Students take pride in Keller Garden Club
Growing vegetables at school contributes to healthy habits and family fun with kids in the kitchen.
As the nation's concerns about childhood obesity and juvenile
diabetes continue to grow, Keller Elementary kids are learning to grow
and prepare healthy food.
They are delighted to see their plants come up. They enjoy working together, harvesting, tasting and picking vegetables to take home and share with their families.
Garden Club members and Lynette Kaspor, sponsor, enjoy the bounty.
Keller Garden Club members use the computer lab after school to research recipes families can try at home when preparing food that includes the vegetables grown in their very own garden.
The club is cultivating more and more garden areas around the Keller
campus to give kids the opportunity to focus on a wider variety of
organic foods that promote healthy lifestyles.
Two flowering gardens are also being planted this year, so students
can appreciate how flowers add beauty to their surroundings when they're
active outdoors.
"We believe students who eat healthy and exercise regularly function more effectively in and out of school," said Lynette Kaspor, physical education teacher.
She and Scott Krenytzky, art specialist, sponsor the club. To measure its success, they monitor members' knowledge of gardening, and they stay in touch with parents to see how the information and the food are being used at home.
— Story and photos by Scott Krenytzky