Seth Boyden’s Garden Recess continues to grow

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MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Who says children don’t eat vegetables?

Let children pick their own collard greens, then blend the leaves with olive oil, garlic, sunflower seeds and lemon juice. Voila: pesto! Blend kale with apples and berries for smoothies. Saute collards and carrots with olive oil and salt for a tasty stir-fry.

Greens pesto, kale smoothies, stir-fry, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes — all were served up this fall during Garden Recess at Seth Boyden Demonstration School. Each Friday, dozens of students opted to spend their recess in the school’s produce garden, “Strawberry Fields.” The students harvested fruits, vegetables and herbs, pressed flowers, created garden art, and watched nature happen all around them.

“Seeing the kids want to learn during recess was a blast,” said Elizabeth Ebinger, a parent of three girls at Seth Boyden and a devoted Garden Recess volunteer. One of the greatest assets of Garden Recess, she said, is the school’s head gardener, Maggie Tuohy.

“That energy of hers is shining,” Ebinger, who is also a certified elementary school teacher, said. “She has the magic touch with the kids.”

Tuohy, whose four children have all attended Seth Boyden, said she finds inspiration from the children who choose Garden Recess.

“There are some students who come to the garden every week simply to make a connection, to talk and play quietly with the adults or other children in the garden. Others love to search in the compost and under rocks and logs for insects, salamanders and snakes.”

Some students run into the garden pull a carrot, paint a picture or taste some food before returning to their recess play.

Seth Boyden has the largest outdoor backyard space of any school in the South Orange-Maplewood School District. The Strawberry Fields produce garden forms part of Seth Boyden’s Outdoor Learning Center, which also includes an outdoor classroom, a performance circle, a large sundial, multiple play structures, and a host of native plantings and trees.

Garden Recess has been around for more than 13 years, according to Tuohy. Shortly after the re-establishment of Seth Boyden as a demonstration school in 1999, the school’s grounds began to be redesigned and Strawberry Fields took form. The garden activities have evolved over the years as the parent community has changed, with each set of volunteer parents bringing what they love to the garden and passing along their methods and knowledge.

Tuohy and Ebinger, who have been at the helm for the past few years, are both master gardeners, a designation received after completing an official university extension program. Their book, “Recipes for a Successful School Garden: A Guide for Parents and Teachers,” inspired by their experience at Seth Boyden, will be released in June 2018.

Katrina Campbell wrote the above article and Alison Poe provided the photos.

  FEATURED, Seth Boyden