When little hands plant seeds, pick lettuce or spray
water on vegetables at the Helen R. Godfrey-University Child Learning Care Center, they’re not just playing. These two- to five-year-olds are learning
math, patience, social skills and healthful eating.
"They want to eat it on the spot because they were part of the whole process. It's all organic, non-GMO, so they can," said Rachel Hansard, who teaches two-year-olds at the center in Delzell Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus.
“Children
who would never eat broccoli at lunch will eat it without hesitation in the garden,” said Alicia Utke, preschool teacher.
The
University Child Learning and
Care
Center has a garden with beans climbing a teepee, several raised beds growing
beets, greens, potatoes, cucumbers, squash and more. The raised beds, seeds and growing supplies
were funded by a Security Health Plan grant in 2012. The garden is sustained from an annual
fundraiser with Central Rivers Farmshed, and through seed donated by the
families.
The children
plant the seeds – starting indoors in spring – water them and transplant into
the garden. They learn the difference between weeds and vegetables, when to
harvest, when to wait. “The learning that happens is amazing. Teaching a
two-year-old to be gentle is a gift,” Utke said.
Children
using spray bottles to
water are learning motor skills. They count vegetables, such as potatoes, and
compare sizes. They learn about the role of bees, worms and the sun. “It’s more
than just gardening. They’re learning math and how to interact with others,”
Hansard said.
“We’re
teaching them to appreciate plants and the environment. They’re learning from
nature and learning from the community,” she said. The center follows an educational
philosophy known as Reggio Emelia. Reggio is a village in Italy where young
children learn through exploration and discovery guided by their own
interests.
Children
learn about birds they see on the playground and are likely to see in their
backyard, Utke said. “Our focus is on trees, wildlife, fish and birds in our
native environment.”
They
learn by experience, Utke said. “The adult’s role is to give children the tools
they need to explore activities themselves. When children plant seeds, they get
to use all of their senses.”
Every
year, a few parents start growing their
own
vegetables, thanks to their children’s interest, Hansard said.
The
Godfrey Child Learning Center garden is in a fenced
area that also includes a natural playscape of stumps, boulders and more. It is
the only preschool in Portage County that is part of Wisconsin’s Green and
Healthy Schools, an environmental education initiative.
Environmental
education is important for young children because many are detached from
nature, Utke said. Free-range experiences outdoors – walking on a downed log,
for example -- help children develop physically and mentally in ways that
indoor activities do not, she said. “It’s so neat to be with children in
Schmeeckle Reserve and see the connection. They get to be as loud as they want
and as big as they want.”
Free-range
play is infused in the curriculum, with heavy emphasis on science, Utke said.
Seventy
to 80 children are enrolled at the center during the school year, and about 60
are during summer, said director Becky Helf. While most are children of
UW-Stevens Point students, faculty or staff, the center is open to the
community. The Child Learning Center
has
openings for children age 2 and older and is one of the Stevens Point public schools’
4K sites.
“It’s
OK that the children’s garden is not like your garden at home. When little
hands are involved, you get a completely different
experience,”
Utke said.
The
center partners with the community, campus departments and student organizations.
“We
have great collaborations with the university community,” Utke said. Child
Learning Center
teachers have consulted Campus
Garden organizers, Herpetology Society and have visited the dance studio, the compost facility and Schmeeckle Reserve.
“The university offers so many wonderful green spaces,” she said. “We’re
privileged to be part of this campus.”