Learning Garden

 

Your contributions to our Lakeridge PTA Ask help support this program for our students.

 

 

About the lakeridge learning garden

The Learning Garden is a unique opportunity for children to get their hands dirty tending to the soil, growing things to eat, discovering the different properties of plants (color, odor, texture), promoting pollinators, and actively planting bulbs, plants and seeds. There are 19-raised beds that represent 9 different garden themes: Native Plants, Washington State Crops, Moonlight, Butterfly, Hummingbird, Rainbow, Sensory, Salad, and Halloween.  

 

Children can explore how food is grown when they do it themselves. They can learn about dependencies on weather, water, pollination, pests and other aspects of gardening. They can learn about seed preparation, thinning, propagation, and harvesting too.

As much as possible, plants were chosen to have an impact during the school year. It is an edible-ornamental garden, combining visual impact, groupings of plants that have a common theme, and edibles for seeing how food is grown. The garden themes and plants were chosen to give the garden beds some durability so that they don’t need to be started from scratch every year. Nearly all of the plants can be lifted, divided, and transplanted as there are different garden designs in the future.

We are working toward having a connection with different grade levels in upcoming years.  For example, 4th graders study Washington State History, and they could have special interactions with the Washington State Crops garden beds.

Plants for the bed are shown on a planting plan attached to each bed. Wander by to see the Rainbow Garden which includes beds of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Run your hands over the plants in the Sensory Garden and smell your hands to discover more. Come in the evening to see the Moonlight garden. Look for butterflies and hummingbirds around the plants they love.

2023-24 DETAILS 

2022-23 Details 

This was a design and building year for the garden. We started with an empty slate, nineteen empty 3' x 10' raised beds which were full of weeds and tired soil. With the energy and hard work of the students, the weeds were pulled and 15-yards of rich soil was added to the beds. Students planted bulbs, plants, trees and seeds to fill the beds.

You can find the complete planting plan here: Lakeridge Learning Garden 2022-23 Plan

Monthly Progress in 2022-23:

• September: Started with 19 empty beds, except for one rosemary, one sage, and some mint.

• October: Lakeridge Green Team cleaned out the garden beds, preparing them for winter.

• November: 15-yards of Cedar Grove Vegetable Mix soil was added to the garden beds.  

• December: Lakeridge students planted over 500 bulbs of garlic, camassia, daffodils, and more.

• March through June: Each Thursday lunch recess is a Planting Party, and everyone is welcome to join.  

volunteer

Volunteers are needed on Thursdays from 12:15 - 1:30 during the lunch recesses when students are working in the garden.  No gardening experience is needed. Sign up to help guide students. 

If you want to be part of the group planning the garden, contact Julie Day. 

HISTORY OF THE LAKERIDGE LEARNING GARDEN

Without the help of incredible parents, the garden as we know it would not exist. We are one of the few schools in our area that can proudly boast such a huge, lush and prosperous garden.

Here is our learning garden’s history:

• The Lakeridge Learning Garden in its current form started in 2009.  It was inspired by the garden in the northwest corner of the Lakeridge campus that was itself the creation of some tireless Lakeridge volunteers: Michelle Lambe, who continued to give freely of her time long after her children had graduated from Mercer Island’s schools, Gordon Paulson, a local King County Master Gardener who can be seen most weekends at the MI Farmer’s Market, and Andrea Pirzo-Birolli. Then, Sarah Smith, Liz Evans and Maryellen Johnson embraced Michelle’s concept and wanted to expand it to something that every child at Lakeridge would benefit from. They partnered with Lakeridge principal, Fred Rundle, and recruited parents and volunteers with specific areas of expertise, including Kaarina AuFranc and Justin Davis. Off-Island schools with recognized gardening programs were toured. Grants were applied for. 
• Garden designs were developed and approved and the Lakeridge Learning Garden was built in the central courtyard to ensure adequate light and easy access to water. Organized volunteer work parties, composed of Lakeridge families both young and old, constructed a total of 19 beds. Teachers advised parent volunteers which of their classroom curricula were suited to hands-on application in the garden. With this direction, Liz, Maryellen and Sarah and other Lakeridge parents enthusiastically designed and presented garden curriculum and  “lab” units applying classroom lessons:
  • First graders learned to plant a garden to sustain the life cycle of a butterfly.
  • Second graders tested the theories of organisms.
  • Third graders explored the components of soil.
  • Fourth graders built three “Sister Gardens” to complement their Native American unit in class.
  • Fifth graders grew vegetables which were studied in their nutrition unit.
• Each year since its inception, the Learning Garden has been sustained with generous support from the PTA and the volunteer efforts of many in our community. Along the way, a garden shed and worm bins have been added. Eagle Scouts built an arbor to designate a grand entrance as well as benches for students to enjoy and a bat box to study.
• The Lakeridge Learning Garden transitioned to an afternoon garden club for students with support from a new cohort of parent volunteers under the dedicated stewardship of Nancy Weil. It is thrilling to see the gift of an earlier generation embraced by today’s students, educators and parents as the teaching asset it was intended to be.
• The Lakeridge Learning Garden offers a complete and affirming example of a project conceived to be shared with future generations succeeding in its mission.