Budding botanists are sprouting up at Park Avenue Elementary

Today at Park Avenue Elementary third graders teamed up with their kinder-buddies for a special gardening lesson. Guided by retired Warwick Valley agriculture teacher Nancy Colgan, they delved into the finer points of planting carrots, onions, broccoli, and squash.

Third graders from Carolyn Weller’s class helped Theresa Canfield’s kindergarteners fill out seed sowing worksheets, including information about the seed brand and type of plant, to spacing and sunlight requirements. They even squeezed in a short fraction lesson while Ms. Colgan demonstrated how to use a ruler to measure the correct planting depths. 

According to one delighted kindergartener, the difference between fruits and vegetables comes down to one simple fact: “Vegetables don’t have any seeds!” he said.

Among these budding botanists were kindergartener Hudson and third grader June, who showcased impressive creativity on their worksheet’s coloring contest, earning a packet of seeds each for their detailed artwork. 

Thanks to Ms. Colgan’s expertise, both third graders and their kinder-buddies left with new skills for growing their own garden goodies.