LOUISA COUNTY, Va. β At Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Louisa County, students are getting their hands dirty for their assignments.
The school's nature teacher Rachel Voellinger calls her students "tater tots" when they're working in the garden, digging up carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
"It's like hunting for gold. You never know what you're going to get underneath," Voellinger said.
The hands-on approach helps students understand where their food comes from, something many children don't fully grasp.
"Most kids, they go to the grocery store and they think that's where it comes from," Voellinger said. "No, there's a lot of work that goes behind the growing of your fruits and vegetables."
Student Caroline demonstrated how sweet potatoes grow by showing how getting your hands dirty is part of the process.
Director of School Nutrition Randy Herman said the experience creates lasting memories for students.
"When they touch and feel, they learn and they remember. So we could teach them about food and plants and things like that in the classroom, but they're just hearing words," Herman said. "So when they're out here and they can see the plant and they can touch it and dig it up and reap the benefits of their harvest, they remember it for a lifetime."
The garden program integrates multiple subjects into the outdoor learning experience.
"Sometimes when we plan out the gardens they do measurements and so it ties in with everything they're learning with math. Then kids will journal, so it ties in with language arts," Herman said.
Plants need water, light, nutrients and air to grow. Students need good teachers to learn where their food comes from, and this program provides both education and inspiration for building better minds through gardening.
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