A group of Dows Lane Elementary School students and their families worked diligently to revive their school garden by pulling weeds, turning the soil and planting seeds during Garden Community Clean-Up Day on April 6.
“We are so thankful for the commitment of our entire Dows Lane family in caring for our garden and outdoor spaces,” said Principal Deborah Mariniello.
Under Kristin Mann, garden coordinator at Dows Lane, and Tiffany Flynn, the Garden Club leader, volunteers worked on a multitude of projects in the vegetable garden, outdoor classroom and school butterfly garden such as tilling soil, organizing garden sheds, sorting tools and planting.
Students in kindergarten through third grade learned the “Basic Needs of Seed,” then planted their own varieties, all from basil and cucumbers to squash and sugar snap peas.
Third grade Garden Club members have also been helping to create hand-painted wooden signs to identify the fruits and vegetables in the garden.
“The Dows Lane garden and outdoor classroom offer wonderful hands-on, minds-on outdoor experiences,” said Mariniello.
