledgeable staff opened our kindergarteners’ eyes to the rewards of caring for community gardens and green spaces. The Greenway Gardens provide a space for community members to come together, connect with nature and with one another, address food security, give back to the community and to local, natural environments. “Can we visit the garden again, someday?” Celeste asked her teacher, Ms. Sandrine. Our young Environmentalists left Greenway Gardens with a sense of wonder and pride, having left their mark on this special community garden!
