Authored by Emily Cooke, RDN, LD
4 Seasons Preschool Garden Seedlings
The 4 Seasons Preschool and Childcare center has been working hard to grow a garden for their children, families, and the local community. Owner, Becki Yahm, along with the children of 4 Seasons and their families has been taking care of the garden throughout the summer by planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. This not only brings together a fun family event but promotes a healthy lifestyle as well! The children helped start the garden with seedlings and have been involved the entire process from helping the seedlings grow, to planting them in the garden, to now harvesting and enjoying the fruits of their patience and labor!
4 Seasons Preschool Garden Planting
Becki has been using the opportunity to weave healthy lessons all throughout the children’s days. For example, the kids have used dried beans in art projects, they’ve cut out pictures of fruit and vegetables from magazines to make personalized place mats, and read books about gardening and fruits and vegetables. The fresh produce is included in the children’s meals and snacks and they hope to have enough to also donate some to their local food pantry.
4 Seasons Preschool Students Harvesting Garden
To tie in with the community, 4 Seasons registered their garden with the Maine School Garden Network and is able to access many great resources that have been worked into the preschool curriculum. Becki also has partnered with the caretaker of the local middle school garden and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Program to learn more about gardening and brings this knowledge to the kids and parents. She keeps parents in the loop through the School Garden Newsletter that shares garden updates, how the children are helping, and what they are taste-testing from the harvest. This way parents know what the needs are for keeping the garden growing and how they can help out. Check out their Facebook page for more information and to watch the garden grow!
Let’s Go! loves to hear about and share stories like this; we are proud to have 4 Seasons Preschool and Childcare partnering with us in creating fun and healthy child care environments here in Maine!
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