School days
September 10th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Yesterday we took the Truck Farm to Schmitt Elementary in southwest Denver for their Get in the Action healthy living fair, sponsored by Action for Healthy Kids. It was a fun, sunny afternoon and the kids really loved the truck! It was great to see their reactions upon telling them that they could, in fact, EAT those leaves from the basil, mint, chives, and other fresh herbs. Several of them seemed pretty skeptical about the notion of eating something straight from the dirt – but some classic peer pressure from their classmates did the trick! Thus far I’d have to say that one of the most rewarding parts of this endeavor has been to see the amazement in kids faces when they discover where actual food comes from. Sad state of America’s food system aside, it’s a great experience to be a part of the movement to change the status quo. A special thanks to Scott Muir for helping us out yesterday also! Here are some shots from the event. We will be at Asbury Elementary in the University neighborhood on Thursday, September 15.
On a final note – Schmitt’s brand spankin’ new playground is pretty swell! UCD’s Learning Landscapes program is redesigning and rebuilding all of Denver Public Schools elementary playgrounds, and many of my classmates in the Landscape Architecture program have been a part of this process. DPS kids are getting some fantastic playgrounds. Very exciting!
