Things are looking a lot greener at the Temple Sholom Selma Maisel Nursery School. The school constructed a community garden on Sunday, April 22 to expand its current STEAM program to outside the classroom.
The new 8’ x 8’ raised garden bed was built by nursery school parent volunteers and will offer another sensory-rich space to promote student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.
“Hands-on learning has always been a central theme at the Temple Sholom Selma Maisel Nursery School,” said David Cohen, nursery school director. “Our children have been exploring a wide variety of themes in our STEAM Lab and this garden will take that learning to a new level.”
Throughout the school year, children in the 3’s & Pre-K have had the opportunity to participate in an after-school Gardening Club led by teachers Deidre Flood, Catherine Granelli, and Debbie Dee. Topics such as climate, worm composting, propagating plants, and gardening in cold weather have been covered. The children have documented their observations and experiences in a journal.
“It has been fun watching the children’s interest in the garden expand,” said Flood, the school’s incoming assistant director effective this September. “The children have even told us about how they have started their own small plants at home using the same techniques we use in the Gardening Club.”
“We are excited for them to begin planting, cultivating, and harvesting their own fruits and vegetables,” says Cohen. “The food that our children grow will soon become our snacks, as well as ingredients in our cooking activities and possibly even donations to Neighbor to Neighbor. They will get to see how food gets from farm to table and will learn to share the fruits of their labor.”
For more information about the Temple Sholom Selma Maisel Nursery School, contact David Cohen at 203-622-8121 or david.cohen@templesholom.com.
Temple Sholom Selma Maisel Nursery School
300 East Putnam Avenue
203-622-8121
www.tempesholom.com/smns
