The overcast skies, fog and drizzle might have encouraged some to stay inside, but for those who enjoy the outdoors Wednesday made for a perfect Earth Day.
First-graders in Heather Arbaugh’s class at Reeces Creek Elementary School in Killeen, took maximum advantage scurrying about the long, narrow fenced-in beds that make up the school’s garden at the rear of the school.
When a guest came around, the excited 6- and 7-year-old gardeners couldn’t wait to share their treasures – a shiny rock, a crawling bug, a wiggly caterpillar.
“Today, you have to be in the garden on Earth Day. The plants are loving the water and we are, too,” said Arbaugh.
Last fall, the teacher took the initiative to revive the Reeces Creek garden.
She started a school garden club and on one Saturday last November hosted a family day with students and parents sprucing up the beds, pulling weeds and planting a variety of flowers and vegetables.
The student club is open to all grade levels and meets weekly after school to maintain the lettuce, radishes, turnips and other plants. Whatever comes up, they take home.
The result of their work, evident on Earth Day after days of rain, was lush green leaves flowing over the planting beds.
“I decided we needed a garden and it’s good for kids to get their hands into some soil. A lot of people don’t have that kind of exposure. It’s important for them to see where their food comes from,” the teacher said.
For Arbaugh, the revived green space is far more than a place to grow vegetables. It’s an outdoor learning lab and a breath of fresh air.
“They love the garden. We use it as much as possible for science and art and writing poems. It’s very multifaceted. I’m proud to have such a supportive community.”
She called the Earth Day activity “chaos gardening,” planting seeds and seeing what will come up.
In the future, with the Garden Club well-established, plans are to get more active in planting even more varieties of vegetables and other plants.
Killeen ISD photo albums: https://www.killeenisd.org/photos
