Fun and gardening goes hand in hand for students

A group of boys squatted on the ground giggling and cheering as if they'd just found the world's coolest discovery.

Perhaps they had.

"Don't break it," one of them yelled.

Um, was it alive? the adults wondered from afar. They were walking over to check when, mid-stride, the entire group yelled "Ohhhhhh nooooo" as one of the boys fell unceremoniously on his backside.

They all stared at the partial prize in his hands: a carrot, snapped cleanly in two.

Clearly, the remainder - still planted solidly in the earth - would serve as fertilizer in next year's vegetable garden outside Roslyn Road School in Barrington.

"This is just the beginning stage," teacher Sharon Kranz said, looking out over the rather large raised garden bed populated, at the moment, with students attempting a harvest.

With the aid of a $1,000 grant, the entire school got involved last year in a project that installed a large flower garden and an even larger series of vegetable beds behind the school. Everyone played a part.

Each classroom started seeds from scratch. When it came time for an all-school planting day, every student took turns putting something in the ground.

They intended all along that the vegetable bed would be more than just a way to enjoy fresh food: They've donated the vast majority of the produce to the Cuba Township Food Pantry, a Giving Garden drop-off site.

Students planted staples like tomatoes, peppers, carrots and basil. They also tried some oddities like chocolate flower, which doesn't help the food pantry but is intriguing, Kranz said.

Over the summer, students and their families watched over the garden, harvesting food and delivering it to the pantry as needed. So far, they've dropped off at least 200 pounds of fresh vegetables.

Hannah Balder and Carlie Barbera, both 9, each took two turns at the task.

The best part?

"You got dirty," Hannah said.

Now that school's back in session, they've found yet another way to help the pantry. They've got so much produce, they've started an ad hoc farmers market after school for parents.

"We had such a big harvest, that I didn't want to inundate the food pantry," Kranz said.

They raised more than $100 for the pantry the first day.

The kids, though, are more fascinated with the mud, the whole notion of growing things and the ripening food. And they're having fun in the process.

"I came up with a tongue twister," Liesl Helminiak, 9, said, nibbling on a nasturtium.

"Polly put picked purple peppers in her pocket," she said, skipping away.