Carteret School Children Play With Their Food (In a Good Way)

Third and fourth-graders at Bloomfield’s Carteret School got a hands-on lesson about nutrition and horticulture recently. They planted marigolds, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers and string beans and took them home to grow into seedlings and eventually into harvestable vegetables.

The children made their foray into gardening under the supervision of the Essex County Master Gardeners and through the Lifeline Challenge to Healthy Living Program sponsored by Clara Maass Medical Center Foundation.

In the Lifeline Challenge To Healthy Living program, students take part in fun interactive lessons and activities to learn how to make healthy nutrition choices and incorporate exercise into their daily routines.

Local medical experts said the first-hand experience with edible plants was invaluable for shaping healthy views on nutrition.

“They see where fruits and vegetables come from and have more of a respect for the food,” pediatric dietician Melody Colacino-DeGaetano said in a press release.

Colacino-DeGaetano said it’s a sneaky way to get kids to love their veggies. “This is lots of fun for them. They get to play in dirt without getting in trouble.”

She said she saw a Lifeline student pull a carrot from her kitchen garden last year and eat it fresh from the dirt.

“Year after year, students in the Lifeline Challenge To Healthy Living Program learn important lessons in fitness, nutrition and lifestyle skills that will benefit them the rest of their lives,” Jane Kessler, vice president of Clara Maass Medical Center Foundation said.

Essex County Master Gardeners joined the Lifeline Challenge To Healthy Living staff at elementary schools in Bloomfield, Belleville and Montclair this spring to plant the seed gardens. The students also met with the gardeners to transplant seedlings into bigger containers.

“I want them to have the experience of growing and the responsibility of taking care of this,” said Fran Kroeckel, a master gardener and retired teacher, who led the after school lesson. “There are kids who have never done anything like this.” Using simple plastic containers, the students moistened the soil then chose and planted four different seeds in the container. Then they took the containers home to watch the seeds grow.

“It’s going to be very fun and interesting because it’s the first time I’m planting it myself,” said Jordan Daniels, 10.

Melina Hidalgo, 10, also participated, “I like flowers and my sister likes tomatoes. It’s going to be fun.”

After planting the seeds, Kroeckel explain told them how to care for their small garden and encouraged them to bring it back in a few weeks to replant the seedlings into larger containers.

“I’m going to water it. I think it’s going to grow,” Safiya Alexander, 9, said. “I’m going to put it in my kitchen window.”

Students in the year-long after school Lifeline Challenge Program enjoy learning a number of healthy topics besides gardening and planting vegetables. They study nutrition, healthy food choices, how to read a food label and participate in exercise programs ranging from dancing to relay races and martial arts. For information about Lifeline Challenge to Healthy Living, or, to make a donation, call Marcia Fusilli, Clara Maass Foundation Director of Development, at 973-450-2368 or visit www.claramaassfoundation.org.