Kingfield Elementary School

Growing Gardeners Program!

The Growing Gardeners program at Kingfield Elementary School takes place during Community Time every Friday afternoon for eight weeks in both the fall and spring. Led by second grade teacher Erica Luce DiSilvestro, the program uses a Seed to Plate approach that integrates science, social studies, math and English language arts through hands-on learning in the garden.

Kingfield’s Garden Classroom includes eight large raised beds, a meeting space with stump seating and an outdoor chalkboard teaching area, benches and picnic tables for workspaces, a large pavilion for cooking and group activities, a composting program, and a newly added greenhouse. This outdoor learning space allows students to explore food systems, ecology and nutrition in a meaningful and engaging way.

In 2020, Kingfield Elementary School became one of the first Franklin SING (Schools Integrating Nutrition and Gardening) schools organized by the Greater Franklin Food Council. During the fall garden program, students highlight a crop from the garden each week and explore its nutritional value. Students then use the harvested produce to cook healthy meals and snacks, learning how to transform what they grow into nutritious food.

To celebrate the end of the garden season, the school community gathers for the Annual Family Harvest Meal. This past fall marked the 11th annual event, with a theme of “Getting to Know Your Neighbors.” Students explored foods from neighboring countries—Mexico and Canada—researching why certain foods are common in those regions. The garden beds were even arranged as “family” plots to reflect the theme of community and connection.

Students harvested and prepared potatoes to make fresh French fries, which were cooked on-site by local masons using a large fryer. With gravy and cheese donated by Crooked Face Creamery, families enjoyed homemade poutine. Students also prepared fresh salsa using garden produce with the help of Master Food Preserver Wendy Kennedy, served alongside chips.

Held on a crisp Thursday evening in the Garden Classroom, the event welcomed more than 150 community members. In addition to sharing a meal grown and prepared by students, families explored student-created trifolds and book walks in the school’s biodiversity field. A raffle and student-run farmers market table helped raise funds to support the school garden program.