Children of the Corn: The High Meadow School Garden

During the spring of 2010, High Meadow School planted a community garden.  Under the direction of Tanya Milano, our garden coordinator and PE teacher, each class was given seeds from the Hudson Valley Seed Library.  The present third grade class had the opportunity of using Jacinta Bunnell's incredibly gorgeous Calico Popcorn packet. The children were given instructions to plant the seeds, water the new seedlings, gather the weeds for compost and worry about the weather.  As the stalks began to grow the children began to name each plant (the corn had names like Harry, Nancy, etc).

Like anxious parents, the class built little pebble protection circles around the individual corn stalks. On sunny afternoons they would take their science sketchbooks to draw the corn, excitedly yelling encouragement to grow even taller. The day finally came when Tanya gave the go ahead to harvest the corn.  What joy!

The students are now drying the corn by hanging it on their classroom wall. They also artistically recreated the process from seed to harvest in drawings.  Jacinta visited our classroom and encouraged interested students to follow their dreams and create art throughout their lives. They are eager for the corn to dry and be made into popcorn for all the other classes to enjoy.  Thank you so much, HVSL, for this wonderful experience!

A long-time third grade teacher, I have never seen children so in rapture about a vegetable!

Barbara Piambino
Third Grade
High Meadow School
Stone Ridge, NY