Since early December, our Upper Elementary Lowers have been fully immersed in winter farming, learning to appreciate the quiet stillness of the season while preparing for the growth ahead. With especially cold temperatures this winter, most of our farming days have been spent cozy inside the growing dome. Students began the term by transplanting cool-weather crops into the garden beds, where they are holding on through the cold and patiently waiting for the first signs of spring.
When the first seed catalogs arrived, we eagerly flipped through them and learned how to read and use them. Each student selected plants they’d like to grow at LMS, thinking carefully about what children would enjoy, how the plants might look and taste, the environments they need to thrive, and their resistance to pests and disease. Just before winter break, we also pulled out the pruning saws and gave our well-loved fig tree the care it needed with a thoughtful winter pruning.
After winter break, our focus shifted to seed saving. Students learned how to harvest dried seeds from a variety of plants, clean them, and package and label their own seed packets. Many of these packets traveled home, ready to be planted in home gardens or shared as meaningful gifts.
We’ve also put our saved seeds to work here at LMS. One of our main winter projects has been creating mini greenhouses from repurposed milk jugs. This multi-week project has deepened students’ understanding of seed starting and our local ecosystem. Along the way, they learned about cold stratification and how to give seeds the experience of winter while still offering them a warm head start for spring. And of course, no farming lesson is complete without the joy of tasting fresh produce from our school gardens!
#LMSFarm #LMSUpperEl
