Spring means getting into the garden! We stopped by the award-winning Sudduth Elementary SEEDS Garden this week for a visit with "Garden Granny" and some very eager PreK students.
June Schmidt, lovingly known to Sudduth students as "Garden Granny" stopped by the outdoor classroom space to talk with our youngest Jackets about what is needed for the baby plant inside a seed to grow. She talked with students and gave a lesson on how seeds use soil, sun, water and wind to grow. Using the garden's raised beds, Garden Granny demonstrated how to plant seeds and gave students the chance to try it for themselves.
The SEEDS Garden is a partnership with Oktibbeha County Master Gardeners, who funded and maintain the space for growing and learning year-round with seasonal plants and fun activities. In 2021, Sudduth Elementary and the Master Gardeners were recipients of a Governor's Award from the Mississippi Association of Partners in Excellence (MAPE) for their work together to create the garden and the learning experiences it provides.
This unique partnership offers pre-K, kindergarten and first graders at Sudduth the opportunity to plant, tend and harvest fruits and vegetables as well as taste what they have grown. Interactive lessons from Garden Granny and other volunteers engage students with the sensory aspects of gardening from smelling the soil, plants and produce to the feel of the dirt under their fingernails.
Through partnerships like the one developed with Oktibbeha County Master Gardeners, SOCSD is giving students rich, hands-on experiences that connect classroom to community.
