You might have heard that Suquamish Elementary will soon be the home of a school garden and new program called Farm Kids! We are proud to confirm it isn’t just a rumor; it is a vision that is finally coming to fruition.  With the help of many students, parents, community members, and staff, our school has developed a plan to implement an outdoor living laboratory. 

The garden will be a place where students have opportunities to plan, create, and care for their own environment.  Classrooms will have access to the garden where students will use the scientific process and learn about sustainable and ecologically friendly gardening practices.  Students will be in charge of growing food, but also of collecting, weighing, observing, graphing, and recording information. The garden is another way Suquamish Elementary intends on supporting student health while empowering them with life skills.

All students will have access to the garden, but Farm Kids the program for interested students, second through fifth grade, will take place during recesses and be overseen by interested volunteers.  The program will support earth-friendly practices and enhance scientific understanding. Farm Kids will be in charge of tending the school garden during recess breaks while being supervised and mentored by interested volunteers.  Parents and community members can sign up as a volunteer for one day a month, one day a week, or multiple times a week depending on interest and time availability.  The more hands there are to help, the more students we can serve!

In a couple of weeks, volunteers will be excavating the grassy slope on the north end of the school building, building garden beds, and filling the beds with nutrient rich soil.  If you are interested in lending a hand or some equipment, please email at, or call me at 394-6917.   We are looking for excavators, electricians, engineers, and masons to help us get the garden established.

We haven’t set the date yet, but are hoping to establish the garden before the end of the month.  I invite you to be a part of this exciting undertaking.