Riddle Elementary School Garden
Photo of sunflower in Riddle school garden courtesy of Katie Olender
The Riddle Elementary School Garden Program consists of a 30 x
50-foot garden and a 30 x 50 foot hoophouse. The hoophouse is
like a greenhouse and allows year-round gardening.
Under the supervision of over 10 volunteers, students grow over 30
varieties of vegetables and herbs and enjoy the harvest in their
classrooms and at home with their families.
Riddle School Garden History:
2005/2006 School Year: Garden plowed. Students learn about
nutrition and gardening in their classrooms and plant the garden at
the end of the year.
Summer, 2006: Student “Garden Guardians” and neighborhood
volunteers maintain the garden.
2006/2007 School Year: Students harvest and eat food from their
garden and learn about nutrition and gardening in their
classrooms. In the winter, the Lansing Board of Water and Light
donated funds to paint a garden-themed mural. Seven classrooms
and a local artist, Erika Magars, designed the mural. The students
painted it. In the spring, the students planted the garden.
Summer 2007: Summer Garden Camp maintains the garden.
Campers take field trips to local farms and gardens, do garden
related arts and crafts, and eat vegetables from the garden. MSU
Student Organic Farm helps erect hoophouse (greenhouse).
2007/2008 School Year: Students harvest and eat food from the
garden and grow greens in their hoophouse. They enjoy salads
throughout the winter, and even harvested 60 pounds of salad
greens in just one day!
2009/2010 School Year: The Riddle hoophouse
plastic has been repaired students are once
again preparing for winter growing. After
School-Garden Club is in full swing every
Thursday from 3:45-4:45. Over 250 students
are enrolled for monthly classroom visits.
4/05/2007 Mural depicts students' growing project
4/07/2007 Amazing Artwork Brings a School Garden Indoors
5/13/2007 Local Sorority Digs Deep to Help Garden Project
10/17/2009 Bringing The Country Into The City
11/09/2009 Helping Hands
Riddle Elementary Garden Project partners:
MSU Student Organic Farm, MSU RISE Program, Greater Lansing
Food Bank Garden Project, Giving Tree Farm, Lansing Board of
Water and Light and Urban Options Riddle Elementary
Garden Project current grant funders:
Michigan Nutrition Network
Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program
Capital Region Community Foundation
For more information on our school garden based nutrtion
education programs, contact Joy at call 999-2894.
50-foot garden and a 30 x 50 foot hoophouse. The hoophouse is
like a greenhouse and allows year-round gardening.
The garden and hoophouse
are incorporated into the
curriculum and teaches
students how to grow food for
themselves, how to prepare
healthy foods, and the
importance of healthy food
choices.
Under the supervision of over 10 volunteers, students grow over 30
varieties of vegetables and herbs and enjoy the harvest in their
classrooms and at home with their families.
Riddle School Garden History:
2005/2006 School Year: Garden plowed. Students learn about
nutrition and gardening in their classrooms and plant the garden at
the end of the year.
Summer, 2006: Student “Garden Guardians” and neighborhood
volunteers maintain the garden.
2006/2007 School Year: Students harvest and eat food from their
garden and learn about nutrition and gardening in their
classrooms. In the winter, the Lansing Board of Water and Light
donated funds to paint a garden-themed mural. Seven classrooms
and a local artist, Erika Magars, designed the mural. The students
painted it. In the spring, the students planted the garden.
Summer 2007: Summer Garden Camp maintains the garden.
Campers take field trips to local farms and gardens, do garden
related arts and crafts, and eat vegetables from the garden. MSU
Student Organic Farm helps erect hoophouse (greenhouse).
2007/2008 School Year: Students harvest and eat food from the
garden and grow greens in their hoophouse. They enjoy salads
throughout the winter, and even harvested 60 pounds of salad
greens in just one day!
- 2008/2009 School Year: Currently 10
classes and 177 students grades 1-5 are
enrolled! We visit classrooms each week to
teach grade appropriate nutrition. Students
prepare and eat a variety nutritious food
samples every other week. So far this year,
students have prepared and/or sampled
fresh mint, chives, cherry tomatoes, fried
green tomatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds,
and fresh salsa. Over 17 pounds of
tomatoes were harvested from the Riddle
garden for lessons!
2009/2010 School Year: The Riddle hoophouse
plastic has been repaired students are once
again preparing for winter growing. After
School-Garden Club is in full swing every
Thursday from 3:45-4:45. Over 250 students
are enrolled for monthly classroom visits.
4/05/2007 Mural depicts students' growing project
4/07/2007 Amazing Artwork Brings a School Garden Indoors
5/13/2007 Local Sorority Digs Deep to Help Garden Project
10/17/2009 Bringing The Country Into The City
11/09/2009 Helping Hands
Riddle Elementary Garden Project partners:
MSU Student Organic Farm, MSU RISE Program, Greater Lansing
Food Bank Garden Project, Giving Tree Farm, Lansing Board of
Water and Light and Urban Options Riddle Elementary
Garden Project current grant funders:
Michigan Nutrition Network
Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program
Capital Region Community Foundation
For more information on our school garden based nutrtion
education programs, contact Joy at call 999-2894.
| NorthWest Initiative - North Neighborhood Center 1012 North Walnut, Lansing, MI 48906 Phone: 517-999-2894 Fax: 517-999-2897 |
| MS. Griffin's class samples bitter, sweet, salty and sour Ms. Oldham's class reads a garden story Ms. Reed's 4th grade class English Language learners learn how to describe tastes So that's what sour is! Nutrition Education BINGO Cherry tomatoes grown by Garden Club students More fun with lemons Student's plant apple trees to celebrate Earth Day |
