Scholars at Detroit Merit Charter Academy planted their very own school garden. Students planted a variety of cold-weather crops, including lettuce and kale, and several herbs, such as cilantro, mint, and basil. Once they harvested the lettuce and herbs, they replanted with tomatoes, peppers, etc. These crops will be harvested by summer learning kids.
“We feel it is our duty to promote healthy eating to our students and our garden is a great way to do this and allow them to try new foods as well,” said Sandra Martin, principal at Detroit Merit. “The students do all of the work from planting to weeding to harvesting. This teaches students responsibility and allows them to see how the produce they buy in stores is grown.”
Each grade level was given an item to harvest and suggestions for recipes with those items. Some classes made salads with the lettuce from the gardens, smoothies with the kale, mint lemonade, and Caprese salads with the basil, to name a few.
“The kids really enjoy tending the gardens and are protective of the produce,” said Martin. “We are always surprised at how adventurous they are with trying new food dishes. They usually initially turn up their noses, but after trying the new dishes, most of them like them and want to plant their own gardens at home.”
We are unbe-leaf-ably proud of our Detroit Merit students!
About Detroit Merit Charter Academy
Detroit Merit Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Detroit, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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