PULLMAN – The plastic bin, Francene Watson announced, was actually a treasure chest. She dramatically opened it to reveal
masses of wriggling earthworms.
“Holy cow!” shouted a boy in her audience of Pullman second graders.
It was the kind of moment Watson and Justin Hougham had in mind this year when they established Palouse Pollinators, a series of workshops for teachers and learners. She is a doctoral student and he is an instructor at the WSU College of Education. They were inspired by the question: What if everyone could learn the wonders of sowing seeds, nurturing plants and cooking produce fresh from the garden?
“With the worms, it was ‘Eewww, gross…can I touch them?’” Watson recalled. After learning that worms are the “earth’s plow,” helping create fertile soil, the kids found new homes for the worms in cool, dark spots at the Koppel Farm community garden.
“Their energy was infectious,” said Watson. “I couldn’t keep up with their questions.”
While cold weather has ended gardening for the season, Palouse Pollinators keeps bearing fruit. The workshops, bookended by the harvest and planting seasons, will continue through the school year.
“All teachers are welcome and can attend however many sessions work for their schedules,” said Hougham. “One goal of this program is to flexibly serve the education community here on the Palouse through providing materials, expertise and networking opportunities for garden educators as well as aspiring gardeners.”
Another goal is to give WSU’s teachers-in-training – or pre-service teachers, as their college calls them – experience in place-based education.
On the Koppel garden field day, pumpkins and sunflowers were in their glory. Sixty Franklin Elementary School second-graders and their teachers were joined by WSU students enrolled in Hougham’s course “Cultural and Community Contexts of Education” (TL 465).
Guided by Watson, Hougham and the pre-service teachers, the kids planted garlic, dug potatoes, identified plants and vegetables, and created drawings about the garden space.
Meanwhile, the pre-service teachers were learning about the complexity of organizing field sessions, the second-graders’ powers of observation, and the tricks of managing an outdoor classroom.
This winter, those WSU students will develop activities that teachers can use to engage their students in sustainable education. They also will see how the program matches up with the state of Washington’s learning standards.
Come spring, everyone will be back in the garden.
Hougham, who earned his Ph.D. in education from WSU, is also education and outreach coordinator at the WSU Organic Farm. The farm, along with the Department of Teaching and Learning, supports Palouse Pollinators.
“It’s important for students to learn where food comes from, how it’s grown and how it’s connected to larger community and environmental issues,” he said.