Despite the uncertainty around school this past spring, and even now in the fall, Food Connects Summer Garden Coordinator, Tara Gordon, spent her summer caring for six elementary school gardens in the Windham Southeast School District (WSSD) and welcomed students and families throughout the season. Participating schools were Guilford, Dummerston, Oak Grove, Green Street, Academy, and Vernon. New this year, Food Connects and RiseVT partnered with three local arts organizations to provide free programming alongside the open garden hours. Insight Photography, River Gallery School of Art, and the Human Art of Play were fantastic partners and added a new element of fun to the program! 

This summer garden program was made possible in part thanks to a grant from RiseVT.

Things looked a little different this year—masks, social distancing, and pre-registrations all ensured that students and families stayed safe. Nationwide, there was an uptick in gardeners and a surge in interest in outdoor ed. Our community was lucky enough to have strong garden programs already thriving before the pandemic arrived. This allowed families to stay connected to schools and get outside even after school buildings closed in March. 

As always, the gardens were bountiful and there was plenty of produce for participants to take home at the end of each open garden session. 

Thanks to supplies from Insight Photography, students made cyanotypes. During this activity, students gathered materials from the garden and placed them on light-sensitive paper. The shadow that was then created turned into beautiful art for the students to take home.

Along with Lauren from the River Gallery School of Art, students explored different mediums—such as watercolors—using the garden as their natural subject. 

And Erin from the Human Art of Play got kids moving through circus yoga. Kids (and adults!) channeled their inner sunflower, grew their bodies like vines, and posed like grasshoppers. 

Throughout it all, students were finding new plants and discovering wonder in their school’s gardens. We saw lots of incoming kindergarteners, excited to check out their new school before the first day, and families enjoying the beautiful summer weather. 

Thanks to Tara’s diligent work throughout the season, each school has returned to a beautiful garden—ready for students to harvest fall veggies, incorporate into a science lesson, or just use as a quiet space to read. 

We’re thankful to all of the families who participated, our arts partners, and school administrators who remained flexible as we developed new protocols.

We’d love to hear your stories from the garden this summer or ideas for improvements for next year. Shoot us an email at farmtoschool@foodconnects.org.