There might be snow on the ground, and the temperatures might be well below freezing, but it's all green in the Grade 4 classroom at Dr. Brass School. The class has been growing an indoor garden, which was donated by the Lutcher family as part of Agriculture in the Classroom's Little Green Thumbs program.
The garden has become a central part of the classroom and many different classes, as kids keep journals about the garden, learn about the plants they grow and use the garden to learn about a variety of topics.
Elaine Lutcher says she saw the garden demonstrated at a meeting, and that she and her husband Norm Lutcher thought it would be a great addition to a classroom in the city. They donated it on behalf of the entire family as their Christmas present, and selected Dr. Brass school because they thought the kids could really benefit from having it, and because the family has ties to the school, with many of their family members attending it, and she was a teacher there.
Lutcher is proud of what the students have accomplished with the garden, as the green peppers, tomatoes, and herbs have come in strong. She notes that they have taken some basil home with them for seasoning, and the kids have used it to make pizza sauce. The program also uses verma composting, which uses worms, which the kids enjoy.
"I think it's a wonderful program, very beneficial and it's something that's ongoing," she says.
Lutcher also says she has seen how the program has helped some of the students. She notes that one student in the class has had difficulty reading and writing, but has been so engaged by the garden that he's making good progress.
The school will continue to use the garden into the future, and plans to plant new crops in the spring.
