Garden Education at 24th Street Elementary and Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary

Jeffrey You, Spring 2023

After interning as a Park Ranger at the Redwoods National Park, I took an interest in public education and being an interpreter of sorts as I had served as a park ranger interpreter. The Garden School Foundation (GSF) and EnrichLA provided an opportunity to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the public through garden education classes for elementary students. Maintaining the garden is always a forefront of preparations and physical labor! Maintaining the seedlings in the greenhouse, redoing the greenhouse’s tarp every time the wind decides to obliterate it. Renovating the paths and amending the soil as well as mulching, paving way to suppress weed growth is another essential aspect in maintaining the garden.

The bulk of the internship is when classes of excited students come bouncing into the garden, ready to learn new garden lessons we teach. We would prepare a variety of food ingredients from raisins to apple slices to leafy greens to teach students how to make the Moroccan salad or a fruit salad for a healthy diet. I aided in delivering these and other lessons and led groups of students into different areas of the garden, teaching them to utilize their 5 senses to explore. Teaching each class can be challenging, some students may let their imagination wander off, so I continue to learn how to respond. The smiles and excitement the children have towards you though, are contagious and make it worthwhile, that you are contributing to help educate the next generation of society on environmental sustainability and garden stewardship.

My GSF photo decorated cartoonishly in their Instagram post!

A class in action: Making a fruit and vegetables salad, and transplanting eggplants on the right.