With preschool teacher Rachel Hansard, Juna Mapes-Martins and Brekken Schoenfuss count melons growing in a raised garden bed at the Helen Godfrey Child Learning Care Center at UW-Stevens Point.

Little sprouts learn big lessons in University Child Learning Center garden

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.”