This week we wanted to share an inspiring story of our Woolly School Garden in action in New York.
40 WALLY 1 pockets were installed at PS206 on the chainlink of the school yard. (They have a LOTTA chainlink!) The students planted the pockets with edibles like: kale, spinach, rainbow chard, broccoli, scallions, red cabbage and mesclun salad greens as well as herbs like thyme, sage, parsley and mint!
The garden is watered lovingly by 43 third graders in our APPLE SEED program. It is also watered almost every other day by students receiving occupational therapy. The on-site occupational therapist says the pockets are perfect for sequencing, physical and communication activities. The plants LOVE the water and the garden is THRIVING. I wish you could see it in person.
The garden at PS 206 is a three headed dragon. One partner is TURBANA, a banana and tropical fruit importer, they have generously supported the project. The second partner is KEEN: Kids Enjoy Exercise Now. KEEN’s goal is for the children to get exercise outside and to learn about healthy foods. www.keennewyork.org KEEN New York won an online Facebook challenge and wanted to build a garden in a public school. KEEN was looking for a school with a high population of Special needs children. The Horticultural Society of New York is the project’s installation and education partner. Our colleague Miriam Campos was contacted to develop the garden at PS 206—as school with a 40% of their students on the autism spectrum. Our Hort team recognized that we needed to capitalize on that urban chainlink and MAKE IT GROW!!! So thank you WOOLLY POCKET. You make edibles grow in amazing places with amazing people.
