Getting Started

Last week The Beechwood Garden project launched with its first offical meeting with the school, community and the volunteers.  The new team of volunteers were introduced to the founders of the garden project and filled in on the details of the project.  It became apparent immediately that this will not just be your everyday garden, but rather an outdoor classroom that will help the students learn not only about gardening but also about various other things such as health, the environment, community service, and giving.
Here is an image of how the garden will be layed out:

As you can see, the garden is well planned  to create a functioning outdoor classroom for the students.

About the Project

The primary goal of the Beechwood School garden program is to create and sustain an organic garden that will serve as an outdoor classroom and “living laboratory” for all children attending Beechwood School.  The garden program also seeks to enhance the overall educational experience of the children, encourage positive views of nature, nutrition and the environment at a young age, support large scale initiatives, such as First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Lets Move!” campaign, increase awareness of national hunger issues, and provide opportunities for parents, teachers and the community to build strong working relationships.  Lastly, we seek to make a positive impact within the community by donating crops to a local soup kitchen and by sharing our garden with community based programs such as the local Seniors group or the local Boy/Girl Scout Troops.

The outdoor classroom will consist of a fenced in garden, raised planting beds where a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs will be planted, a seating area for the children, a butterfly garden and bird feeders.  Rain barrels, a compost drum and a small tool shed will also be included.  The project will be implemented in phases and is expected to take three years to complete.  Phase 1 of the project is currently in progress and is the portion in which we are seeking funding.  Work completed to date includes establishing the project committee, obtaining the necessary administrative approvals, preparing project site plans, securing resources and funding, and publicizing the project.  Curriculum updates are also in progress and site development will begin this spring if funding is secured.