Diggin' In With FoodCorps Fin - April 16th 2021
If I didn’t already tell you in person this week, I hope you had a HAPPY EARTH DAY!
Earth Day is one of my favorite holidays because there are so many ways to celebrate, and even the smallest ways feel so good. With the third grade this week, we planted flower seeds of several different kinds, which will attract and feed pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other bugs in our school garden. Along with the flowers, we also “planted intentions”, We talked about how intentions are a commitment to carrying out an action in the future, and how those actions could benefit ourselves, others, or the planet. So with every seed, students wrote on a popsicle stick their name and their answer to the phrase: “I wish for ____ on Earth.” I was touched by their wishes for a better planet for everyone tomorrow.
The planting continued with kids in childcare this afternoon: we planted the very first vegetables to go in the raised beds in the Outdoor Sensory Garden. We planted potatoes! Can’t wait to dig these up this Fall and see what’s become of them!
I was also lucky enough to join 4th and 5th graders in planting trees around campus today to replace those which had been damaged in the Winter. Just look at those kids dig!
I pondered with some of them as we walked to the spot, just how long these trees would live. Maybe even longer than we will… It was a good reflection on the impacts we can have on the Earth that can last far longer than we do.
As if things couldn’t get any more green and joyful, the seeds in the greenhouse must have known it was Earth Day, because just yesterday, the very first sunflower burst forth and germinated!
HURRAH!
I hope that you, dear reader, found a moment to be thankful for our dear Mother Earth this week and all the bounty she provides for us. It feels only right to care for that which has care for us. And if you found yourself doing something nice for the Earth this week and it felt good to you, I’ve got great news for you: it doesn’t have to stop there! Every day can be Earth Day if you want it to be.
Be glad, Earthlings,
Finley