Wednesday, October 22, 2008
By ELISE FRANCO
Teachers at Poland North Elementary said the bulb- planting teaches pupils how to care for their community.
POLAND — Brisk temperatures and drizzle could not deter pupils at Poland North Elementary from their morning mission to plant almost 400 iris, tulip and hyacinth bulbs.
Tuesday, with help from employees at Home Depot in Boardman and the Green Team, Roger Meyers of American Beauty Landscaping gave a short presentation on the proper way to plant and care for flower bulbs.
“The best time to plant is when temperatures are below 50 degrees or just after a frost,” he said. “Make sure the bulb points up — that’s the top of the tulip.”
The former teacher said he told the youngsters in kindergarten through fourth grade about bulb production and what it takes to successfully grow the flowers. Meyers told the kids to plant the bulbs 3 inches into the dirt.
“They’re going to start growing right after you plant them,” he said.
Kids were taken outside by classroom to the school courtyard and the sign at the main entrance, to test their gardening skills.
Each group of five pupils was given nine bulbs to plant.
“Seven months from now, your bulbs are going to come up, and your flowers are going to bloom,” Meyers said.
Karen Vasko’s fourth-grade class was among one of the first to plant the bulbs.
“I liked when we got to dig [the hole] and put the flowers in,” Marissa Vardavas, 9, said. “It was also fun when I got to watch everyone else do theirs.”
Third-grader Billy Orr, 8, said he was excited about the project and knows what he’s doing when it comes to digging in the dirt.
“I’ve planted flowers with my dad before,” he said. “But I never got to use that digging tool.”
Even the teachers said they were having a good time.
Vasko said she loves seeing the looks on her pupils’ faces and hearing the encouraging comments they make to one another.
“It brings the kids a lot of joy, and they get so excited beforehand,” she said. “They love watching [the flowers] grow.”
Vasko said her class likes to walk by the courtyard and look out the large windows that allow them to see the flowers’ progress.
Third-grade teacher Charlene Hay said the planting exercise helps reinforce the lessons she teaches in her social studies class.
“It teaches them how to plant, but it’s also about the community,” she said. “They learn how it’s important to take care of their community.”
The courtyard where many of the tulips were planted is an area Principal Mike Masucci said his student body is familiar with.
“We’ve had the area for about six years, and we’ve planted Mother’s Day flowers and vegetable gardens and conducted science experiments,” he said. “You name it. If it has to do with seeds or plants, the kids will try it.”
efranco@vindy.com
Video