Passport to Nature Garden Tour

Recess was a bit wilder than usual on October 24, as Murch students ran to every corner of the school grounds during the third annual Passport to Murch Gardens. Students visited six outdoor learning centers: the fruit orchard; the textile garden; the organic vegetable garden; the compost center; the herb garden; and the native plant and butterfly garden. While every class usually has at least one lesson at one of the centers during the year, this was a day for all students to learn a little bit about every GreenScene center. They saw bright orange persimmons ripening on the trees, cloth dyed with plant parts, vegetables growing even in the crisp weather, and worms eating food scraps. They inhaled the exotic scents of herbs and watched the wind plant seeds bursting from pods of native plants. The students eagerly collected passport stamps — and hopefully a little knowledge — along the way. Thank you to all of the parents who volunteered to put the program together, to talk with the students about each learning center, and to hand out the coveted stamps. Thank you teachers for encouraging your students to use a little bit of recess to run around in nature’s classroom.