Outdoor greenhouse encourages kids to get their hands dirty

May 05, 2008 11:25 pm

— By KAYLEY FRANK

PENDLETON — For Marilyn Crosley, retirement didn’t bring the promise of relaxation, vacationing or spending more time with family and friends.
Instead, when she retired from teaching fourth grade at Pendleton Elementary 16 years ago, Crosley decided to start an outdoor greenhouse at the school, something that she still coordinates to this day.
“When I retired, outdoor labs were just starting to come into existence, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to bring one to Pendleton,” she said.
And since the greenhouse’s start 15 years ago, Pendleton’s outdoor lab has blossomed.
All 850 students at Pendleton Elementary spend time in the greenhouse each year, Crosley said.
“They each do different things every year,” she said. “That way, by the time a student reaches fifth grade, he or she has plenty of experience poking around in the dirt.”
Currently, the lab is funded by the school’s PTO and by contributions from local gardening clubs.
“We also sell some of the plants at local roadside sales like the Highway 38 sale,” Crosley said.
This year, students in each grade level have planted different flowers to give as Mother’s Day gifts. The plants vary by grade level, and include zinnias, marigolds, mums, colandulas, petunias and snapdragons.
“Some students work with seeds and others work with plugs — small sprouts of a particular plant,” Crosley said. “But everyone plants something. I don’t think we missed a child in the building.”
In addition to planting in the greenhouse, students also work with Crosley at maintaining 26 plant beds, a gourd arbor and various gardens around the school grounds.
“It is a lot of work,” admitted Crosley, who has several assistants working with her throughout the week. “But it gives the students a lot of variety and a lot of fun.”
The students work with a variety of plants as each plant bed has a different theme based on grade.
“I try to make the plant beds grade appropriate,” Crosley said. “For example, fourth-graders study Indiana history, so they plant corn and soybeans.”
Second-graders work with what Crosley called an “alphabet bed” — a garden that includes a plant for every letter of the alphabet.
“That bed is a lot of fun, but it can be difficult to come up with a plant for every letter. We have trouble with X and Q sometimes,” she said, laughing.
For Crosley, staying on as the school’s resident gardener after her retirement was a natural choice.
“I’m very active and I’ve always loved plants,” she said. “My mother loved plants and gardens, and I’ve been able to pass that down to my daughters, too. I’ve liked that.”
The greenhouse is also a great opportunity for Crosley to pass down her love of gardening to students, too.
“It’s really enjoyable for the kids,” Crosley said. “They love the greenhouse — a lot of them even give up their recess time to come in and work in the dirt.”
Crosley also said that the outdoor lab gives students a chance to learn the benefits of going outside and getting active.
“Working outdoors in any capacity gives them something to do besides play video games,” she said. “They can work in the dirt and they love it.”
According to Jane Cooney, elementary math and science specialist for the Indiana Department of Education, outdoor classrooms extend the instruction that is done indoors, a concept that is beneficial for students.
“Teaching outdoors allows students to experience a whole new classroom, one that they are encouraged to interact with and explore,” she said. “As students interact with the environment, they gain an appreciation for it and naturally become stewards.”
In 2003, Pendleton Elementary’s outdoor lab was voted best outdoor classroom by the Indiana Tree Farm, and Crosley is very proud of the good work her students have been able to accomplish.
“It’s a fun thing,” she said. “I love it here, and no time soon am I going to quit.”

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.