Lilly’s Garden at Forest Avenue Magnet School

11/13/18

On a dreary fall Friday morning Master Gardeners ,the keepers of Lilly’s Garden, brought the “movable school” indoors to first graders to harvest their fall crop of Sweet potatoes they planted last spring as kindergardeners. That morning they learned that a famous American and Alabamian –Dr. George Washington Carver—taught the poor farmers of rural Tuskegee how have more success with their crops so that they could better feed their families. Dr. Carver did this with his “Movable School”. He took the classroom, loaded up with teaching supplies, to the farmers in their communities. And like Dr. Carver, the
Master Gardeners took their supplies to the first grade class rooms .

The students reviewed seed science; the parts of a plant and their functions. They learned about the nutritional value of the sweet potato. Once they harvested their crop many students could hardly believe that something that tasted so good could hardly be good for them too. The baked sweet potatoes were delicious.

The students learned that there are many varieties of sweet potatoes—purple, orange, red, and white—all of them tasting a little bit different.

In America, sweet potato harvesting signals the fall — that Thanksgiving is near. Overwhelmingly, all the children decided to share their small crop of sweet potatoes with families who need more food to fill their tables for the holidays. This crop, planted and harvested by Forest Avenue first graders, is special – it will help feed those who need it most.

Well done, first graders—you are helping others.