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WILTON, Conn. Regardless of class size, teacher training or budget issues, some lessons can never be taught inside Miller-Driscoll School, Nicole Thornbrough said. Every so often students need to close the books and open a door.
It's one of the reasons she volunteered to work in the elementary school's Outdoor Learning Center a courtyard brimming with flowers, vegetables, trees and even a small babbling brook.
"When they're here they can pick vegetables and pull weeds. That's not an experience you can get in the classroom," said Thornbrough. "Hands-on (lessons), those are the things they remember."
What started as a memorial garden to former students has evolved into a mostly neglected space ripe with weeds and flying, crawling and stinging insects. "There was a lack of interest and not so many volunteers," said Pam Nobumoto, who with Thornbrough and Laura Martins, serve as the PTA members charged with overseeing its care. "It was heart-wrenching not to see it being kept up."
So the trio of moms took on the job. After a major overhaul of the grassy and growing areas, the action shifted to readying new flowerbeds and vegetable gardens.
On Earth Day, students planted tomato, eggplant and carrot seeds. First-graders were placed in charge of creating a flag garden, complete with red, white and bluish flowers. Another class project involved fashioning a butterfly garden so students could watch the creatures' transformation.
"Our goal was to develop a space and have teachers come out and teach lessons," said Thornbrough. "This is an outdoor science classroom."
But the center has morphed into more than a laboratory, which is fine with Martins. "The purpose was to create a space where the children could come out more," she said. "That could be for a theatrical reading. Or it might be for a kid who needs extra help with a science experiment."
Teachers have also used the space as a makeshift art studio, outdoor reading room and an al fresco writers' workshop.
The gardens also yield a harvest of fruits and vegetables, which will soon make their way from plot to plate in the school's cafeteria. Chartwells, the company in charge of food service at the school, agreed to use some of this summer's crops in meals next fall.
"The kids are going to be able to use the lettuce and carrots they planted for their lunches," said Nobumoto. That teaches a lesson in knowing where your food comes from, said Thornbrough. "For me, we're big on children knowing that. Food grows in a garden. It doesn't grow at the grocery store."
And it doesn't grow through the work of one or two individuals. Millstone Farm, Glen Gate Pool & Property and the Wilton Garden Club have donated time and seedlings. There's also an army of about 15 volunteers who work on the day-to-day maintenance. Additional help is always welcome, especially when school is not in session.
"This summer we're trying to get more volunteers," said Nobumoto. "This is a full-year volunteer job. This might be a nice first step for someone."
Anyone interested in volunteering at the Miller-Driscoll Outdoor Learning Center can contact Nicole Thornbrough at nthornbrough@optonline.net.
Have you volunteered at one of Wilton's schools? What did you do? Leave a comment below.
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