It all began with a conversation between Providence Elementary School principal Billie Corbin and Solanco School District psychologist Marc Riccomini. Corbin and Riccomini were talking about the amount of land they have at the school, so they came up with the idea of planting a garden and allowing students to participate. This idea was put into motion during the spring of this year, when Corbin and Riccomini selected 10 students from kindergarten through fourth grade. Permission letters were then sent to the students' parents.

"We wanted to start small to make sure we were successful because we didn't know how it would go," said Corbin.

To begin, third- and fourth-graders used graph paper to map out the garden and decide what vegetables and herbs they wanted to plant. The students did the math to calculate the spacing of everything, and they built a fence around the area. The students planted tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, watermelon, squash, and some herbs. After everything was finished, Corbin and the students planned to meet periodically over the summer to maintain the garden, water the plants, and taste some of the vegetables.

"Next time we meet (in July), I'd like to teach them how to do a refrigerator pickle," stated Corbin.

Corbin noted that she hopes to design a wooden sign for the garden that has the names of the club members on it. She also mentioned that she wants to get a scarecrow and lay kindness rocks in the garden. As vegetables ripen, Corbin plans to either drop off the food at the students' houses or donate it to a local food bank.

"Our idea behind the garden club was that we want our kids to enjoy school and know that learning happens in the classroom, but learning can happen outside of the classroom as well and it can be fun," said Corbin. "School is a fun place, and we can build on the interests of the kids so they can learn something they can use when they're older."

In addition to the academic benefit of the garden club, there is a social benefit as well because the students interact across grade levels. Corbin said the club might plant another set of crops in the fall and welcome new members.

"It's just really nice to see the kids using their brains, problem solving, working together, collaborating, and talking through situations of how we can do things the best," stated Corbin. "It's been a fun time. I've enjoyed working with the kids and seeing them get excited."