Students learn nutrition in 'the outdoor classroom

More than 190 elementary school students, beginning with first-graders, expressed their delight at the smell of young vegetable seedlings and the feel of fertile dark brown soil on Monday.




They sank their trowels deep into the nutrient-rich topsoil brought in to cover about 450 square feet of land at Rita Cannan School, and they planted a variety of plants from pumpkins, tomatoes and squash to corn, carrots, mint and jalapenos, said Sheri Boyden, executive director of With My Own Two Hands.

Over a period of three hours, 15 students rotated in and out of the garden every 15 minutes.

With My Own Two Hands is the umbrella organization for the Edible Education program that was devised to contribute to students' coursework in science, weights and measures and language arts. It is run by managing director Sheri Boyden.

The garden, which Boyden calls the Outdoor Classroom, was designed by local landscape designer Richmond Breen. Together with the faculty and staff of Rita Cannan and other local entities, which provided the plumbing and supplied the plants, they have formed an alliance that is committed to teaching Northern Nevada youth about the delights of nutritious, homegrown meals, Boyden said.

With My Own Two Hands has a three-year contract with Rita Cannan, during which it will mentor the school and the garden project. After that time, the organization will move on to mentor other schools in the district.

The activities of planting, caring for and harvesting the plants help students develop "pride, patience, self-reliance and a revived sense of community that comes from being active stewards of the land," Boyden said.

Also, she said, "Kids are more apt to eat what they grow."